Easy and Inexpensive Homemade Birthday Party Favors

Kids love birthday party favors. They are fun, little toys or knickknacks that ease the jealousy a child may feel while watching his friend open all those presents. But I've found it can be difficult to come up with birthday party favors, especially if there are both boys and girls and/or a variety of ages present at the birthday party.

Children also love creating things. Instead of buying expensive birthday party favors that won't last beyond the car ride home, I've come up with a couple great, inexpensive ideas for keepsake crafts for the kids to do while at the birthday party.

Homemade Birthday Party Favors: Personalized Refrigerator Magnets

Materials needed: newspaper, old painting shirts, wood cut-out shapes of hearts or stars (sold at craft stores), several colors of acrylic paint, small paper plates, sponges cut into approximately 2" strips, self-adhesive magnets, black fine point permanent marker

This craft is very easy to do with toddlers. I actually did it with a preschool Sunday school class with five or six four-year-old children. It can be done outside to avoid indoor accidents, although I had no trouble with doing it inside. Since drying time is needed, it is best to do this project at the beginning of the party.

Spread the newspaper out on the floor and the table top. Give each child a paper plate and a sponge. Allow each child to choose a cut-out shape and his own color. It works best if only one color is applied to each cut-out, although with acrylic paints, colors can be mixed for custom colors. Before starting the painting, mark the back of each cut-out with the child's name so they don't get mixed up while drying.

Dab the sponge into the color, and then blot the excess paint onto the newspaper before applying to the wood cut-out. Only apply to the top of the wood shape so the kids have something to hold on to. Set aside to dry. Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint says it takes 30 minutes to dry completely.

Cleanup is easy when paint is still wet. Use warm, soapy water to clean up any spills or messy fingers. Immediately throw away the sponges and paint plates.

Once the cut-outs are dry, use the black permanent marker to write the child's name on the top (or let the child do it himself). Place a magnet on the back and it is ready to go home!

Homemade Birthday Party Favors: Personalized Wood Letters

Materials needed: newspaper, old painting shirts, wood cut-out letters (sold at craft stores), several colors of acrylic paint, small paper plates, small sponge paint brushes, glossy spray varnish

This birthday party favors project is very similar to the refrigerator magnets, but more suitable for older children ages 7-10. To prepare, you will need to purchase wood letters to correspond with each child's first name.

Same as the birthday party magnet favors, spread out the newspapers, pour a small amount of paint onto a paper plate, and give each child a paint brush. It's easiest to leave the letter flat on the table to paint, being careful with the edges. Since paint tends to pool, a utility knife may be needed to score through the paint globs once dry. Again, the paint takes 30 minutes to dry.

Once dry, move the letters outside. It is very important that this step be completed by an adult. Spray each letter with the glossy spray varnish, following the directions on the can. I used a quick-drying finish, and although it doesn't say on the can how long it takes to dry, I think it took about 20 minutes.

Once each letter is completely dry, they are ready to take home as the perfect birthday party favor. Use sticky tack to hang on your child's bedroom wall!