Cheap Party Favors for Kids

Though I provide reasonably-priced kid's party favors with low minimums to accommodate even small parties, I realize that not everyone is excited about lip balm favors. Or lotion or bath gel favors, either! But everyone loves candy favors. If you're planning your child's party on a budget, you can still have fun favors without breaking the bank. Today I'm going to show you how you can easily make cheap party favors for kids (read: inexpensive) using materials you can find at your grocery store, local craft store, or dollar store.

Spring is a perfect time of year to find candy in all kinds of pastel colors to match kids' party themes, so plan on stocking up when it's on sale! Chocolate (even candy-coated chocolate) freezes well; when you thaw it, just make sure it warms to room temperature before you handle it. Once you have an assortment of candies in your theme colors, it's time to wrap them up! Here are a few ideas for wrapping.

Mini Cone Favors
I love the way cone bags look (see the favor above) and they are easy to make if you have a food sealer. Before you start, make sure that your sealer will work with standard zip bags. I used quart-sized zip bags (get a generic brand so they don't have any writing on them) and cut off the zipper. Then cut the bags diagonally from one of the bottom corners to the opposite top edge. Use your food sealer to seal the diagonal edge on each half, then cut the open edge straight across. (See the diagram below for help with where to cut and where to seal! Depending on how your sealer works, you may have to seal the center seam before you cut. )

Fill the bags with a handful of candies in your theme colors, leaving a few inches at the top to tie. (Remember that you don't need to use all of the colors in your mix of candies; for our theme we used only the green and blue m&m's and saved the rest for later!) Then tie with ribbon and attach a gift tag. (The next post in our series will show you how to make the tags.)

Don't have a food sealer? You can still use the corner of a zip or storage bag to wrap your candy favors. Cut off the zipper and cut your bag diagonally from a lower corner to the opposite top corner. Fill with candy, leaving several inches at the top to tie. Attach a bow and gift tag. These cones are "fuller" than the sealed bags, but still a cute way to present a candy favor.

Tiny Boxed Favors
Boxes are adorable containers for candy favors, and these are really simple to make. Choose card stock or heavy patterned paper in your theme colors, then download our template. You may print this directly onto your card stock, or use it to create a template that you trace onto your paper. Follow the template directions to cut along solid lines and fold along the dotted lines of the pattern, then glue where directed to create the box.

Fill with your choice of candies, close the box, tie with ribbons, lace, or twine, and embellish with beads, flowers, or any other items that match your theme. You're welcome to print the box in any size you'd like to create the perfect tiny favor boxes. Try making multiple sizes in different colors and patterns, and wrap stacks of boxes containing different candies.

Candy Roll Favors
To make these next favors, you'll need card stock in any color, a 6" x8" scrap of fabric, ribbons, and candy of your choice. Cut a letter sized piece of card stock into six equal pieces. (Cut in half, then each half into thirds.) Roll each piece as shown below right, and tape into a tube.
Roll your fabric scrap over the tube, then gather one end and tie one of the ribbons into a bow to close the end, as shown below. Then fill with the candy of your choice and tie the other bow to finish.

A few things to note about candy choices:
• Make sure candies are age-appropriate. For example, hard candies are not appropriate for children under the age of 5.
• Consider food allergies. Many children are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, so make sure you are offering options that are safe for your guests.
• Some children are sensitive to artificial colors and flavors.
These are just a few of the reasons why we love saving the party candy for favors: they go home where parents can supervise their kids' consumption.

Don't forget that our next post in this series talks about some simple party favor tags you can make using your patterned papers, card stock, and address labels. Then we'll talk about making a kid-friendly Candy Buffet, so stay tuned!

I'd love to know what you think! Have you ever made candy party favors for a kids' party? How did you wrap them? If you have a site that shares party favor ideas and ways to wrap them, please leave a comment and share your link below!