Hi All,
My daughter's in Pre-K and her birthday falls during the school week (she turns 4). I'd like to give out party favors to all the kids in her class but I also need to be cost-conscious. Any ideas? So far, some of the other moms have brought in cupcakes, given out candy/loot bags and small notebooks/stickers. How cool or uncool is it to do the same thing? It would be nice if I could do something original.
First off, thank you for all your great ideas! I decided to go with the tried and true good ol' cupcakes & cookies for the classroom. I did do goody bags but instead of sweets, I filled it with a small notepad, some crayons, stencil ruler, pencil, stamp, playdoe, stickers and ONE lollipop. Each bag came to about $2.50 and somehow I didn't feel so cheap, lol. I got everything from Party City (their prices came in better than Target, Michaels and CedarHurst Paper!).
Maybe next year I'll give myself I little more time and order from oriental trading.
Thanks again for all the great ideas!
~ M.
Because of allergies, my son's school does not permit goodies or cupcakes so for his 5th birthday, I came into his class and read his favorite book to his classmates. He was soo happy!!! And it didn't cost a thing. :-)
How about getting permission to take the Pre K class outside to walk the grounds and collect colored leaves. There are hundreds as you know. You can get yard in different colors and make necklaces, belts, something to hang.
just a thought
good luck
J
Check out these sights. They have affordable and wonderful ideas and gifts for every stage and age.
www.orientaltrading.com
www.favorwarehouse.com
Congratulations and have fun.
Do you have a million free restaurant crayons? Unwrap them, break them up and make funky shaped new crayons. You can google how to bake them in cupcake pans. Then package them in fun cellophane party bags with ribbons.
Hi M.,
I did picture frames from Ikea (3 pack for $1), included stickers (like $.50 each at Wal-Mart), and plastic sunglasses ($2 for an 8 pack), and then printed instructions that I put inside the frame.
Directions:
1. Decorate you picture frame with stickers, markers, paint, etc.
2. Have an adult take your picture with your cool shades.
3. Have an adult put your picture in your awesomely decorated frame.
4. Keep your picture to show off to visitors or give it away as a gift. Enjoy!
I think I spent under $15 for a class of 16 preschoolers.
Hope this helps,
Kristal
Go hit Walmart right NOW and see if in their Holloween stuff they still have the mini cans of playdoe. I just got 1 bag (24 mini cans) for $2!!!! If not full size cans run under $2 for 4 and I know it is a huge hit with the parents and kids. A.
Someone we know gave them all sidewalk chalk. Inexpensive, useful and all the kids were thrilled!
You could always make chocolate lollipops. You can find a chocolate store, or just use melted chocolate chips. It is pretty easy, all you have to do is melt the chocolate on a double boiler or a bowl over boiling water and then pour the chocolate into the lollipop molds. If you want to get more creative, you can "paint" the features of the lollipops with a different color chocolate, let that set and then pour in the chocolate. I don't know if you are able to get to Yonkers, but I get all of my chocolate supplies at Michele's Chocolate Avenue on Lockwood Ave in Yonkers. If you do go there, get the Mercken's chocolate. It tastes the best!
I also just thought of something else. What about rice krispies treats? They are very easy and affordable to make and you can add m&ms or sprinkles on top to make them festive.
Kids love the stickers, crayons, pencils, small toys so I'd stick with those in a goodie bag. Pre k kids are too young to care about origional; they just want something fun or something that tastes good.
What about baking home-made cookies in kid-friendly shapes? Place & Trace (which doubles as a puzzle or stencils) has dinosaurs, vehicles, and house pets...12 cookie-cutter shapes. It would be a fun mother-daughter project. You can put them into individual bags, tied up with ribbon, and even include one of the cookie cutters with each bag of cookies.
Find this item at www.toysofdiscovery.com
what i did was went into the school a few days prior to celebrating the birthday..i was able to take a picture of each kid with my daughter and then went home and printed them..3x5 size..then cot matt picture frames to put the pictures into and then on celebration day gave each child their picture with the birthday girl with their names and year on the back..and allowed them to decorate as they wished...then they could take home and hand on the wall or put into an album...they had so much fun being creative and what allthe diffences each child had...either way what ever you should choose...be sure to enjoy the day..rosie
At 4, she just wants to have a party at school and be the center of attention for a few minutes. Cupcakes or specially shaped bakery cookies is a great idea that all kids love. And if you want to give a small token favor, stickers or candy is a tried and true gift. There is a reason that people have been doing this for years - it's cheap and kids love it. Original is nice but tends to be expensive and if you can't afford it - a total waste of money since the kids definitley won't appreciate it.
I got gift certificates for a small ice cream cone at our local ice cream shop. Everybody loved them, and they were about $1 each
IMO -- why do we need party favors for a child's birthday party? I know they are fun and cool, but do our children really need more material stuff? I think it might be nice idea to not have anything at all, and rest assured that, during the party, your child's shared time and memories with her friends is enough for your guests and your daughter.
What about bringing a special craft in to do with the class(you will have to speak with the teacher of course). My son's birthday is in Oct. Last year when he was in Kindergarten I brought in a Halloween craft and did it with the class as part of his birthday celebration. The kids really enjoyed it and they still had something special to take home with them at the end of the day. You can get many cute ideas online or just go to the craft store and get a kit. They usually come with everything you need and come in class sets. Good luck!
Hi M.,
Check out the Oriental Trading website, they have all kinds of fun little favors, craft kits, etc, many of which are budget friendly. I used to order from them when my kids were younger and now I sometimes order from them to get little things for my students
