5 DIY Party Favors and Ideas for Kids Parties

Kids crafts can sometimes be insanely boring. No one wants another darn popsicle stick project (unless it’s never been done before). Kids birthday parties are expensive, and it can easily get out of control.  Luckily, I’ve found ways to cut costs and have an awesome party without going broke.  My biggest advice?  DIY party favors!  I’ve been doing this for years now, and am sharing 5 of my favorites with you! Here are the best and most unique kids crafts that I could throw together!

Check out this awesome list of party favors for kids! Your little ones are sure to go banana’s over these quick and easy party favor ideas. Good luck and happy crafting!

Pool Noodle Light Sabers

You’ll need:

• Pool noodles (note: each pool noodle will make two light sabers)
• Serrated bread knife
• Silver duct tape
• Black electrical tape

How-to:

• Use the serrated bread knife to cut each noodle in half.
• Wrap silver duct tape around the base of the noodle to make the handle.
• Accent with black electrical tape to finish the handle design.

These are such a hit with the kids!  And if you go to the dollar store, you can make enough for everyone for less than $10!

2. Balloon Bracelets

You’ll need:

• Thick elastic (preferably ¼” used for sewing)
• Water balloons
• Scissors
• Clipboard

How-to:

• Cut the balloon in half, cutting the bulbous part off of the more straight stem.
• Clip one end of the elastic under the clipboard (this will make things so much easier!)
• Thread the balloon tubes onto the elastic, scrunching them up as you go.
• Tie the ends in a knot when you reach the other end, cut any excess elastic and hide the knot in a balloon tube.

These are always such a hit and they take very little time to make.  Make yours in colors relating to the party theme!

3. Lego Mini-Figure Crayons

You’ll need:

• Silicone ice cube mold
• Crayons

How-to:

• Preheat the oven to 275°.
• Break up the crayons into small pieces – make sure to remove the paper wrapper first!
• Group similar colors in each mold to create a fun swirly ombre effect or mix up the colors to have some really fun swirled colors!
• Bake for about 7-10 minutes, make sure you’re keeping an eye on them because they do melt fast!
• Take out of the oven and let cool before removing from mold.

These crayons were one of the biggest hits ever for my son’s Lego themed party.  And they were so easy to make!  Save more money by recycling those old broken crayons rather than using brand new ones!

4. Picture Frames

You’ll need:

• Small (2.5” x 3.5”) frames, find them for cheap at the dollar store or craft store
• Acrylic paints & paintbrushes
• Digital camera, printer, photo paper

How-to:

• Set up a table covered with newspaper and squeeze some acrylic paints out onto a few paper plates.  Give each kiddo a plain frame and a paintbrush, and a paper cup filled with water to rinse their brush.
• Let them customize their frame!
• Snap pics of each of the kids during the party.  Print them out and pop them into each frame.

This is one of my favorite activities for parties.  It’s an actual activity for the kids, but it’s also an awesome keepsake!  Print out labels with the date and stick them to the back as a nice extra touch!  It may be a bigger hit for the parents than the kids, but that’s okay!

5. Customized Tote Bags

You’ll need:

• Plain tote bags – find them at the dollar store or craft store
• Newspaper
• Puffy paints

How-to:

• Set up a table with newspaper, and insert some newspaper into each bag to prevent paint bleeding through.
• Have each kid decorate their bag!

This is one of the kids’ favorite activities for parties, and we have done it quite a few times.  Tips: Do this first at the party, as soon as all of the kids arrive.  Puffy paint takes a while to dry and if the kids really glob it on thick it will take even longer.  Make sure to do it in a place where the bags can just lay uninterrupted.  If that’s not possible, move them to a place that is.

Thanks for checking out our post on cool crafts for kids parties. With just a little creativity, those store-bought party favors will be a thing of the past.  Kids and parents alike can appreciate fun favors like these over candy, and you’ll have so much fun planning these activities! How did these projects work out for you? Leave us feedback in the comments section below! We’ll be sure to respond as soon as possible. Do you have a great project for a kids party that we should include in our roundup? Let us know and we will most certainly add it to our list.

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to get all the latest updates on craft projects in the making! Like us on Facebook (button below) to get fun craft projects in your feed! Pin your favorite projects to Pinterest to share with friends.

Planning a very important birthday party or baby shower? Just visit The Traveling Parent for more details.

Check out some related craft projects here: