10 Unique Birthday Party Favors for Kids That Aren’t Just More Junk

Planning a child's birthday party is fun—until it's time to fill the goodie bags.

Tiny plastic toys may be played with once and forgotten. Candy disappears almost immediately. So what can you give party guests that's inexpensive, memorable and actually gives them something fun to do after the party?

Here are 10 birthday party favors for kids that offer something a little different.

1. Give Them a Plant That Actually Moves

This is our favorite for obvious reasons.

Instead of handing children another toy, give them something they can plant, grow and eventually touch.

The TickleMe Plant® is Mimosa pudica, an extraordinary living plant whose delicate leaves fold inward when touched. The leaves later reopen.

Imagine the reaction when a child grows the plant from seed, touches it for the first time and watches the leaves move.

It's a party favor and a miniature science experiment rolled into one.

Our TickleMe Plant Birthday Party Favors include a packet of seeds, flower pot and soil pellet, so children can take the growing experience home with them. TickleMe Plant Company, Inc

2. Mini Flower Pots and Seeds

A simple flower pot paired with seeds is another great nature-themed favor.

Children can decorate their pots during the party using stickers or washable markers and then take them home to plant.

You can even make decorating the pot part of the birthday-party activity.

Instead of sending children home with something that's finished, you're sending them home with something that's just beginning.

3. A Mini Science Experiment

If your child loves science, turn the goodie bag into a take-home experiment.

Magnifying glasses, experiment cards, seed packets and observation notebooks can encourage children to investigate the world around them.

The TickleMe Plant works particularly well for this because children can ask questions such as:

What happens when I touch the leaf?

How long does it stay closed?

Do all the leaves react the same way?

Your party favor just became a STEM activity.

4. Sidewalk Chalk

Sidewalk chalk is inexpensive, creative and actually gets used.

Children can draw pictures, create games or decorate a driveway.

It's especially good for spring and summer birthday parties where children can start drawing before they even go home.

5. A Small Art Kit

Instead of several little plastic toys, put together one simple activity.

A few crayons or colored pencils paired with a small drawing pad can provide much more entertainment than another novelty trinket.

For an animal, garden or nature-themed party, choose coloring pages that match the theme.

6. A Packet of Unusual Seeds

Seeds are one of the smallest party favors you can give—and potentially one of the biggest.

A tiny packet can eventually become an entire plant.

For an extra surprise, choose something children probably haven't grown before.

Your guests may have planted beans or sunflowers at school.

But have they ever grown a plant that moves when they touch it?

TickleMe Plant seed packets are designed for growing Mimosa pudica indoors and include growing instructions and fun experiments. TickleMe Plant Company, Inc

7. A Nature Exploration Kit

For an outdoor, garden or bug-themed birthday party, encourage children to keep exploring after the party.

A small magnifying glass, nature observation card and seed packet can become a simple explorer kit.

Challenge children to find:

Three different types of leaves.

Two insects.

Something growing from a seed.

A plant that responds to touch.

The goal is simple: get children curious about what's happening outside.

8. Stickers With an Activity

Kids love stickers, but you can make them more interesting by combining them with an activity.

Instead of handing out a random sticker sheet, connect it to something children can do.

For example, a Zombie Plant seed-and-sticker pack gives children something immediate—the stickers—and something longer-term: a real plant to grow. Your site currently offers a Zombie Plant party pack containing seed packets and Zombie Plant sticker sheets. TickleMe Plant Company, Inc

9. A Zombie That Comes Back to Life

For children who prefer spooky things, there's another version of the TickleMe Plant.

We call it the Zombie Plant®.

It's also Mimosa pudica, but the Zombie theme turns its natural movement into a fun story:

Touch it and it “plays dead.” Then watch it come back to life!

Zombie Plant Party Favors currently include seeds, a mini flower pot, soil pellet and growing instructions. TickleMe Plant Company, Inc

They're especially fun for zombie parties, science parties and, of course, Halloween birthdays.

10. Give an Experience Instead of More Stuff

The best party favor doesn't necessarily have to be an object.

It can be an experience that continues after the party.

That's what makes grow-your-own favors so appealing.

A child takes the favor home.

Plants the seeds.

Checks the soil.

Waits for something to sprout.

Watches the plant grow.

And finally gets the payoff:

They touch their plant and watch it move.

That experience can last far longer than the birthday cake.

What Makes a Good Birthday Party Favor?

When choosing favors, ask yourself four simple questions:

Will children actually use it?

Will parents be happy to bring it home?

Does it encourage creativity, curiosity or activity?

Will the child remember where they got it?

You don't need an expensive goodie bag stuffed with ten things.

Sometimes one memorable favor is better than a bag full of disposable ones.

Grow Memories Instead of Giving More Stuff

Birthday parties are about experiences.

Why shouldn't the party favor be one too?

Give children something they can plant themselves.

Let them watch it sprout.

Let them care for it.

Then wait for the moment they finally touch their TickleMe Plant and shout:

“It moved!”

That's a birthday-party memory that can keep growing long after the balloons come down.