There is no question – children love birthday parties. Especially their own! So when planning for kids’ parties, it is important to prepare well ahead of time to ensure that it goes smoothly and with as little stress as possible for you.
Food is a major part of children’s parties. You should therefore put some thought into deciding what types of food to serve.
There is a wide range of fun food ideas for children’s parties. However, it is advisable to take certain things into consideration when deciding what to serve there.
An important factor in planning the menu for children’s parties is the age range of the children attending the party.
Children’s Party Food ideas:
- 2 – 4 year olds: – Serve foods in small bite sizes. These are easy to handle and easy to clean as there are sure to be spills. These kinds of food include small sandwiches, mini-pizzas, mini-sausages, carrot & celery sticks etc, cups of jelly etc. Avoids food like popcorn & nuts as these can become a choking hazard.
- 5 – 9 year olds: - You can serve a wider range of food to this age group so a good way to decide on fun types of food for these parties is to choose a theme and serve food that goes with that theme. For example, finger sandwiches, sweet biscuits, cupcakes & tea (iced or regular) for a Princess themed party or hamburgers, hot dogs, drumsticks and grog (dark cola) for a Pirate themed party etc.
- Older kids: – The choices are even wider still for this age group so a more hands-on approach can be fun for them. You can serve food with a do-it-yourself theme and encourage them to make their own pizzas, decorate their own cupcakes and even bake their own ginger bread men or chocolate chip cookies etc. (Please note that anything with sharp kitchen utensils or cooking/baking should be done under the supervision of an adult). You can also include food items ranging from mini-quiches and kebabs to crisps, nuts and popcorn etc.
Finally, it’s a kids’ parties so don’t forget the chocolate, sweets, ice cream and cake – all in moderation.
Other things to consider for kids party food
Be sure to take into consideration the dietary needs of the children attending the party. Ask each parent/ guardian if any of the kids is allergic to anything and make sure that particular food item is either not eaten by that child or not served at all. The last thing you want is a medical emergency.
Determine whether the party will be held in or outdoors. If it’s going to be an outdoor party, you can consider serving picnic type kinds of food like sandwiches, burgers, hot-dogs, kebabs, pizza etc.
Also take into account the number of people attending the party and your budget.
Having taken all of the above into consideration, you can also improve your menus by: -
Serving a mixture of both sweet & savoury foods;
Including healthy alternatives amidst any array of sugar-filled treats such as nuts, chocolate-covered strawberries etc;
Preparing healthy home -made versions of ice lollipops instead of store bought ones;
Having platters of fruit & vegetables cleverly disguised if need be, amidst the rest of the food choices. You can cut them into fun shapes and sizes, made fruit kebabs & artfully arrange them to tempt even the choosiest palates.
Finally, no matter what food you serve, pay attention to its presentation. This alone can make kids’ parties more fun than usual.
Once all of the above has been done and everything else has been well thought out & planned, you can be sure your kids will have a fun filled day which should more than make up for the clean up afterwards.
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