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36 kids' party food ideas

Last modified on Thursday 23 June 2022

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If you're planning on throwing a children's birthday party at home, you're probably asking yourself, 'What do I do for kids party food?' Luckily, we're here to help.

What should I serve at a kids' birthday party?

There are a loads of things you can choose for easy kids party food that are cheap and tasty, while also appealing to children's sense of fun.

  • Kids love finger foods they can pick at. This could mean a variety of sweet and savoury snacks, with some healthy options thrown in too, as well as drinks to wash it all down with.
  • You could stick to traditional, much-loved kids party food like cocktail sausages, jelly and ice cream and fondant fancies, or mix it up by trying out some new recipes like broccoli tots or cauliflower pizza .
  • Don't forget plenty of crisps and crackers too. They're easy to grab and satsifying to crunch.
  • Classic sandwiches: When it comes to sandwiches, we've tried alternatives but the basics seem to always be crowd-pleasers, such as cheese and ham or chicken mayo sandwiches cut into triangles. Who doesn't love those?

More tips when preparing kids party food

If your child's friends are attending, it's smart to ask on the invitations for any dietary requirements ahead of the party. That way you can prepare some suitable food for them prior to the celebrations - whether it be vegan, gluten- or dairy-free, and so on.

Be sure to provide plenty of water on the day to keep little ones hydrated. If you want to serve them a sweet drink, you could serve homemade fruit smoothies , milkshakes or watered down squash. Though it's best to provide these after the food, so they don't fill up on liquids.

Finally, don't forget about the birthday cake , aka the bit of the party the kids look forward to the most (other than the presents, of course). You can pick up some pretty good birthday cakes at the supermarket featuring all their favourite characters, or you can of course bake your own at home.

Check out some of our birthday cake recipes here.

Read on to discover our round up of the top kids party food ideas, including budget-friendly options, and easy-to-make recipes that you can even get the kids helping along with beforehand.

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Last updated 23 June 2022

Are you planning a kids' party? Have you got any great party food ideas to recommend? Find more ideas and share your own with our articles and forum below:

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For more tips and ideas, check out our birthday planning guides by age:

1-year-old birthday 2-year-old birthday 3-year-old birthday 4-year-old birthday 5-year-old birthday 6-year-old birthday 7-year-old birthday 8-year-old birthday 9-year-old birthday 10-year-old birthday 11-year-old birthday 12-year-old birthday 13-year-old birthday 14-year-old birthday