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Delightful ideas for how to hold a tea party for kids.
From menu items, to decorations and even activities, this will be an event that all the kids will enjoy.
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Everyone loves a tea party. For those looking for something a bit different for the kids, a tea party could be just what you need.
It might sound a bit of an unusual idea for a birthday party, but a kids tea party is actually becoming really popular.
Kids get to munch on some delicious foods, whilst chatting and playing with their friends.
A kid’s tea party will help them use their imagination in a really fun way. This even makes it ideal for children as young as two years old!
The imagination play that can be created with a tea party allows for little boys and little girls to have so much fun.
If you see your child having imaginative play with their tea sets, then this is a party that they are definitely going to get excited about.
What Is A Tea Party For Kids?
A tea party for kids is literally a fun way of serving finger food whilst turning the event it into a special occasion.
A tea party could be held as a birthday party or it could even be just a morning or afternoon tea party between you and the kids.
If it’s just you and the kids, make it extra special by asking them to go and dress up in something fancy. This could be their favorite piece or clothing, a princess dress or even a cowboy suit!
Yes tea parties are not just for girls!
Then sit them at a table and serve all the food on tiered stands. Ask them to bring friend such as a favorite doll, teddy bears or even superhero to the tea party.
Ensure that you have a chair especially for their “friend”.
If holding the tea party as an actual party for their birthday, then specify this on the party invitation.
Ask all the children to dress up and bring a favorite friend.
What Time Should A Tea Party Be Held?
A tea party will include quite a bit of food, but it’s not a meal either.
Ideally a tea party would be held after lunch around 3-5pm.
But really any time is fine for a tea party.
Just ensure that you explain to parents that there will be a reasonable amount of food to eat, so that the kids don’t over eat before they arrive.
What Do You Serve At A Children’s Tea Party?
The fun of a tea party is most definitely the food. Ensure that everything served is finger food to add to the experience.
Check that you do not have any food allergies to cater for prior to the party.
Kids don’t have complex taste buds so make sure that the menu items are kept simple for them to enjoy.
A great children’s tea menu could include the following:
Savory Finger Food Options:
- Finger sandwiches – depending on allergies, cream cheese, egg, ham and cheese or peanut butter sandwiches are all good choices. Cut the edges off to make them more appealing to the kids.
- Pigs in blanket
- Pinwheels
- Cheese and crackers
Sweet Finger Food Options:
- Scones
- Mini Cupcakes
- Cookies. Use cookie cutters such as stars and hearts.
- Brownies
- Petite fours or cake squares
- Macarons
- Fruit tarts
- Fruit – it’s aways a good idea to include some form of fruit. This can be grapes, strawberries or small slices of watermelon.
What Tea Do You Have At A Kids Tea Party?
Some children might drink tea, but there will be a lot of children who do not.
If you do supply tea, ensure that it is decaffeinated.
Otherwise serving bubble tea would be a lot of fun. Or simply just pink lemonade, orange or apple juice.
For a winter tea party you may even wish to serve some hot chocolate.
Your little guests wont mind what the beverage on offer is.
They are more concerned with the overall effect, and you want to make sure that they have something they enjoy rather than serving tea for the sake of it.
Supplies Needed At Tea Party For Kids
There are a few basic supplies that you need at a tea party for kids.
Tea Cup and Saucer – Regardless of whether you are serving tea, bubble tea or juice, serving it in a proper tea cup with saucer will be a lot of fun.
Napkins – You simply can’t have a tea party without napkins! Either use paper napkins or you may opt for a pretty handkerchief. The kids would think this is pretty special.
Cake Stands or Platters – How you serve the food is incredibly important. It needs to look “pretty”.
The best way to do this is to ensure that all the food is placed onto a cake stand or individual platters. You may wish to have savory on platters and sweet on a cake stand.
How To Decorate For A Kids Tea Party
To decorate for a traditional tea party, think floral, whimsical and vintage.
Cover the table with a pretty tablecloth and decorate the centre of the table with pretty flowers. Fresh flowers are best, but fake flowers will also work well.
Using proper tea cups will really help set the table experience. If possible look for pretty flowery tea cups and tea sets.
It doesn’t actually matter if they have a “cup of tea” or not, rather it’s the look and feel that you are going for.
Head to the op shop for plenty of tea cup options (no they don’t have to match!). The kids will think this is wonderful. And if there happens to be an accident, then you havn’t lost an expensive tea cup!
Ensure that place settings have been organised prior to the party and each child has somewhere to sit.
Next make sure that every child has a napkin. Whilst you could use colorful paper napkins, if you use cloth napkins it will really add to the feel of a real tea party.
The food needs to be served in the middle of the table on a cake stand. This will instantly make the food look amazing!
If you want to dress up the chairs, tie a ribbon into a bow around the back of the chair.
Want to have balloons but don’t think they fit with a tea party? The simple answer is to have those balloons!
Used appropriately there is nothing wrong with the beautiful decor that balloons provide.
Ensure that you are not choosing all the colors of the rainbow though. Stick with one of two colors of balloons, or use balloons with confetti inside.
Balloons can be placed near entrance ways, on the present table or even tied to the backs of chairs.
If you are holding the party outside, it would be a good idea to think about some cover.
In warm days you will need some shade from the sun, and on cooler days, protection from the cold and possible rain.
If an undercover area is not available, the tea party would look delightful set up under a canopy or in a small gazeebo. You can then hang some tasteful decorations from the shelter to make it look super pretty.
Think about your color scheme and stick with it. Don’t go overboard with too many colours and keep things simple.
What Activities Do You Have At A Kids Tea Party?
Even though this party is technically a “sit down” party, you still need to ensure that you have activities and fun games planned.
Children will get bored if they sit down for too long, so it is important to mix up the seating and eating with other games and activities.
You can of course stick to normal kids party games if you feel the need for kids to run off a bit of energy.
Otherwise there are some other great tea party specific activities that the kids will enjoy undertaking.
Decorate A Hat: Kids love dressing up and it is so easy to make this an activity too. Buy all the kids a straw hat in various colours and supply gems, flowers, pom poms, feathers etc. They will have a great time decorating their hat and then wearing it!
Make Paper Crowns: Instead of making a hat, the kids could all make paper crowns. This would fit perfectly with a Princess tea party.
Decorate Cupcakes or Cookies: This would also be a popular activity with kids of all ages. They can either eat the cupcakes or cookies at the tea party or keep to take home with them. If taking home, supply mini individual cupcake box’s to make it easier to transport them.
Make Necklaces/Bracelets: Kids love creating necklaces and bracelets for themselves and others. Beads on string is an easy way for them to do this and lets them be creative in the process.
Paint Nails: There is something about looking and feeling pretty at a tea party. Set up a nail painting station and let the kids either paint their own nails or have someone pamper them and do it for them.
Make Paper Fans: If its a warm day, this activity will not only be a lot of fun, but also practical too. Making paper fans is really simple, but if you need a refresher then you can check out the easy tutorial.
Design a Cup: You may choose to serve drinks in cups rather than in tea cups. If this is the case the kids could all be given a plain white cup which they could first decorate as they arrive at the party.
Party Favors For A Tea Party
Kids all love to take a party favor bag home with them. How much you include in this bag is entirely up to you.
A few fun options include:
- Bath bombs
- Lip gloss or nail polish
- Bracelets
- Tea party themed book
- A teddy bear. How about a Paddington Bear!
- Chocolate tea bags
Tea parties are a lot of fun for little and older kids. They don’t need an additional theme attached to them as the tea party is the theme.
You can however add an additional theme such as a fairy, princess or even Paddington bear theme if you wish for something extra. Otherwise enjoy the simplicity of the tea party itself.
Incorporate some of the elements from here and you will find yourself hosting a wonderful tea party for kids that will be highly memorable for them.
Need some fun ideas for a different theme? Check out our huge selection of party ideas. You will have a ton of inspiration for different themes, games and more.
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