Well, I am last minute here >>>> BUT, I have to have something in treat bags for my son's birthday party tomorrow. I am in need of cheap and different ideas as to what to fill them with. They are small...ziploc bag size or smaller. It is mainly nine year old boys with a few smaller kids mixed in. I didn't want to spend a lot or do just candy. I was hoping for ideas that are off the beaten path a little as to standard treat bag ingredients. Also, it is tomorrow so I can't hand make stuff! Lol. So who's got ideas? Many thanks!
THANK YOU ALL! I appreciated all the great ideas! I went to the dollar tree...I tried to buy mainly things that came in packages to cut down on costs as I had like 15+ bags to make. I found some colored plastic baseballs/wiffle balls and those were a big hit and took up a good amount of room, too! Yay! I also found scented & colored bubbles (again something big), FAKE LOTTERY scratch off tickets...oh my gosh the nine year old boys LOVED those! They were awesome! I also found miniature pirate telescopes those matched our treat bags actually and they came in a pack! We also added snack size bags of animal cookies, we added sport shaped mini chocolates,pixie sticks, & suckers. The kids loved the bags and they were filled to the brim...total cost for 15+ bags: $21.00. (I thought that was pretty good!) And of course had a few extras even! THANK YOU ALL WHO ADDED YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS! :) And of course for your birthday wishes! :)
small flashlights, playing cards, super bounce balls, tennis balls, baseballs....
These are just a few ideas that might help. Balls and sticks.....make boys pretty happy at this age. :-)
Good Luck!
Hi, Roxanna. In the past, I tried to put as many things in treat bags as were related to the theme. For our dinosaur party, one of the items was dinosaur oatmeal packets, for example. For our princess party, I put in inexpensive tiaras. I would suggest going to Wal-Mart and going to the party planning area (usually by the cards, crepe paper, balloons, etc.) and find some party favors - usually in packs of 4 for a couple of bucks. Also, over in the toy area, they have a cheap section where you can get things for .88 a piece. You might want to try the dollar store as well for books and other stuff, too. I hear you about the candy, though. Kids already get/consume too much of that so I try to stay away from it as well. If you have time later, please let me know how it went. I'm always interested in hearing new ideas about what to put in goodie bags for birthday/class parties. Good luck!!
If you can get a copy of Mary McHugh's book Mud Wars for Kids and More: Zany Party and Gift Ideas (Spiral-bound) - it would give you LOTS of ideas. Mary is a Kirkwood Mom who is raising 4 amazing boys and they all helped in the book. It is how they live their life. It's wild, zany and totally fun!!
Good Luck!
The $1 stores are a great place to start. Buy a bag of Army men and put 4-6 in each bag. Bouncy balls are a big hit at that age and they are cheap. Some kind of a puzzle, maybe a slider or one of those with horseshoes that the circle comes off. They make those small out of wire. Buy a pack of stamper markers and put one in each bag. They can trade colors or shapes around if they want.
Run down to your local grocery store. Pick up the individual size boxes of raisens, crackers, etc. Healthy and handy! You can also stop by and pick up a quick package of fake tattoos, little cars, etc. "Flarp" is something my 6 yr old found at the Dollar store. It comes in a small clear tub. Basically you push down on the "stuff" and it makes a farting noise. Gross I know, but I'm quickly learning that boys like gross things. I'm learning to deal with it. The tub of Flarp only costs a dollar and has led to hours of laughs!
My question to you is: Are 9 yr olds still expecting to receive a gift from their friends birthday parties?? I figured that phase would have died out by then. I'm betting that as long as the party is fun, active, and full of food, the boys will have a great time!
Best Wishes,
J. H.
Dollar Store has some cool toys that kids like. Next year think of using Oriental Trading. They have great gifts that can be done like that for a great low price....
In addition to the other ideas mentioned, you could use pencils with characters on them, and bubbles. Also, the card and party isle at Wal-Mart ususally has packages of party favors too.
Matchbox cars are always cool and your under $1 ea for those...maybe some yo yos? I'd hit a dollar store and see what you can find...silly string would always be a fun thing for a 9 yr old...
I did Chuckie Cheese Tokens one year--I found a coupon the other day for 100 tokens for $10. McDonald's also has some little coupons--They're doing them for Easter now, but I bought some for Valentine's Day--I think 10 for $2.50-they're for free cookies, sodas, french fries,etc. Good luck! I hate goody bags:)))
I have used Hot Wheel cars, tatoo's, the little containers of playdough, gum, the snack bags of microwave popcorn, suckers, small super balls, snack bags of cookies, chips..the mini cans of Pringles....You can use plain brown paper sacks for the treat bags.
What we always do is go to wal-mart and walk down the "cheap toy" aisle. usually they have stuff in multi-packs so you don't have to buy as many. I would also hit the clearance section they often have some good different things. Good luck with the party.
Does the party have a theme that you can go to the Dollar store and buy some little trinkets or treet? Or make trail mix to put in them or some kind of snack type treet. You could buy some small item like playdough, kites (some are quite cheep), playing cards, or cars and trucks. The dollar stores have many inexpensive items to make a treet bag special. Hope this helps and have a happy party!
http://www.mandyscandywrappers1.com/. maybe she can help
