Goodie Bag Ideas for Kid Birthdays
Let me preface with that up until this point, I hated goodie bags. I wanted to start a movement and ban them. Because they are either junk toys that break in the car on the way home, or candy. Neither of which my kids need. Then I had an idea, make a goodie bag that can be truly useful and fun for kids, and parent approved.
So here is what I did. I thought about things Jackson loved about other goodie bags or things we come across in our travels. Since the theme this year was dinosaurs, I looked for just that, but with a twist! Recently, we had an educational learning kit that came with this Japanese washi tape and the kids LOVED it. They taped the entire house. They created stripes and designs on the floor, put it on their room doors, and made forts with it on the furniture. And it was plain! So I looked for cool designs kids would love, and there are a ton out there! The best part about it is that it doesn’t stick forever or even leave residue (parent friendly) and is easy for kids to tear and rip themselves. That was my first non-sugar win.
Next, I found dinosaur growing eggs. You put them in water and let them soak for a few hours, they will grow then eventually break out of the shell. This is something the kids can take full responsibility being in charge of and no one gets injured (helicopter mom in full force). Jackson was so cute and hand picked the colors each friend would get. I also ordered these brown bags on Amazon, which are good to just have around the house in emergency, and let Jackson draw on them to decorate. He loved doing that and completely owned it.
Jackson loves drawings and hanging pictures in his room, and I noticed he likes little things that are manageable for him. I found a cool print on Etsy and just had them printed at an Office Max, so each child could have their own 5×7 print on thick paper, in case they like hanging art in their room or playrooms.
Last but not least, we did include a sweet treat. Since I’m picky about ingredients and try to let our treats not be junky, I went the route of homemade cookies. This incredible Atlanta small-business called Pastry Shells made us exactly what we needed. These cookies were SO good and had good ingredients. Shelly is the owner and makes the cutest presentations, she can do it for any special occasion! We got the cookies in Jackson’s favorite colors, and she personalized them with his name and favorite dinosaur (Triceratops). It was a fun addition to the goodie bag and gave me a little peace of mind that we could offer a quality treat that wasn’t just candy. I will be using Pastry Shells again and is such a good idea for personalized baby shower cookies, wedding favors or cake!, birthday parties, or even work/office events. I highly recommend, and if you want to see beautiful creations, head to their instagram to check them out!
Also check out her tutorial on DIY dino cookies that you can probably tackle on your own HERE
You can find all other goodie bag details below! I hope this sparks some ideas for you, I would love to hear about yours!
