Goody Bag Alternatives

An alternative to a goody bag will delight and save money.

Children's parties can be a constant merry-go-round of presents and goody bags, especially if you have more than one child. Doing something different instead of the standard goody bag full of candy and cheap plastic toys will not only delight the children but will probably work out a lot to be less expensive.

Themed Party

Theme your child's party maybe as pirates or cowboys and give the guests an eye patch or a pirate bandanna which they take home instead of a goody bag. If it is a western theme, send kids home with a sheriff's badge or a cowboy hat.

DVD

Film the best parts of the party and save it onto DVDs. Print a still photo from the video either on labels or directly onto the DVDs. You may not be able to give them out at the end of the party but you could deliver them to your child's friends the next day.

Arts and Crafts

As a game at the party, include some painting. Buy wooden animals or dolls that can be painted and then taken home instead of a goody bag. Or, buy photo frames for the children to paint and take photos of the children with the birthday child to place in them.

Models

Another game you could organize is "Making Models." Buy a selection of Playdoh in different colors and get the children to make something from it. They all get to take their models home instead of a goody bag and the best one wins a prize.

References

• Parents Berkeley: Birthdays Goodie

Resources

• Enchanted Learning.com: Crafts
• Hasbro.com: Playdoh