Another great arts and crafts idea for the making of party favours involves decorating new pens or pencils. Simply provide each child with a pen/pencil or two and a variety of decorative items, such as pipe cleaners, feathers, glitter, sequins, puff balls, wiggly eyes or any other small craft item that you think may fit on a pen or pencil. Whether you choose to allow them to use glue or provide them with self-adhesive items is up to you, but older children should have no problem with any of these tools, without the worry of a messy clean-up.

If you’re having a party that includes only one gender, then you can put together favours that will reflect specific items for either boys or girls.

For instance, if you’re having a party for a girl and only girls are invited, then you can fill small fabric bags  with pretend make-up items, such as lipstick and nail polish, hair accessories like scrunchies or decorated hairslides, etc.

Beauty products are always well received by girls.

You can make your own lip gloss for your daughter’s next theme party or let her do it herself. Obviously you will have to supervise the proceedings depending on the age of your daughter as the recipes contain ingredients that have to be heated on the stove.

Please note that the quantities will have to be adapted for the number of birthday party guests.

Here is a very basic recipe for lip gloss:

2 teaspoons grated beeswax
1 teaspoon rosewater (obtainable from pharmacies)
1 teaspoon grape seed oil
2 teaspoons almond oil

Heat the wax in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until it melts into a clear liquid. Remove from heat and stir in the rosewater and oils. Leave the mixture to cool, then transfer it to small sterilized lip balm jars or even small tins that can be bought at dime stores.

Vanilla Lip Gloss:

1 Tablespoon Petroleum Jelly
1 1/2 teaspoons Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Aloe Vera Gel
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

Heat ingredients together in a double-boiler and pour into small jars. Cool and seal.

Ring the changes for some funky shimmering lip gloss that will be a hit with teenagers.

Pink Shimmer Gloss

1 tablespoon Vaseline/petroleum jelly
½ Teaspoon Pink Blush
½ Teaspoon Pearl Eye Shadow

1. Mix all ingredients together and transfer to lip balm jars.
2. For best results put in the freezer for a couple of minutes so it will harden a little

Frosty Blue Lip Gloss

1 tablespoon Vaseline/petroleum jelly
½ Teaspoon Blue body glitter, lipstick, or eye shadow
½ Teaspoon Pearl Eye Shadow

1. Mix all ingredients together, transfer to small jars.
2. For best results put in freezer for a couple of minutes

For boys:

If, on the other hand, the party will include only  boys,you might consider items such as temporary tattoos or small actions figures that are particularly popular – especially if it is a themed party and there is an action figure that would be an appropriate match.

Also remember that a favour bag need not be a traditional paper bag as such; it can simply be a circle or two of paper (use your biggest dinner plate as a template), gathered and tied with gift ribbon or for boys, cord or twine. Decorate with stickers. You can also make a knapsack by using coloured fabric squares in colours that will suit the party theme; place the small gifts in the centre, gather the four corners of the fabric and tie together to from a knot. Push a piece of dowel or even a thin twig through the knots and you have a very “manly” favour bag.

Have fun planning your kid’s theme party!