Growing up most of the people in attendance at birthday parties were relatives or neighbors who could easily come over. Ice cream and cake were served along with a few drinks such as milk, Cool-aid, ice tea and coffee. Fancy decorations could only be found on the birthday cake with an occasional party plate or decorator napkin. In today’s society, more people tend to live further away from relatives and birthday parties are centered more around having friends from school, church, or athletic teams attend.  It has become customary to provide the guest with a small token of thanks and this is often in the form of a goody bag. Bags can be theme bags corresponding to the theme of the party, or they can simply be bags of goodies with a small note of thanks enclosed. The following will review a few ideas for goody bags, but let your imagination rein. Finding the right mix of trinkets and sweets will be up to you.

DIY Gift Bag Ideas

Each party should contain unique gifts, but often it is easier to simply purchase party favors from ShinDigz associated with the theme of the party. These items include: candy, pencils, balloons, erasers,
miniature bubbles, sports balls, or plastic toys such as rings, cars, fairy wands, princess crowns, etc. You can even build personalized gift bags from ShinDigz.

Steps on How to Build Gift Bags

Step 1: The first step to building a gift bag is to select a bag. This can be decorated to match the theme or plain colors (such as the favorite color(s) of the birthday child). Once the bag is chosen, move on to what you want to put in the bags. Ask yourself, do I want the children to keep the items? Do I want them to have temporary fun with the items? Or do I want them to eat the items? You can focus on one or more the types of treats you place in the bags.

NOTE: To save money, look for gift bags on clearance at your local stores like Meijer after holidays and keep until needed. Themed treat bags work great for party bags even if they have some decoration on them.

Gift Bag Keep Sakes

Keep Sakes are items that will remind the child of the party and they may want to keep it as a cherished item. This would include personalized items such as a t-shirt, plastic cup, key chains, or rubber bracelets or collectibles. These items may cost more, but they won’t simply be thrown in the trash after a few days.

Gift Bag Temporary Fun

Temporary fun items include temporary tattoos, plastic toys, note pads, pencils, stickers, craft projects, or party hats and blowers. All of these items will be used and then eventually disposed of later on. These items are generally cheaper and can be purchased in bulk from on-line stores like ShinDigz or local stores like Meijer.

Gift Bag Edible Fun

Sending home a large bag of candy is not really a great idea (although I am sure there are few children who would object to the idea!). Parents may control the bag and not allow a child to eat a bunch of sweets, so picking a few items such as Blow-pops, bubble gum, or hard candies will help to balance the joy and fun in the bag with the sweets associated with birthday party fun.

Step 2: The second step to building a gift bag is to select the items you want to place in the bags. Try not to over do it because most bags are relatively small and will only hold a few items. Once you have chosen your items you can begin building the bags.

Step 3: The third step is sorting out the items. To eliminate any problems of a child not receiving a specific item, it is a good idea to make piles of the contents. This will ensure each bag has what it should have enclosed. For example, the gift bags shown includes Silly Bandz, stickers, pencils, and a few plastic toys. Each pile should contain the same amount of items so children at the party do not feel left out if the bags are opened prior to departure.

Step 4: The fourth step is to fill each of the bags. I like to include a small note of thanks. This is simply a strip of paper with a “Thank you for attending my birthday party!” Place the contents in the bag with the note, and secure the top as necessary.  At this point you can label each bag with a guest’s name or just leave them nameless–whatever is easier at the time.

Finally, your gift bags are ready for the party. This is a great opportunity for you to teach your child how to thank their guest in attendance. At the end of the party have your child personally thank their guest for coming and hand a gift bag to their friend. This action will reinforce what you have been trying to teach your child nearly all of their life!

Building a gift bag can be easy and fun, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Look for clearance items, closeouts, or sales when a birthday party is approaching. This can help to reduce your cost and ultimately save you time.