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Every parent knows the scene. The cake has been eaten, the pass-the-parcel has been won and lost, and each small guest leaves clutching a cellophane bag of plastic novelties that will be broken, forgotten or binned before the weekend is out. The yo-yo snaps, the whistle vanishes under the sofa, and the little plastic figure goes straight in the kitchen bin. It costs a small fortune, too — even a modest bag per child adds up quickly when you are catering for twenty.
Choosing something a child will actually use, eat or grow is kinder to your purse and to the planet, and in our experience children barely notice the difference. What they remember is the send-off: being handed something with their name on it as they leave.
The easiest swap is food, because it disappears entirely and leaves nothing behind. A slice of birthday cake wrapped in greaseproof paper and tied with string is the most welcome party bag in Britain, and it costs you nothing beyond the cake you have already made. Cut the slices near the end of the party and hand them out at the door.
Other dependable options include:
Do check for allergies before the party, and label anything homemade with its ingredients so parents can make their own judgement.
A packet of seeds is inexpensive, fits neatly into a small envelope and gives a child something to do for weeks afterwards. Sunflowers are the classic choice: they germinate quickly, grow tall enough to be genuinely exciting, and children can compare heights over the summer holidays.
Buy a large packet and divide it into small paper envelopes and the cost runs to pennies per guest. A seed packet paired with a good pencil feels generous without being extravagant, and parents often say it is the only party bag their child has ever remembered.
Stationery is a quiet winner because it actually gets used. A decent pencil, a rubber and a small notebook will be taken to school and worn out within a term, which is exactly what you want. Personalise the pencil with a printed name or a simple sticker and it becomes a keepsake rather than clutter.
Books work beautifully too, particularly for children aged five and over. A mini paperback, a second-hand picture book in good condition, or a slim activity book full of puzzles and colouring pages all sit happily in a paper bag. If you are feeling ambitious, set up a book swap at the party: each child brings a book they have finished with and takes home a different one. It costs nothing, keeps everyone occupied for ten minutes, and sends each guest away with something worth reading.
Half the charm of a party bag is the handing over, and you can keep that ritual while ditching the cellophane. Brown paper bags, glassine envelopes and paper cones all do the job, and they can be dressed up with garden twine, paper tape, rubber stamps or a sticker bearing the child's name.
Skip glitter, foil-lined bags and anything laminated. If it cannot be recycled or composted in your kitchen caddy, it is not worth the trouble.
None of this needs to be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Keep a shoebox in a cupboard with paper bags, string, envelopes, labels and a roll of paper tape, and you will never be caught out the night before a party again. Buy seeds and pencils in bulk at the start of the year and top up as you need to.
Assemble the bags the evening before with the birthday child. Children take real pride in choosing which seed packet goes to which friend, and it turns a chore into part of the celebration. If time runs short, remember that a slice of cake wrapped in a paper napkin and handed over with a smile beats a bag of plastic tat every single time.
The Party Penguin shares practical, down-to-earth guidance on creative children's parties and family celebrations for readers across the UK.
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