i got some great ideas from looking at the site for the girls and the problem is what do u give 10yr - 11 yr boys in a goodie bag
sunglasses (you can a good deal on them at Oriental Trading company - online), blow up balls, popcorn balls, kazoos...
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT GIVE OUT Loot/Junk bags. Parents do not want, nor should they expect a “take-a-way-gift” for their child.
At our birthday parties we always did a craft that they could take home with them. I suggest the same thing here. Kids should not be trained to expect a gift when they give one or attend a party. I think it is a silly custom.
My girls are 13 and 10, we have NEVER done the “loot bag” thing. We do take pictures at the party of each guest with the birthday girl and then send them a thank you IN THE MAIL addressed to them. Kids LOVE getting mail and it is a far better thank you than a bag full of candy. My daughter will be taking pictures at her party this year then putting them on a CD (powerpoint) to a "party song" and making a CD to give to her guests as a thank you (she will be 14, she says it is time for her to go a bit more hi-tech)
DO NOT GIVE CANDY. Please. Do not give candy or junk.
B.
Family Wellness Coach
Cool pencils, erasers, hackey sacks, whoopee cushions, deck of cards, magic game type toys--like the pretend gum that hits the persons finger when they pull the piece out. You could also just do a ton of candy or gift certificates for baskin robins, i think they have them in small amounts. Or if you have an arcade near by that sells gift certs. who doesn't love arcade games!?
We did small water guns and older kid's candy, like Pop Rocks and gum. Trading cards are also a big hit - baseball cards, yu gi oh, etc.
PS - I love Karen C's suggestion of making a music Cd. What fun!
For my son's birthday, we made CDs of his favorite songs and gave those out in the goodie bags to boys and girls. Most of the kids really liked them.
Slinky, army men, marbles, squirt guns, whistles, balls, hacky sacks.
Maybe they could do some sort of craft at the party and that would repleace a "goodie bag". Like paint/embellish a frame, take pictures of each kid with the bday kid, and then mail the pic to them so they can put in their frame they took home.
You can also do a piñata. Kids those ages love treats and candies.
I've done face painting at all of my parties and it's always a big hit. Some of the kids even wanted their arms and hands decorated!
Hope this helps!
Puzzles, craft kits, travel games, Lego sets, cool school supplies, journals, hats, magic tricks, sports item, glow-in-the dark cups, (I like to go along with the theme of the party). Check out dollar stores and overstock places who will have lots of variety at lower per unit costs. This way rather than spending money on lots of small less quality items you can pool the money and get one useful item. The kids and the other mothers will thank you for giving something that has more than a two minute shelf life before getting put into a catch-all drawer. Get a variety of take-home gifts and let the kids pick what they want then return all the leftover items.
Remember, this is supposed to be fun.
Maybe something that goes with your theme? We just had a party for our 14 year old - no goodie bags at all. But, we had a luau theme for our 7 year old. I bought luau themed goodie bags and the cheap leis for 24 cents each. We baked big hawaiian flower shaped cookies and put two in each bag and tied the bag to the lei. So when they left, they got "lei'd" ! Everyone loved it. And, it was no junk or candy. And, a lot cheaper.
Some things I have included in goodie bags for older boys are: sugar free gum, Oriental Trading company-type toys, small bouncy balls, pencils, tiny slinky's, etc...
To be frank, I hate goodie bags. Just a bunch of cheap junk made in China to throw away when we get home. We did gift certificates to Baskin Robbins ($2 each) at my daughter's last co-ed birthday and it was an enormous hit!!
You don't always have to put toys in goodie bags. Think about it...what do boys that age love? Candy! Put a bunch of unique candy in it - give it to them at the end so their parents can monitor how much they eat.
candy, poppers, 5 dollar gift cards
