What was the best party bag your child ever received?

[Homerenonovice]

My 4 year old dd has her 5th birthday coming up and has specifically asked for party bags she can give out to her friends.

I wasn’t planning to do them as they are usually just full of cheap plastic rubbish, so I’m wondering if anyone is willing to share the best ideas your child has ever given or received.

Football cards

I once gave each child a paint your own money box (were on offer for £1.50) and a bag of chocolate buttons. The parents loved it. The birthday fell over a week off school when the weather was dreadful so the parents loved the children having an activity to do.

We do a book for each child (10 for £10 from The Works - they also have 15-20% discount codes usually too) and a slice of cake

A book or the one where they got a little plant pot, soil, and a seed to grow.

Books definitely

Someone on here mentioned biscuit making kits, like this one: www.craftandcrumb.com/products/pawsome-party-bag-kitty?pr_prod_strat=copurchase&pr_rec_pid=6688352764075&pr_ref_pid=4443691122754&pr_seq=uniform&variant=39847760494763

Just to say I always see books recommended on Mumsnet, but my DS and his friends HATE getting a book instead of a party bag. They like the bag, the sweets, the tat.

The all time favourite party bag contained an inflatable mallet and some sweets.

T shirts are great, either plain and decorate at the party or just a t shirt to take home.

A book for each child or you're just creating landfill

Colouring book and cheap crayons from Wilko.

We spent £3 per child (small group) and bought different items for each then wrapped and had a lucky dip. Each child got one item but all different, they loved it! You can get decent little toys/stationary/etc especially if 3 for 2 deals or similar.

My children have always hated books in party bags- it's hard to get the right level for all the children- and those cheap books from the works etc are never brilliant stories.

The paint your own stuff at hobbycraft is normally on offer or anything that's a craft they can do.

We once got some magic tricks which they really liked- they can with some instructions on how to learn how to do them.

Stationary is normally a hit too- notebook and fun pencil.

My ds's Fave ever party bag was a traditional bag with a plastic parachute man, bouncy ball, a couple noisy things, tattoos, sweets and all that stuff we call junk.

He has mostly been given sweet cones though.

Depends who you're trying to please. If it's the parents get a book. I personally love getting the children stuff. Poundland used to do a mini slime making kit for a pound. Or a pretty jar of sweets.

Bag containing pencil, rubber, small notepad, 1 x chomp/curly wurly, Milky Way or similar, 1 x chewits, fruitella, chewy cable or similar. Simple but much nicer than boatloads of sugar and tat.

What theyearofsmallthings said. The kids want sweets and little party toys. I've seen stickers, water bottles, books, donations to charity, pencils, even lovely capes and scarves, but they were all clearly a bit disappointed. The charitable donation was the worst, obviously.

please no seeds to plant or craft activities that require parental support/supervision, and which my post-party tired, grumpy DC will want to do immediately on entering the house.

We've given character socks, those expanding character flannels, and stickers, but really it's all about the sweets. Enough sweets and chocolate and they'll be happy.

Sweets, especially the bracelet and necklace sweets on elastic. Both girls and boys love them.
Freddo bar, piece of cake, a magic colouring book, man on parachutes or a glider.
Yes they're tat but you can hardly give out home made jam and knitted socks!

They get really excited by the cone shaped bags of sweets - one parent even let them fill them themselves, like pick 'n' mix as they left - which was really popular.

An activity, baking kit or book.

I know children love the plastic tat, but this is why the environment is in the shit it is right now. Continuing to buy it purely because they love it is not a good enough reason IMO, we really need to start educating them. We have been going to 1-2 parties each weekend since early Oct and I cant even describe how much plastic tat, crayons and activity books we have accumulated, most of which has broken within 24 hours of being given it. I really wish it did not exist in the first place.

Most parents here still do a party bag but without the plastic tat. Just sweets, crisps and a pencil or eraser.

A bag with a Mr Men book and a load sweets. Or if near Christmas a selection box.

Glider planes! www.amazon.co.uk/Henbrandt-12-Flying-Glider-Planes/dp/B008ORVY1K/ref=asc_df_B008ORVY1K/?hvlocphy=1006567&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=310620100076&hvpone&hvlocint&hvpos&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&hvtargid=pla-562773477746&hvrand=14291783104283477887

A pop-it

Bang snaps… throw at floor make small bang. Kids loved them