Party Bags; To Give or Not To Give

To give or not to give kids party bags, that is indeed the question that hovers in many a parents mind when planning their child’s party. Throwing a birthday party for kids these days is no small feat, in some circles there is much competition and pressure to throw bigger and better events and as a result the cost can spiral. For others the pressure to please their child is self inflicted because lets face it, they are so adorable and we want to make their special day special indeed. But where do you draw the line?

Many of my subscribers have posed this question to me, “where do I draw the line” and in discussing this topic one of the most debatable ‘must have party item’ that comes up is the tradition of giving out kids party bags, also known as a loot bag or goody bag.

My answer is firstly that no-one should feel pressured to provide anything out of obligation to others, and in saying that I am also saying one needs to consider the reason why we traditionally hand out party bags in the first place. By considering this you may find that the gift (as so often said) is in the giving.

As a children’s party expert I take it upon myself to know the origins of many celebratory traditions, but the origins of the party bag remains somewhat elusive, so I will share with you the reasons why I myself always send my little guests home with a special memento of my child’s special day, emphasis on the word ‘memento’.

As already mentioned, the gift is in the giving, and to receive that wonderful sense of delight when you give a gift you must first put some thought into it. A plastic bag full of lollies and plastic junk is I believe the ‘obligatory’ party bag which should be avoided. Of course, if you have no problem with this type of gift bag then give them away to your hearts content. But for those who feel somewhat reluctant to spend money in this way, who feel more lollies is a bad idea or who simply are watching their pennies then the always better alternative is a party memento, something that is a keeper and will serve to remind your little ones guest of the special party they attended.

Here are 3 memento’s I have given out at my own children’s parties:

My daughters’s Disco Party: I burned 10 of her favourite songs onto a disc and made a really cool CD label of her face with a disco background.

My nephew’s Pirate Party: I made paper pirate hats for each guest (not to wear at the party, but to take home afterwards) and during the party took photo’s of each child in their pirate outfit, ducked out the back while my sister was keeping an eye on things and printed them on the computer then pasted to the front of the hat. As each child left my sister plonked their hat on their head at the door.

My daughters Tea Party: We had gone out rummaging around second hand stores and purchased a very cheap tea cup and saucer for each of her guests in which to serve the tea (which was actually hot chocolate, but that’s another story). At the end of the party I washed them up and wrapped them in clear cellophane and a big ribbon and the girls were delighted.

So, next time you’re feeling unsure about whether or not your really have to give out kids party bags, just think how lovely it was of your children’s friends to attend and give them a little something to say thanks for coming that they can treasure…for as long as it stays in one piece.

5 Easy Handmade Party Invitations

It is easy to come up with some original ideas to make your own invitations. Of course, and invitation doesn’t need to be on paper, you can use things from nature as well as items from around the house, or purchase craft items from the store to get the look you want.

Here are 5 easy PartyMum handmade party invitations that you can make very easily together with your child.

Photograph It:

Write your invitation on a large piece of card and get your party child to hold it in front of themselves with a big cheesy smile on their face. Take a picture, print them on your home computer or through your local photo processing in standard 10 x 15 cm size. Laminate them for extra strength, or glue to coloured card.

Flip Flop It:

The humble flip flop is great for summer pool parties, beach parties or anything with a tropical theme. Pick up some coloured flip flops from a discount store. You can write the invitation on the sole with a marker pen, or use the flip flop as a template and draw around it on a piece of coloured card. Cut out the flip flop shape, write the invite and decorate before sticking onto the sole of the flip flop. You could even use this as a basis for a game whereby each child has to find out who has their matching flip flop by sitting in a circle and asking each other questions with yes or no answers like the game ‘Who Am I?’

Inflate It:

Balloons are extremely cheap to buy and very easy to use as an invitation. Write the invitation on regular 80gsm paper, roll it up into a scroll and insert the invitation inside the balloon. Now blow it up and deliver to your guests with the words POP ME! written in marker pen. It’s even more appealing if you can inflate with helium and tie with coloured ribbon. Imagine your child turning up at school with a bunch of balloons for all their friends to stomp on, great fun!

Age It:

I’m sure you’ve all at one time or another made a pirate map, perhaps when you were at school yourself. Well a better and safer way to get the aged look onto a pirate map for example is to make up a tray of tea, no milk or sugar required of course. Just soak a few tea bags in a tray of water and then drop sheets of regular paper into the water nice and flat. You don’t need to soak for too long, we don’t want the paper to disintegrate. Take out and hang on the line with a peg to dry. You now have the basis for a beautiful handmade party invitation with an authentically old look. Write on it with a fine marker pen in a loopy old fashioned way; perfect for any pirate party.

Puzzle It:

Take your invitation, either hand written, printed or one of those ones you can buy in a pad. After writing, glue to a piece of card stock. On the back create a jigsaw puzzle effect by either drawing odd shapes or mimicking a traditional jigsaw design. Now cut up the invitation accordingly and pop all the pieces in an envelope. Your little guests will need to put the invitation together in order to read it.

Handmade Party Invitations are one of our specialties at The Party Mums, you can get more ideas by visiting our site at The Party Mums Invitations.