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Goody bag planner
Creating the perfect goody bags for your child’s birthday party requires walking a very fine line: You want kids to be thrilled about the contents (especially the birthday kid!), but you don’t want to aggravate parents with useless plastic junk just for the sake of having a goody bag to send home.
For time-crunched parents who don’t have the extra hours in the day to DIY their own goody bag fillers, this birthday task can be even trickier.
Scroll through the arrows above for 10 goody bag gifts that should keep the kids busy long after the party is over.
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Slinkies
Go old-school with Slinkies. Many kids have never laid eyes on a Slinky, so if you have stairs in your home, kids can whip them out for a tutorial and a race.
Birdhouse decorating kit
You could easily create a goody bag with just this kit and some birdseed for each child. It’s a fun craft that kids can work on at home and hang outside during the cold months of the year.
Puzzle balls
I love the idea of the quiet ride home from a party. It’s probably never going to happen, but this puzzle ball might just make the vision a reality. If your kid is young enough, you can whisk it away when they’ve forgotten about it and bring it out on a long road trip.
Flower headbands
If you were to throw a flower-themed party for your child, these flower headbands would be such fun to find in the goody bag.
Animal masks
Kids love to pretend to be animals, and these masks give them a head start on that imaginative play. These would be especially fitting for a zoo-themed party.
Glow-in-the-dark pop toy
These glow-in-the-dark unicorn fidget pop toys are sure to be a hit. They will keep kids occupied and are small enough to bring to school.
Wind-up toys
Wind-up toys aren’t the most novel goody bag staple, but you’d be surprised by how long a kid will repeat the wind-up and waddle routine.
Bubble wands
You can’t go wrong with bubbles! These bubble wands can be threaded on some string to make a cute necklace.
Safari glasses
Kids will love these darling safari glasses and can use them all year long.
Squishy toys
These squishy toys are adorable and also work as stress toys for anxious kids.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in March 2019, and updated in November 2022.
