13 Easy Kids' Party Ideas

There’s no reason parents shouldn’t be able to enjoy themselves at kids’ birthday parties and vice versa. Consider these clever ideas to keep kids happy and entertained so moms and dads can do the same.

If your table runners are too nice for sticky fingers, then give little ones the materials to make their own. First, protect your tabletop with white butcher paper; then top with a roll of 12" wide brown Kraft paper. Provide kids with crayons, and let them draw while they snack. When the party is over, the runner can be cut into pieces and framed as keepsakes or favors for guests.

Instead of fussing over kiddie food before the party, take the pressure off by letting the littles ones make their own culinary creations. With a little adult help, they'll love making, then eating, these caterpillar kebabs. All you’ll need are kid-friendly plastic or wooden skewers (use sandpaper to smooth the sharp ends), grapes, marshmallow fluff and mini chocolate chips. Slide grapes onto the skewer to create the caterpillar's boby, then add eyes with a dab of marshmallow fluff and mini chocolate chips.

Give the kids a lesson in geography with a world map tablecloth. Pick up a paper world map slightly wider than your table, allowing it to fall a maximum of 6 inches over on all sides. Next, supply the kids with washable markers or crayons and let them mark each place they’ve been.

Put an ice cream twist on the classic game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. To create it, draw a large ice cream cone on white butcher paper. Outline the edges with paint pens, then fill in the design with acrylic paint and add a few colorful sprinkles as a fun touch. Next, make cherries by cutting red construction paper into 6" circles and adding double-sided tape to the backs. Tape the craft paper to the wall, blindfold to the first willing participant and let them have at it!

Kids love hamming it up for the camera and looking at photos of themselves so be sure to take lots of pics of the kids interacting with a digital camera or your phone. Create a digital slideshow and email a link out to the guests so everyone can enjoy clicking through fun photos of the party.  

Turn any table at your party into a mess-proof art station. To do this, you’ll need a plastic poncho for each child, a roll of Kraft paper, mini art canvases, acrylic paint, plastic cups filled with water and small paint brushes. Have a hair dryer handy to speed up the canvases' drying time so each child can take their masterpiece home as a party favor.  

Give kids a healthy, dairy-free alternative to ice cream by letting them serve themselves fruit in a waffle cone. For a no-mess approach, protect your table with paper or a disposable tablecloth, then set the waffle cones into plastic ice cream cone stands. Let kids fill their cones with their favorite fruits, then enjoy their creations at the table.

Keep kids engaged toward the end of the party by letting them make popcorn favor bags for guests. To create these, you’ll need brown paper bags, kid’s scissors, a hole punch, colorful string and markers. Set up a tub of popcorn at one end of the kitchen counter or dining table to create an assembly line. Assign each child a specific task like adding the popcorn, cutting and attaching the string, punching holes in tags, writing names or handing the bags out to guests.

Most kids are picky eaters, so it’s often easier to present their favorite foods in an original way than it is to encourage them to try a new food at a party. Put a clever twist on the classic meat and cheese tray by creating sandwich kebabs with turkey or ham, cherry tomatoes, basil, cheese and white bread. Be sure to smooth the ends of the skewers to eliminate sharp points.  

Let little ones help finish off your soiree’s tablescape by turning carnations and cherries into floral ice cream sundaes. To do this, have them place pre-cut carnations in two different colors (pink and white work best) into sundae glasses. Add the pink carnations first to serve as the ice cream then top with 2 or 3 white carnations to resemble whipped cream. After the kids add cherries to the top of their creations, parents should add water before placing the centerpieces on the table.

Encourage little ones to interact with one another with playing card place holders. First, pick up a kid’s card game and read the instructions before the soiree. Next, place a card on each child’s napkin to assign them a character, number, letter or activity.