Ideas for party favours

I love putting together party favours. It's always nice that kids get to bring home something from the party, but putting together a party pack can be mind boggling, especially if you have guests of varied age group. I often like to customise my party packs, catering for different age group and gender, but this is usually not necessary.

A few rules of thumb when putting together your party packs to keep both children and parents happy:

1. Candies and junk food: Know who your guests are and their parents' rule on candies and junk food. I know most parents of young children often dislike or forbid their children from consuming them, so keep those junk food at bay. For older kids, I think a few pieces of chocolates should be fine, but again think "will I allow my kids to eat 'em" before including them in your party packs.
2. Noise makers: They can either liven up your party or annoy the life out of you (and other parents), especially when the party is over. I would normally stay away from giving out noise makers. Perhaps you can substitute these with balloons.
3. Fun and practical: I'm sure you don't want to find your party favours in the bin as soon as the day is over, so make sure they're stuff the kids can appreciate and use. For younger kids, stickers, bubbles and crayons are popular items which kids adore. For older kids, stationery, activity books and craft kits make great party favours.

There's really no fixed rule on how much a party pack should cost. I've done party packs for as little as RM5 each to more elaborate ones costing more than RM20 per pack - all keeping to above rule of thumb of fun & practical. All you need is some creativity and a good eye for bargain!