Coming up with a fun and unique way to set up your kid’s party table is always a bit of a challenge. You don’t want your child to have just any ordinary party table, but creating an array of sweets, baked goods and delectables can be time-consuming and at times stressful!

Luckily there are some clever companies out there creating great packaging and products that do most of the job for you! You just have to know where to look. In fact, looking for inspiration you can look directly at the products themselves and it’s amazing at what one could come up with.

THEME

The first thing you need to do is decide on a theme for your table. Sometimes the theme will of course be centred around a holiday, but if you are preparing for a birthday party it is always easier to work around a theme and do a little research online into what others have successfully done before. The pressure to be unique and impress your guests can be overwhelming however, sometimes less is more so don’t overdo it! The following few basic themes below may inspire your imagination and get the party table ideas flowing.

HOLIDAY AND FESTIVE TABLES

There are mountains of popular festive sweets and chocolates to choose from to make your dessert table easy to setup. If you are a parent you are always busy, there is no need to go overboard, you can let the products you choose speak for themselves. For example, Halloween treats like Dulce Plus Jelly Bones, Hannahs Giant Pink and White Mice and Barratt Milk Teeth all scream Halloween sitting on a table with a black tablecloth.

It is always nice though to have some creative homemade surprises. These don’t always have to be time-consuming and tedious to make though. Remember you can buy themed packet cakes and cookies from your local supermarket. Add themed paper plates, napkins, paper straws, Balloons and you are pretty much there!

VINTAGE PARTY TABLE

This fun themed table is made up of some of your old fashioned favourites. Easily dress the table like an old corner shop, you could even create a shop sign if you are feeling crafty. Using some attractive glass jars with lids, simply add a few sets of small tongs and some small paper bags. Children will have fun serving themselves and each other. If you are feeling really inspired by this theme, how about putting prices on your jars and getting some fake money from the kid’s playroom with a toy cash register? Your table is now doubled up as a party table/fun party activity!

Tip: You can use the labels straight from the sweets bag to stick them onto your jars.

SLUSHY TABLE

Bring some colour to your party table by using some of these awesome slushy syrups! Rent some slushy machines from your nearest party store and using glass or paper cups (it is important to think green) create some great rainbow slushies! You can find fun paper straws from most local supermarkets these days and be sure to get plenty of paper napkins too. Admittedly, it may be better to have a table like this outside the house in your garden in case of colourful accidents! You can find a wide variety of these awesome slush syrups that can be ordered online. Remember that your slushy colours can work with your theme using a simple label you can make yourself, the obvious example is a red slushy for bats blood at Halloween.

SUGAR FREE TABLE

Gone are the days that the sugar conscious parents have to serve only fruit as a sugar-free alternative. There is now a very large variety of sweets that are sugar-free available, some are even preservative-free. Of course, there would be nothing more impressive than a sugar-free party table at Halloween. You may however need to get a little more creative with your labels to make the sugar free sweets look scary. A great birthday party idea though, particularly for children aged 4 to 10 years of age. There is a large range of sugar free boiled lollies that are completely natural in flavouring. The best part is they look colourful, fun and taste yummy as any good sweet should!

If you don’t like to give your children juice or sugary drinks, a great alternative to add to this table is homemade fruit flavoured punch water. Slice up your choice of fruits thinly and simply place them into the water. You can also add some mint for freshness and some cucumber slices. The kids will usually pick the fruit out and eat it when they are done drinking and these do make a nice decorative table piece.

Another option with homemade fruit flavoured punch water is to have the fruit pre-cut and allow children to add their choice of fruits and make their own. If you have a few already made on the table the children will eagerly want to make one. Once again this could double as a party activity!