Food for Kid's Parties

You can not have a party without food, especially a kids party. However, children believe that fun should always come first. So why not mix the two? At kids parties it is always best to keep the food kid-friendly and simple! No one likes to make food that only goes uneaten.

Your party's food selection can range from a full meal to just cake and ice cream. It is all up to you and how much effort you want to put into the party planning. Planning and cooking a full meal tends to take up a lot of time while just serving cake and ice-cream alone can be a sugar overload. A great compromise between the two is to first serve a couple of kid-friendly snacks and then introduce the cake as the party is coming to an end. Although, if the party takes place during a meal time make sure to keep things very simple. Pizza or peanut butter&jelly sandwiches are simple and easy foods to serve for lunch or dinner.

If you are throwing a themed party then you may want to choose foods that will coincide with it. For example, if you are hosting a mexican fiesta then you may want to serve tacos! The time of day you hold your party at can also determine the type of foods you may want to serve. Not to mention, if you are throwing an overnight campout or slumber party it is essential for you to provide snacks, dinner, and breakfast in the morning.

Proper edicate is to have all food ready to serve before your guests arrive. Cooking during a party can turn out disastrous. Plus, it is much more fun to be enjoying the party along with your guests then being cooped up in the kitchen. Having pre-prepared foods delivered or picking up takeout is usually the easiest method of feeding a large party. It is not uncommon for restaurants today to deliver pretty much anywhere, including schools, parks, and sports fields.

You will probably need way less food than you think. Unless of course you are throwing a Chef or Restaurant party where the theme is food. Children usually are way less focused on the food and way more focused on the fun. However, you do not want to have a food shortage either. In order to avoid having a food shortage, pick up extra snacks that can be utilized later on after the party as well, such as granola bars, fruit snacks, and cheese sticks. Whatever your guest don't eat at your party can be saved and packed into your kids future lunches. It is a win, win.

Some parents will want to stay at the kids party to supervise their children. It is essential for you to have food for everyone but it is not necessary to have 'kid food' and 'adult food'. Just make sure that your food of choice is both kid and grownup friendly. For example, you can serve veggie slices, fruit slices, dip, pretzels, and cheese cubes. When it comes to beverages it is safest to plan for two per person but definitely have extra on hand. If the children will be running around and playing hard during the party then they are guaranteed to consume many beverages. Cups are a great way to serve party beverages, just make sure to have a sharpie on hand to write everyone's name on their cup. This avoids wasting cups and prevents all cup confusion.

It is difficult to decide between preparing all of your own food or buying pre made food from your local restaurant or grocery store. This decision highly depends upon the type of foods you plan to serve at the party as well as how much time and money you want to spend on the party. It is an old wives tale that making food will cost you less than buying prepared foods because items such as Chinese takeout or pizza will cost you much less to buy than to make. However, there are some foods that you will want to serve at your party that can not be found in store or are much too expensive when pre made. For example, if you plan to have chocolate covered strawberries for your daughters Fairy Party, you will probably find them far too expensive when store bought. In this case it is much easier and way cheaper to buy your own strawberries and chocolate to create chocolate covered strawberries at home.

In order to keep your party cost effective, you make want to mix preparing some food at home while purchasing the rest pre prepared. All you need to do is make a list of your planned menu and identify the food you know are cheaper to make at home versus the ones that are cheaper to purchase in store. Lastly, if you are not a chef or don't enjoy cooking then just make your menu to solely rely on pre prepared, store bought goods. There is no shame in the game. Additionally, you can take your guests out to eat if your budget allows. This can be as simple as heading to your local pizza parlor or stopping by the ice cream shop on the way to your Movie Party. Or you can even make the restaurant the primary location of of your party. Just make sure the restaurant is kid friendly and hosts activities for the kids.

It is expected to have cake and ice-cream at most children's parties. You can find tasty and affordable cakes at your local grocery store's bakery department. They usually offer a large variety of decorated cakes that are available on short notice. These cakes may not be of the highest quality but kids don't usually notice or care. If you prefer to purchase your cake from a specialty bakery expect to pay more. No matter what you decide, leave a party napkin with your order. Most bakers will do an amazing job of utilizing the party napkin to make your cake match your party's theme, colors, and decorations.

It is quite charming to bake an imperfect homemade cake as well. Store bought cake mixes can taste just as great as store bought cakes. Just make sure you have all the ingredients and pans you need in order to bake the cake. A great way to decorate your homemade cake is by adding special candles and toppers that coincide with your party's theme. However, if you decide to use tinted icing on your cake try and utilize pastel colors over dark colors. Darker colors tend to stain little ones tongues and faces. Your dark red Spiderman cake may seem like a fantastic idea until your little guests hands, faces, and mouths are all stained red!

If the idea of making a cake is far to daunting to you then try baking cupcakes as an alternative. Cupcakes are much smaller, therefore they are much easier to decorate and bake. Plus, kids don't need plates or forks to eat them! Decorating cupcakes can be as easy as adding a sprinkle topping or large piece of candy the goes along with the party's theme. In order to really wow your guests, place your finished cupcakes atop a beautiful cupcake stand. Your guests are sure to be impressed by this display. If you are ever at a loss for ideas, get online and look up Betty Crocker dessert recipes. Betty Crocker offers a wide array of great dessert ideas.

If baking is not your cup of tea, try stacking donuts on a pretty platter with candles on top! Who doesn't like donuts? Plus, you can purchase donuts to match your party's theme. For example, you can use sprinkle donuts for a Circus Party or powdered donuts for a Fairy Party. Ice cream cakes can be a great alternative as well. They are unique and really mark a special occasion. Not to mention, ice cream cakes offer you the best of both worlds in one simple step. Below you will find a list of kid friend food options to serve at your party.

Kid Friendly Food List;

- Veggies with Ranch Dressing
- String Cheese or Cheese Cubes
- Crakers
- Cookies
- Cinnamon Buns
- Crescent Rolls
- Fortune Cookies
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Finger Sandwiches
- Ice Cream Floats or Sherbet Floats
- Fruit
- Fruit Roll Ups
- French Fries
- Gold Fish
- Pita Chips and Hummus
- Prepackaged Ice Cream cones, cups, bars, or sandwiches
- Popsicles
- Juice
- Soda
- Nachos
- Mac & Cheese
- Pizza
- Popcorn
- Pasta
- Pancakes
- Pretzels
- Tator Tots