The products on this page were designed especially for little gardeners. 👧🏻 Because we believe you can never start too early in getting children excited about nature and gardening. And what better way to do that than with colorful flower marbles and fantastic DIY ideas? Our products make great party favors for children's birthdays or gifts for other occasions. Discover our colorful children's range!
10x5 flower marbles in a bag
Plant box – Courage flowers
Wildflowers in a cube – seed ball
Big break - Flower lollipop
3 small meals for hedgehogs, squirrels & birds
4x5 flower marbles for Back-to-School
3 x 1 Flower Marble – All Varieties
Small meal – bird food
Small meal – hedgehog food
Small meal – squirrel food
Party favors for children's birthdays: The phenomenon of gift bags and party favors around children's birthdays
In recent years, my children have increasingly come home with gift bags. Often they were party favors or gifts after a birthday party , but sometimes also for other occasions at daycare or elementary school. You might know them too – the Paper bags overflowing with sweets and cheap plastic toys that bring joy for only a brief moment before ending up in the trash.
I've increasingly wondered if there isn't a better way to approach these party favors for children's birthdays – surely it's possible to find contents for the goody bags that won't end up in the landfill?! So I asked around among other parents, my fellow city gardeners, as well as educators and teachers, and I I've gathered ideas for party favors that are entertaining, high-quality, but not too expensive . Here are my results.
Buy sustainable children's birthday party favors
Restraint and avoiding consumption are undoubtedly noble, but at children's birthday parties, you'll encounter disappointed faces (and more...) if the party bags remain completely empty. Most children also like to give small gifts to their guests at their birthday parties and don't want them to go home empty-handed. Besides, party favors have become the norm over the last 20 years, and it doesn't feel right for your own children to deviate from that. At least, that's been our experience.
Sometimes, you simply have to buy things . Luckily, there are now many, many great party favors available that are not only sustainable but also delight the children and make the birthday a memorable occasion.
DIY party favors for the birthday party
However, ready-made gift bags aren't absolutely necessary. Often, a good alternative is to incorporate a creative element directly into the children's birthday party and make something with the children that they can then take home. Admittedly, you still have to buy materials , but crafting is fun for the children, and they get to take home something they've created themselves . Here are some ideas:
- Making friendship bracelets or necklaces
- Rolling seed bombs ( craft set )
- Painting T-shirts, aprons or hats
- Make your own bouncy balls ( instructions )
- Make your own bird feeder ( craft kit )
- Carving and painting stick gnomes ( instructions )
- DIY picture frames ( instructions ). Ideal in combination with a Polaroid camera to take birthday photos directly into the frames.
- decorating chocolate bars
Trips with a suitable gift
Very often, a child's birthday party is combined with an outing, for example to the swimming pool, the bowling alley, or a trampoline park. In that case, it's often possible to give the children something they can use right away and then take home as a present. Here are some ideas for outings with suitable party favors :
- From about the age of 9, you can take children on a trip to a climbing gym. You could give each child their own carabiner for this purpose.
- From about the age of 6, you can take the children to a trampoline park and give them the appropriate "Jump" socks.
- A trip to a DIY workshop, or more specifically a pottery course, where the children can of course take their work with them.
- In many cities there are also printing workshops that offer workshops specifically for children (birthdays) and where you can take the prints you have made home afterwards.
- If you have your own garage or some space in the garden and good weather, you can make graffiti with the children on drywall, which they can then take home. Here's an example from a children's birthday party my daughter recently attended:
- Before a trip to the swimming pool, you can give all the children three sponge water balloons . They are ideal for throwing back and forth or chasing each other down a water slide.
- Another idea is to go candle making with the children. This is especially great in autumn and during the (pre-)Christmas season, because the homemade candles can be used immediately.
- In many cities and towns, you can rent sports halls by the hour. This is also a great outing for a children's birthday party. A small ball or a homemade balloon cover makes a great party favor.
Below, we'll answer the questions we've received so far about party favors. We're done with these ideas, though . So, if you have any more ideas for sustainable party favors, please write to hallo@diestadtgaertner.de . We'd love to hear your suggestions and expand on this post! In any case, we wish you a wonderful children's birthday party!
Meaningful party favors for children's birthdays - The most important questions and answers
Since launching this page, we've been receiving a lot of general questions about party favors. We've compiled some of them here for you. If you have any further questions, feel free to send them to us at hallo@diestadtgaertner.de .
Parents typically spend between €1 and €5 per party favor, depending on their individual budget and preferences. A common rule of thumb is that a party favor should not cost more than 10% of the total gift from the guests.
A good party favor for a child's birthday is creative, age-appropriate, and practical. It should bring joy to the children and ensure they remember the birthday party for a long time. In our opinion, a good party favor should also be plastic-free, sustainable, and natural.
Many families see the 10th birthday as the cutoff for party favors. At this age, children are on the cusp of puberty and no longer want to be treated like little kids. It's advisable to talk openly with your child about it to avoid any awkward moments.
Creative alternatives could include fun photos taken with an instant camera during the party, or a craft or building activity where each child creates something unique to take home. Examples include making friendship bracelets, pouring candles, or carving sailboats.
Who are the city gardeners?
Jan, Derk, and I, Torge, are nature lovers from the countryside. After leaving for university and exploring cities around the world, we missed the changing seasons, and Derk started rolling seed bombs to beautify Hamburg. Soon after, he, Jan, and I founded "Die Stadtgärtner" (The Urban Gardeners). Ten years and 15 million seed bombs later, we've become a real company! 😳 Together, we've developed over 400 useful, beautiful, and sustainable products. They're all handcrafted in sheltered workshops for people with disabilities in Northern Germany. If you want to learn more, follow the white rabbit 🐇 .
Here's what our customers say
A great gift with a sustainable aspect. I ordered the marbles to give as party favors at my child's birthday party. Since I don't need all 10 bags for that, I've already given some away to both adults and children, and everyone loved them.
We ordered seed bombs for a children's birthday party and asked if they could also send us the instructions as a PDF (one was already included in the package). That was absolutely no problem, and we were able to easily give each child a printout.
I give my friends and family the wonderful products from Stadtgärtner whenever I can. Everything is so thoughtfully and thoughtfully designed, packaged in an environmentally friendly way, and delivered promptly within 24 hours. So they're always great for last-minute gifts too! 👍
Fast shipping and everything as expected. The little flower marbles (in small bags) will be our party favors for the First Communion and were very enthusiastically received by the child! We also included the fish and sayings. 😉
Fast and undamaged delivery. The set is a great way to keep children entertained. Everything is included – except water. Easy to understand.
I made the flower bombs with my daughter and handed them out as party favors at her kindergarten birthday party. They were a big hit. A few were left over and dried without sprouting. I'm curious to see if the next ones will bloom just as beautifully.
We bought the flower marbles as an extra gift for our friends' daughter. I had expected the package of marbles to be a bit bigger, but otherwise I'm very happy with our choice. The packaging is cute, and there's also an extra instruction leaflet included on how to use the marbles. Everything is illustrated and described in a very child-friendly way. We can't say anything about the results yet, as the family plans to plant the marbles in the spring/summer. But it will certainly be exciting for the children! For the price, you get some excitement and fun, and you're supporting a German company.
A wonderful gift idea! I gave these flower marbles to my colleagues as a summer greeting in 2020. During the holidays, I received many photos of the roadsides where the marbles had landed, or of the first buds and blossoms. The motto "what goes around comes around" was perfectly apt. Thank you for your great ideas!