Amp up the fun quotient at your next kids’ party with creative party snacks. You do not need a caterer or major bucks to make a big splash with the food at a children’s party. With children, presentation is key, so stick to simple ingredients and allow children to customize and create their own tasty recipes. Provide alternatives for children with food allergies and diet restrictions.
Types
Most kids’ parties do not feature a full meal but only several types of snacks. Salty, sweet, chewy and squishy tend to hit the favorite food groups for kids. In addition, serve a couple of types of beverages, perhaps in flavors children can mix and match. No matter what the occasion, a thematic cake or cupcakes should offer the ideal finishing touch.
Function
At kids’ events, the party snacks do not just whet the appetite, but they also create a festive vibe. You might jazz up simple peanut butter sandwiches by using cookie cutters to make interesting shapes and allowing children to top them with rainbow or chocolate sprinkles. Allow children to customize their snacks. One favorite, particularly for slumber parties, is personal pizzas. Cut bagels in half, and let children add tomato sauce or pesto, favorite cheeses and toppings. Cook them in the oven at a low temperature, and take the pizzas out when the cheese bubbles.
Features
Children require many options with their party snacks. Set up containers with different fruits, and have them assemble fruit kabobs on sticks. They can dip them in melted chocolate for added fun. Serve basic burgers, tacos or nachos without toppings, and set up bowls with cheese, chopped black olive, chopped lettuce, chopped tomato and something surprising such as crumbled potato chips that they can add to their entrees.
Considerations
Recipes are not the only way to encourage children’s participation with your party snacks. Plan activities that center on snacks. For example, children may build superstructures with marshmallows and toothpicks or paint bread with tinted milk that they then toast and eat. Shortbread cookies and whipped cream make good towers, while miniature carrots, zucchini wheels and olives serve as parts for sculpting vegetable cars.
Misconceptions
You do not need an expensive cake at your children’s party. Instead, bake several miniature cupcakes. Set up bowls of colored buttercream frosting so that children can frost their own cupcakes. Little bowls of toppings such as toasted coconut, sliced berries, miniature chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows, gummy bears, sprinkles and gumdrops allow guests to further customize their party treats.
Photo Credit
- Child Eating Cupcake image by Kalani from Fotolia.com
