ACTIVITIES

36 kids' party food ideas

First published on Friday 28 August 2020 Last modified on Thursday 17 December 2020

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If you're planning on throwing a children's birthday party at home, you're probably asking yourself, 'what do you put in a kids party buffet?'. Luckily, we're here to help.

What can I serve at a kids' birthday party?

Kids love finger foods they can pick at. This could mean a variety of sweet and savoury snacks, with some healthy options thrown in too, as well as drinks to wash it all down with.

You could stick to traditional, much-loved kids party food like cocktail sausages, jelly and ice cream and fondant fancies, or mix it up by trying out some new recipes like broccoli tots or cauliflower pizza.

Don't forget plenty of crisps and crackers too, as well as cheese and ham or chicken mayo sandwiches cut into triangles. Because who doesn't love those?!

If your child's friends are attending, it's smart to ask on the invitations for any dietary requirements ahead of the party. That way you can prepare some suitable food for them prior to the celebrations - whether it be vegan, gluten- or dairy-free, and so on.

Be sure to provide plenty of water on the day to keep little ones hydrated. If you want to serve them a sweet drink, you could serve homemade fruit smoothies, milkshakes or watered down squash. Though it's best to provide these after the food, so they don't fill up on liquids.

Finally, don't forget about the birthday cake, AKA the bit of the party the kids look forward to the most (other than the presents, of course). You can pick up some pretty good birthday cakes at the supermarket featuring all their favourite characters, or you can of course bake your own at home.

Check out some of our birthday cake recipes here.

Read on to discover our round up of the top kids party food ideas, including budget-friendly options, and easy-to-make recipes that you can even get the kids helping along with beforehand.

We love this unique balloon-themed cake topper! See more details at Amazon.

Are you planning a kids' party? Have you got any great party food ideas to recommend? Find more ideas and share your own with our articles and forum below:

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For more tips and ideas, check out our birthday planning guides by age:

1-year-old birthday2-year-old birthday3-year-old birthday4-year-old birthday5-year-old birthday6-year-old birthday7-year-old birthday8-year-old birthday9-year-old birthday10-year-old birthday11-year-old birthday12-year-old birthday13-year-old birthday14-year-old birthday