Kids love a good party, and what's not to love? There's music, games, friends — and of course, FOOD! Planning a party menu that will please everyone can be tricky, but with some of these Party Finger Foods for kids' foods, it's easy!
Kids love kid-sized portions of food. Kids have different taste buds than adults, so it's important to offer a range of options. Include both sweet and savory items, as well as crunchy and soft foods.
Finger foods are perfect for parties because they're easy to eat and don't require any utensils. Plus, they're less messy than larger dishes! When planning your menu, be sure to include a variety of colors, shapes, and textures. This will make the table more visually appealing and give guests plenty of options to choose from.
When it comes to finger foods for kids, simple is best. Stick to recipes that can be easily prepared ahead of time and don't require a lot of last-minute work. This will help you enjoy the party along with your guests!
1. Serve food that is easy to eat with your hands
2. Provide a variety of flavors and textures
3. Stick to simple recipes that don't require a lot of preparation
4. Make sure all the food is safe for kids to eat
5. Decorate the table with festive colors and patterns
6. Set up a buffet so kids can help themselves
IMPORTANT NOTE! Using regular paper mini cupcake liners for baking ensures that the muffin or cupcake will not stick to the pan.
Use foil cupcake liners when preparing recipes with egg/meat mixtures- those with some fat. The foil will help contain the mixture as it bakes and is less likely to seep through onto the cupcake wrappers.
It seems everything in Taste of Home is great. These are said to be very easy to freeze, so this muffin-tin recipe would be great to prepare early before your party.
These crispy on the top and chewy in the center mini Baked Mac and Cheese Bites are sure to be a hit for any child's special day!
I tried these and they are truly quick and easy. Variations for these finger foods for kids are easy. You could try adding bits of baked, chopped bacon, and ground beef and add to the types of cheese to use.
Looking for gluten-free party food? These so cute mini corndog muffins are super for partygoers that need gluten-free and also for those who do not require a gluten-free option.
So delicious! I made this by substituting prosciutto with bacon. I fried” the bacon in the oven on an indoor grill tray (less grease left on the bacon) until it was done, but not brittle. It will mold to the muffin tin easily.
Some great finger foods for kids — Sweet Sensations:
Another 4-ingredient sweet delight! Buckeyes are a family favorite, and my mom also included them in the cookie plates she gave to friends and neighbors.
These just look fun! Great for a crowd, this fun take on traditional food is a keeper! Top your mini-pancakes with your favorite toppings and dip in your favorite syrup. How about some whipped cream?
These colorful sprinkle muffins are perfect for birthdays, breakfasts, or how about a birthday breakfast. These Sprinkle Birthday Cake Muffins are a winner in the finger foods for kids category!
Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice. Delicious and healthy! Oatmeal, cinnamon, honey, and no butter or sugar! They have been described as scrumptious!
“They’re easy to make, they call for simple ingredients, and they turn out perfectly every single time: crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside,”
Although all these recipes look incredibly good, Turtles are a soft spot for me. I can't wait to try these—Will let you know soon about how they turned out!
Thoughts on Safety
Safety is always a top priority when serving food to kids. Please be sure you check that all the ingredients in your recipes are safe for them to consume. If you're not sure, err on the side of caution and omit any potentially dangerous ingredients.
To help control messes, try serving some of the food in cupcake liners and mini cupcake liners. If you want to add that splash of color to the Food Table, use themed cupcake wrappers.
Have plenty of napkins on hand to help with little spills.
No matter what the occasion, certain types of food make kids happy. If you want to see real excitement at your next event, include some delicious finger foods that are sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
And when the food is made with love (and sometimes a little bit of sugar), it's irresistible. So if you're looking for a show-stopping finger food that will have everyone talking, try my free Cupcake Wrappers for a fun pop of color in your muffin and mini-muffin tin creations.
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Celebrate Dad! Here are some fun, Father's Day Menu Ideas that will please just about anyone. Whether you want to celebrate with an amazing brunch, an afternoon grill fest, here are some ideas for you. And there is the added attraction of some food ideas that are just fun. Mix and match to create your own memorable Father's Day Meal. Create some fun memories.
A brunch might be just what you want to try this year for Father's Day.
I grew up with my mom making something similar. She rolled jelly in the bread and topped it with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. I still love that special breakfast.
Substitute the waffles in the recipe with waffles made from Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking & Pancake Mix. I love this mix and use it all the time. I also use it for pancakes and abelskiver.
This looks so good! This is a naturally gluten-free and low-carb casserole. This would be a wonderful choice for a group.
This Simple Gluten-Free Breakfast Casserole consists of a layer of hash brown potatoes, sausage, onion, red pepper, cottage cheese, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper, and cheese! Mmmm! So good! ” Blessed Beyond Crazy
This is a fun and delicious recipe. It's not hard to find gluten-free corn chips and THERE YOU GO!!! Gluten-Free!!! And these would be great for a small or large group and would compliment the Breakfast Casserole above.
EASY GLUTEN-FREE BREAKFAST FRUIT PIZZA -Father's Day Gluten-Free Fruit Pizza
How can a desert be deliciously decedent and healthy? This ice cream is and so simple to make.
When two of my children were at the same univsersity, I knew their diet could be better. When I visited them, I would often take foo I knew they liked but woul also enjoy eating. In an effort to get more fruit into their diets, I used this idea with bananas and blueberries. They loved it and actually made more after I Ieft. Soooo…I am sure you will enjoy take on healthy ice cream.
Father's Day Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
And with all vcelebrations,
Get a Free Father's Day card in the Resource Library and then use the card storage system here.
How not to be “that person” who always sends a card late
or not at all.
WHY Should We Organize Our Greeting Card Stash?
Life is crazy! That is a simple fact for most of us. We have relatives and loved ones spread throughout the country or around the world. Using a greeting card organizer allows you to be able to stay on top of your greeting cards and cuts down on being late ad missing an occasion completely.
It is so important to let people know we care about them and sometimes a phone call or an internet chat just doesn't do it. That is why greeting cards, letters, and a simple note are so important. Organizing our greeting cards, so that we can send one at a moment's notice is a wonderful way to let people know we care.
HOW to organize your Greeting card stash.
There are many ways to organize your cards:
Box-Do a DIY and cover a box with decorative paper and add dividers.
Binder-Get a 3ring binder, add pocket folders, and label them for the occasions you send cards for. -This system works well and can easily be stored in a bookcase.
Purchase a box intended for card storage. These boxes should have dividers that you can label.
This is a great choice because you can store your cards in the month in which you will send them. By having the dates at a glance, you can tell what you need to purchase and always be on top of getting those memory-making cards to those you love and care about. I used this method for several years.
I switched to a plastic box designed to organized greeting cards. Why? As the family grew, I felt I needed more space for card storage. A plastic box provides a safe storage location and I like that it allows space to also store stamps easily.
Another advantage is that it allows space for “Thank You” and “Thinking of You” types of cards. It is so nice to have those cards at a moment's notice. Sometimes, a simple card to let someone know you are thinking of them is just that kind and thoughtful reaching out to let someone know you appreciate them.
The box comes with 6 dividers that you label so that they fit your needs.
The labels I use for the card organizer are:
Birthday-child
Birthday Adult
Thinking of You
Wedding/Anniversary
Baby Shower
Sympathy & Misc.
How I use the Greeting Card Organizer.
Keeping a year-at-a-glance calendar (in the Kit) in the organizer, you know when a card needs to be sent.
Add Birthdays, anniversaries, and all-important dates for your friends and family to the Year-at-a-Glance Calendar
When you purchase a card for a specific person, can put a checkmark beside their name on the Year-at-a-Glance Calendar to show that that card has been purchased.
Next, address the card and put a stamp on it, so that's ready to go when you need to send it.
When a new month approaches, go through the year-at-a-glance calendar, and if necessary, purchase, or make the cards you need to send.
Pull out the cards you are going to send and put them in a location that makes it easy to grasp as you go out the door.
In addition, I add a post-it note with the date the card should be sent.
As you can see, I store stamps and Birthdays, and other important dates to the Year-at-a-Glance Calendar.
It's a great feeling to make life easier in any way. This one is especially wonderful. Remembering people, you care about enough to send a card is a small but powerful gesture. A snail mail card can be kept and enjoyed for years to come.
I keep many of the cards given to me. It's so warm and fuzzy to read them over again. It makes me happy and I know I am not the only one.
Get the Kit and make your life easier while you help others feel appreciated!
Ice Breaker Questions for Kid's Parties are non-competitive and fun questions meant to help your party-goers become more about each other. They help and the children get to know each other a little bit more and this allows them to feel more comfortable with each other.
How and Why to use Icebreaker Questions/Games for Children's Parties
Icebreaker games and activities are played at the beginning of your party as your young guests arrive. The games help them learn other's names and possibly their interests. When children do not feel like strangers, they are more comfortable and the party atmosphere is easier to create. You want to create a party atmosphere where children are relaxed and comfortable with each other. In a way, it can help set the tone for the celebration, so it should be fun, relaxed, and inclusive.
Attention Spans by Age for Ice Breaker Questions
Attention spans increase as children grow older. Although research varies, we know that the younger the child, the shorter the attention span. TeachMeToTalk.com shared research that stated, “…a study (by) (Gaertner 2008) (stated) that said the normal range for a toddler’s attention span is 3 to 6 minutes. Any longer than that and a child requires full adult support to stay with a task.” In addition, Brain Balance Achievement Centers shared a simple chart that gives general guidelines for attention spans by age.
2 years old: four to six minutes
4 years old: eight to 12 minutes
6 years old: 12 to 18 minutes
8 years old: 16 to 24 minutes
10 years old: 20 to 30 minutes
Any mom knows these things, but it is helpful to have a general guideline for planning activities for parties as well as everyday activities.
Icebreaker Questions for Kids (Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers)
A simple but fun Icebreaker Game that meets the needs of toddlers is BEACH BALL ICEBREAKER. Prep: Get an inflatable beach ball. Inflate it. Have a list of questions prepared for the children to answer. You can read the questions from your list or cut the questions apart and put them into a basket, from which you draw a question. To Play: Ask the children to sit in a circle. Give the ball to a random child, and ask a question. Once the question has been answered, the child with the ball passes either to the child next to them or across the circle. Continue playing until each child has answered at least one question. Questions can be reused. Feel free to add your own. Examples could be:
Get these Ice Breaker Questions in the Resource Library now!
Icebreaker Questions for Kids (3-5-year-olds)
Beach Ball Toss –
Materials:
1 or more Inflatable Beach Balls
Permanent Marker
Inflate the Beach Balls. With a permanent marker, write a question on each section of the ball. Play: Sames as above. Examples: Additional Questions You Can Ask.
Get these Ice Breaker Questions in the Resource Library now!
Expanding the game for Grade Schoolers
By adding ice breaker questions for kids that encourage your grade-schoolers to share a bit about themselves, add some of the following questions. The following printable will give you some ideas.
Get these Ice Breaker Questions in the Resource Library now!
These questions could also be printed, cut apart, and put into a hat or basket. Ways to vary the Ice Breaker Questions for kids in games: Parties are meant to be fun for all who take part in them.
Taking a bit of time to help make the children have an atmosphere that is friendly will help them feel more comfortable, will help everyone more relaxed and able to have fun together.
Just as Ice Breaker Questions are used in adult work situations to build a well-functioning team, the same concept is so helpful in helping children gain confidence by sharing in a friendly environment.
When kids or adults are comfortable they will enjoy their surroundings and the activities so much more. Enjoy these age-appropriate Ice Breaker Questions and help make your party guests comfortable.
Traditionally, January is often the time of year we attempt to make the coming year better.
So how do we do that? (drum roll) The answer is:
Organize and Plan
According to Psychology Today, we can feel stress for a variety of reasons. Among them are:
we don't have enough time to accomplish something we need to do
we have enough time but don't know how to manage it
thinking that we do not know how to accomplish something we need to do.
The most straightforward answer to reducing stress is to look at what you need to do, organize to accomplish your goal, and then create a plan to achieve it. Then WORK THE PLAN.
Simple? Can be.
Planning is Stress Prevention
That's why Cool Parties 4 Kids is here.
And we are going to start by helping you organize and then plan your family celebrations for the year.
Make a list of all the:
Birthdays
Graduations
Anniversaries
Graduations
Holidays
Vacations
List all your family celebrations on the chart shown below.
(Available for free in the Party Planning Resource Library)
You can take this a step further and designate a date each month to purchase or make celebration cards for those you have listed. Purchase or make your cards, address them and remember to mail them so that the recipient gets them in time for their special day.
Next, add other important dates to the chart. Examples include Federal (US) Holidays, state holidays, your religious holidays, and another else that you want to remember to celebrate.
Add Some Fun and Wacky Celebrations
There are also a lot of fun and kooky days to celebrate. Among them are:
National Milk Shake Day
and National Dress Up Your Pet Day
Winnie The Pooh Day
National Hot Chocolate Day
Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
Random Act of Kindness Day
National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
Dr. Seuss Day
National Learn About Butterflies Day
National Space Day
and National Star Wars Day
There are so many, many more.
Look through the days those that excite you and your family, and include them in your schedule. Enjoy a round of miniature golf with your family on “National Miniature Golf Day.” Eat Ice Cream on “Eat Ice Cream Day.” for Breakfast Day. If you would prefer to eat your ice cream in the evening, make it a breakfast for dinner night and enjoy your favorite ice cream. There is so much fun to have. 2020 is your year to do it!
Be spontaneous and flexible. Celebrate the everyday!
My children are grown and I don't see some of them nearly as often as I would like. When they were growing up, we had a very simple form of celebrating. Hot Fudge Sundaes. We would go out or make them at home and celebrate a rainy day or anything good. Often it wasn't the reason that was important, it was just relaxing and talking to each other.
Now, when my daughter and I talk and plan some time together, one of us always says, “We'll go out for Hot Fudge Sundaes!” It's just a fun thing we do. Find your fun things to do. It does not need to be big or expensive. It's really about being with those you love.
Make 2020 a year to enjoy your family and celebrate!
