4 Fun Food Ideas for Kids Parties
Parents, these days, exert great effort to ensure they get to throw fun and meaningful parties for their children. This is because a kid’s party is more than it seems.
Memories of a well-planned, fun party can stay with a child until they’re grown and become part of their fond remembrances of home and family life.
Every get-together starts with the food, especially at a children’s party where there are likely to be some picky eaters. You absolutely don’t want to have hungry kids walking around. They need to have fun, and part of that is having the energy to participate in the activities and entertainment you’ve prepared.
The theme, food, and entertainment all need to be perfect so your child and guests can have the best time at the event. After all, planning a party for a child, whether it’s for a birthday, holiday or to celebrate a milestone in life, is a chance to create a happy memory.
Below are some fun and yummy food ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Contents
1. Classic Finger Foods
Finger food is a must-have at kids’ parties, especially when the guests are quite young. They’re usually easy to serve and eat. Plus, it can be fun to use the hands for eating once in a while.
Below are some staple finger foods and ideas on how to make ordinary dishes more fun for kids.
Chicken Fingers
A staple at any kids’ party, chicken fingers are well-loved by everyone because of their utter simplicity and appeal to the taste buds. There’s practically no child in the world that can resist taking a bite out of these golden, crunchy, and juicy morsels of chicken.
Tiny Versions of Popular Food
There’s just something fun and completely adorable about feeding little people tiny food.
There’s a bite-size version of almost every kid-friendly dish. For starters, you could serve tiny burgers or sliders, pizzas (or pizza rolls), donuts and tacos.
Nuggets
Another staple food for kids for just about any occasion (or non-occasion), nuggets are usually made of chicken or fish. But for health-conscious parents, you could try making them out of cauliflower, too, or serve nuggets made with organic chicken or fish.
Fruits
Grapes, watermelon, and bananas make for colorful and refreshing finger foods, and they’re healthy to boot. You could create rocket or lollipop-like fruit skewers (using child-friendly materials like ice cream sticks) or string some grapes together to make the shape of a fruit caterpillar. Watermelon popsicles seem to be a crowd favorite, too.
Tap into your inner child and find fun ways to incorporate fruit into the party. The parents of the other kids at the party will thank you for getting their little ones to eat something healthy for a change.
Munchies
Finger food that qualifies as munchies includes chips and popcorn. It’s something kids can munch on while they wait for the main course. It may also include healthy options, like little baby carrots, potato fries with the skin on and other vegetables.
2. Dips
Your chicken fingers, nuggets, vegetables, and fruits are going to need an extra flavor boost.
Bring them up a notch by providing an assortment of dips, one set for the regular snacks and another for the fruits.
- Ranch dressing
- Barbecue sauce
- Cheddar cheese
- Honey mustard
- Nutella or chocolate
- Melted marshmallow
- Cheesecake
- Gooey caramel
- Cookie dough
- Organic yogurt (as a healthy option)
It’s obvious what dips and sauces go with which finger foods, but the kids will likely find some interesting combinations if you leave them to it.
Make sure to provide some recyclable cups so they can scoop or pour out the dips they want to experiment with and place it on their plates.
Providing them with individual dipping cups will prevent any mixing for the other guests who prefer not to have chocolate in their ranch dressing, for example.
3. Desserts
When it comes to desserts, kids know a lot, so you need to put your best foot forward when planning for this round of goodies.
Make sure to serve different types of dessert. Below are the three most popular kid desserts served at parties.
Cookies
There are so many ways to turn this scrumptious dessert into something even more memorable.
Cookies come in many different shapes and forms. For instance, one could be shaped like a unicorn, if your child loves these majestic mythical creatures. Another could take the form of a dinosaur for those kids who are interested in ‘digging up’ some of these gargantuan reptiles.
Cupcakes
Similar to cookies, cupcakes come in a range of sizes and flavors, but they tend to have more dimensions.
There are plenty of things you could do to the top layers or the frosting of cupcakes. For example, you could turn the frosting into the hair of a wacky monster to add some extra texture (and perhaps add a goosebump factor) to the dessert — something to think about for your next Halloween party.
Cakes
If you find the right baker, your child’s cake could be the most memorable feature of the party.
Cakes come in all themes, designs, colors and heights. So make sure to put on your thinking cap and get creative.
4. Fun Buffets
Providing a buffet line where kids can assemble their food is always a good idea. They count as an entertaining activity, as well. Below are some fun buffet ideas.
- Popcorn center
- Waffle or pancake bar
- Sundae hub
- Chocolate fountain station
- French fries station
To reduce after-party clothing messes, try to provide full body bibs for your kid’s little guests.
Get more food-spiration
Talking to your child about the theme and activities should be where you get most of the ideas for the party. Maybe your kid has some fun food ideas of their own. Going to experienced party planners to create these dishes or get suggestions is a good idea as well.
During planning, consider getting professional help to plan or clean up after your party as well. This way, you can relax and have fun at your kid’s party without stressing over the after-party mess.
Remember you aren’t just planning a party, you’re orchestrating a memory that will last a lifetime — something you and your child will remember fondly together.
