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Goodie bags. You either love them or hate them. As a parent, you may land more on the hate side, but at the same time, you know that kids love rifling through them on their way home from a birthday party (if not before!).
Sticking to a budget is one of the biggest issues with filling goodie bags- kids’ parties can be costly enough before you even get to party bags! Not to mention the time and brain bandwidth it takes. Another issue is the feeling that you are just giving a goodie bag of tomorrow’s landfill.
So, what is the alternative? How about giving a single well-chosen party favour instead of a goodie bag?
I’ve compiled a list of good quality, well-priced ideas for books, art supplies, craft activities, delicious treats, environmentally considerate and even STEM party favour ideas that make great alternatives to stuffing goodie bags.
24 GOODIE BAG ALTERNATIVES FOR KIDS PARTIES
Browse this list of ideas for party favours that make great alternatives to putting together goodie bags full of stuff for your child’s next birthday party.
There are ideas on this list suitable for kids as young as two-year-old toddlers, tweens, and even teens.
6 STEM GOODIE BAG ALTERNATIVES
There are plenty of great little box kits of STEM games. This Might Magnets kit is great for kids age 6+ who can discover how powerful magnets are. Or how about teaching tiny kids about the power of magnets with one of these clever MagiCube sets?
If magnets aren’t going to cut it, how about this Kinetic Sand kit? Kinetic sand allows kids to explore their senses and build fine motor skills when they play with this sand that magically holds its shape.
Kits that enable kids to power a clock with a vegetable or piece of fruit are always super fun. How about this Science Museum Potato Clock or this brilliant Lemon Clock?
These fun science kits from Sublime Science (Who were successful on Dragon’s Den) always go down well with kids at parties.
6 CRAFT KIT GOODIE BAG ALTERNATIVES
Craft kits make great party favours. The wonderful thing about them is that you can use them as an activity at the party and then give the result as a party favour instead of having to fork out for goodie bags.
These Lekebaby rock painting kits are fab for kids aged 3+, and Decopatch kits always work well at craft parties for kids aged 8+. A favourite craft activity at kids’ parties is decorating T-shirts.
These Splat Planet T-shirts come in various outline prints and a set of colouring pens.
I love these gorgeous personalised bunting kits. The kits come with a standard four letters per kit, but you can add extra letters for a little extra money. They make a lovely craft activity and a wonderful party gift.
These wooden bug hotel kits are a lovely idea. The kids can make them at the party and have fun watching the six-legged guests check in to the hotel once they get home.
Sock kits are bright and colourful crafting fun in a kit. This dachshund sock craft kit is particularly cute.
6 JOURNALS AND ACTIVITY BOOKS THAT MAKE GREAT ALTERNATIVES TO GOODIE BAGS
I am a huge fan of anything that gets kids picking up a book instead of staring at a screen. Activity books and journals are great for this. Here are some wonderful journals and activity books that make great party favours.
Papier makes really beautiful journals with prompts. This Gratitude Attitude Journal is perfect for tweens and teens. The Wreck This Journal is a brilliant way to engage boys and girls not keen on sitting still with a book. The All About Me journal is super popular with tween girls.
I love these book and puzzle sets by Sassi. Kids can learn about the Human Body or Unicorns. And how about a Draw and Write Your Own Comic activity book?
6 FANCY AND PRETTY PARTY FAVOURS THAT KIDS LOVE
These hair pompoms on a unicorn are a great party favour for tween girls. How about a nail art kit? This ice Glow Cube is a novel gift idea that is a current favourite on TikTok. Sheet face masks are always welcome as party favours for girls of all ages. What about a personalised bracelet, like this lovely mermaid bracelet, in its own keepsake tin? Miss Nela peel-off nail polish is perfect for kids experimenting with painting their nails.
Luci is the founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, she has used her experience as a mum to create useful guides to organising family life. During that time, she has found the most joy in creating lists of ideas and inspiration to make it easier for busy parents to plan and host kids’ parties and find great gifts. Read more.