As school and nursery settles into a regular rhythm, you may find your little ones coming home with more and more party invitations. Equally - you may find yourself planning parties for your own little ones! Amongst making or buying a cake, setting up the decor and organising party bags, these lovely events take a great deal of organising. In the rush and busyness of everyday life, it is all too easy to pop in easily accessible, quick items to the party bags, or buy disposable decorations that are easy to put up and take down. We’ve been there - we get it!
We do believe, though, that there’s a better way to do things. Much of the ‘party favours’ you will find online are heavy on the plastic, and very limited in terms of play potential. Why not choose beautifully made favours that children will keep and return to over the years?
Meanwhile, while some themed decorations are unavoidable in terms of less sustainable materials, there are some real go-to decorations that you can add to your repertoire to be used year on year with your children, or passed between friends and family members. This not only helps save the planet, but saves you money, effort, and becomes a lovely childhood ritual, just like bringing out the Christmas decorations every year.
In this journal post we’ll be sharing our favourite favours and decorations that will last, being played with or reused year on year. Our favourite brands for party treats and decor are
Meri Meri and Cotton Twist - which you’ll see features heavily here. We hope this helps to keep your little one’s party happy, fun, and sustainable! Check out the different common party themes below, and how you can incorporate beautiful, sustainable play and rituals into your celebrations.
Prince and princess party ideas
Nothing quite says childhood like a royal birthday - where princess and prince themes are a commonly requested birthday party set up for children tiny and big! Kick things off with these beautifully made sequin birthday hats fit for a monarch. A regal princess party garland will be returned to at sibling parties or even passed on to friends and family. Adding a ‘red carpet’ with simple red paper will work a treat, and you could even decorate the party with fairy tale stories from the local library.
Fill your princess party bags with sustainable stickers and funky colourful sunglasses. If your little ones would like to go down the nautical princess route, they might also love this wonderful Make Your Own Mermaid Peg Kit from Cotton Twist. Add in some handwritten recipes for princess party cakes for a personal touch. For some preloved inspiration, why not search your local charity shops for princess and fairy tale story books which could be added to your gift bags.
Dinosaur birthday party ideas
Start the celebrations off with a roar with fantastically fun dino hats and set an exciting atmosphere with a dinosaur garland.
Sustainable dinosaur party bags will be an absolute hit - why not fill them up with a homemade dinosaur origami instruction set? Simply print or handwrite simple instructions for creating dinosaurs, then add in a selection of paper and card for little ones to have a go at creating their own jurassic crowd! Temporary dinosaur tattoos will definitely be a winner, as will be themed dinosaur stickers.
Rainbow parties
A go-to for all ages, a rainbow-themed party offers the flexibility of filling your party bags and decorating your space with open-ended, preloved and reusable items. Bunting makes a great decoration for rainbow-themed birthday parties, like our rainbow velvet garland. This can be reused year on year, or even become a decoration for your child’s bedroom.
Meri Meri’s multicoloured party bags are a great place to start when it comes to party favours, with the multicoloured sunglasses being a lovely focal gift to pop in. You could add in some homemade playdough in sealed containers with colours matching the party bags, too - or split up a large bulk pot of play-dough between bags. Pop in a mini bath bomb for extra fun - again, to match the colour of the bag, or even add in rainbow bracelet kits from Cotton Twist to really jazz things up. You might like to buy in bulk or include a mixture of different bracelet kits for multiple children - Cotton Twist offer a three kit set here.
Happy partying!
These are just a few simple go-tos for making your child’s party that bit more sustainable. Let’s make decorations something that are returned to and passed on, and party bags something to keep forever! We wish you and your littles the happiest of celebrations!
Emily Hanson
Freelance Writer, Education and Play Specialist
