Alternative to a Goodie Bag

that is way too much.. my son has a summer bday.. one year I got everyone sandpail and shovel.. one year everyone got water squirters.. one year beach balls..

I would get an outdoor toy..
not a $10 card too much..

As a parent I'd feel bad if my kid came home from a party with a, $10 gift card. Please don't - you just fed and entertained them. A GC for a $2 ice cream cone okay. But for this age I'd do sand buckets or sidewalk chalk, $1 notebook and pens or a themed water bottle (party store $.88 ) etc.

I usually think "what would mine like" at that age.

Would your kids like a small gift (hula hoop, ball, Frisbee, etc.) or would they rather a gift card? Would they want something to play with while waiting to be picked up and play with the kids, or something to be used later?

I love giving them something they can use the last 10 minutes of the party as a wind down. We went to a pirate party and the mom gave out foam swords and the kids just ran around the yard playing - it was great. Burned off the sugar before we dragged them home :)

I swear I'm not a killjoy but I encourage you to resist the kid party favor trend. I think it's totally unnecessary for kids to bring home a favor.

The gift card is better than the bag of plastic toys but it's really all unnecessary. My opinion is that the reward for going to a party is that you get to go to a fun party!

My child has never received a gift card as a party favor, I've actually never even heard of anyone doing that except for on this site. Do you live in an affluent area? I'm just curious if this is common now. The last two bday parties my kids went to had parents who were surgeons...and they didn't even do a goodie bag. Not that my kids cared, they just had fun at the party. I plan to give out small squirt guns for my son's party this year.

I always do really nice cookies iced/painted with the party theme, individually wrapped in clear cellophane, tied with a ribbon and a cute note

I'm not sure all kids understand the concept. I think $10 a kid is a LOT of money for people who are supposed to come and share in your child's birthday! It also sets a precedent for families who really can't pony up that amount of money for multiple kids. And unless the child picks out something for exactly $10, the family has to carry a credit or add their own money to it.

I agree about cheapy toys though. I've been to a lot of parties where there is a project that the kids do as an activity and then take home. One that works for many age groups is a picture frame - foam or wood. Then the kids decorate with any of the following: foam or wood shapes, stickers, glitter, paint, goggly eyes, other stick-ons (either adhesive-backed or glue-on). Assuming someone takes photos at the party, you can email a photo to every family afterwards - those can be group shots, single shots, or anything with just a couple of kids in it. Go for quality and amusement - it doesn't matter if the birthday child is in there.

If you have 6 guests and 2 of your own, that's 8. It would be $60 for gift cards for the 6 guests. You can buy a whole boatload of craft supplies for half that, and have stuff left over for rainy days, no-screen-time days, and so on.

The craft store can give you other ideas too.

Glow sticks!
Everyone has a use for them.

I would not recommend paying children or adults to attend a party. You could prepare simple goodie bags that are NOT junk. OR you could make or buy some nice cookies (4 to 6) and tie them in a little bag with a nice ribbon or twist tie. I find lots of nice things at Michael's.

One year we did cute pillow cases for a sleepover party. Another year we did flashlights when we did a campout in the back yard. Another year we made picture frames and did polaroids of the group for each kid.

If I were to do that I'd keep to a fun food item like ice cream.

A gift card to Target seems like you're gifting the guests. The gift is the party and a favor to take home can be appropriate. To me a target gift card really isn't a party favor.

What I like to do is a craft or take home activity that goes with the theme. Like a few years ago I got all the kids paper butterfly wings, some cheap paint and glitter, set them out on the lawn and said have at it. They all got wings to go home with and nobody missed the candy. I've also done inflatable dinos, buckets and pails, foam crafts (like visors they can decorate) and things like that.

I never did goodie bags or alternatives to goodie bags.
The kids played games, they ate cake and ice cream, they played in the yard, and they went home.

We did gift cards a couple of times for parties when our daughter was a little older than the age you gave. They were well received.

Much better than a bag of junk!!

ETA. I don't view gift cards a "paying" for a guest to come to a party anymore than junky gift bags that are passed out to guests. A card can be to McDonalds, ice cream treat, etc.

Instead of a goodie bag what if you had a piñata instead. Those are always fun.

The cheapy toys are okay for me if it something she can open, use, and dispose of.

Silly Putty
Play doh
No bubbles - they get everywhere
Cool pens

I just can't get past a mom who wants to pay the kids for coming to her child's birthday party or give them toys that might have cost more than the toy they brought with them.

I think this fad is the worst one ever. Just say thank you for coming and be done with it. There is NO reason to give them anything.

I think a gift card to target would be really weird. Just really unnecessary, its not their birthday and I think it would seem like a full on gift verses a favor. I agree though and really dislike goodie bags. I went to a party recently without them and thought it was awesome. Another one recently got a variety of small toys from target and the kids got to pick one. Nice but unnecessary.

One year I did edible jewelry kits. Cellophane bags with O shaped cerial and gummis and shoe string licorice or elastic for the cord. I didn't hand them out till kids were leaving and had several parents call to tell me they were 'stealing' the idea (years b4 Pinterest and such).
I honestly do not know what my kids got as a favor at a party until I'm cleaning up their mess in the car or at home-junky toys, candy, etc. we did did go to an indoor swim party and they got a beach ball. Cool.
I would be bummed with gift cards. One of my kids "won" a $5 Target card today at school. Oh joy. Now I need to drive her there and try to help her find something she wants under $5-because if I spend a penny more the other kids will want me to buy them some junk too. Yippie!

oh geez, no.
seriously, this will come across as buying friends.
if you don't have the minerals to resist this annoying trend, just bake them some cookies and put 'em in a cute bag. at most do glow sticks or sidewalk chalk or something 99% of kids actually like and play with.
no cheap toys. no gift cards. no one-upping the other parties.
KISS.
khairete
S.

Don't do anything especially a gift card. Goody bags are a thing of the past.

I like your idea of the summer toys and outside things!
That's fun!

I usually give books as a party favor rather than a goody bag. This year, I might make bookmarks to go with them, but since the party is Tuesday and I've done nothing so far, it's not looking likely! In any case, the books are usually pretty well received by the kids and parents. I get them discounted through Scholastic.