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| Sweet Treats Personalized Party Invitation by B.Nute productions on Etsy |
Inspiration Board
The Decorations
If it’s pink or white, it’s a sure bet it will fit into this party. Start with the basics – crepe paper and balloons. From the center of the ceiling and drape the crepe paper to the edges of the room. This will create a “big top” or tent effect. Next, hang the balloons against the walls of the room, on the backs of chairs and any other place that seems appropriate. The more the merrier.
Jars of Candies and Treats
Pull out all your clear glass vases, cups and apocathery jars (if you have any) and fill with candies. Colorful gumdrops, peppermints, and hard candies look great. Tiered serving tray filled with cupcakes and treats will also look festive and be a hit to eat!
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| A menu from one of my favorite old fashioned soda fountains, The Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale Arizona |
Decorate a large white poster board to look like a menu board or menu from an old fashioned soda shoppe. Make sure to add your food items and treats to the menu! Hang on a wall where everyone can see! Check out these fun retro inspired menus at Retro Planet.
Candy Garland
There are plenty of resources online to buy pretend candy garland. This can be great to string up along a mantle, or window or anywhere the party will be! If you’re ambitious, try making one your self! By many bags of individually wrapped candies and either tie each end of the candies together with small pieces of string or use a twist tie. This is great decoration, as well as a great treat for later!
Music and Ambience
Making a CD of your child’s favorite music is always a hit, but you could also add some ambience with the “soda fountain” type music. Tunes from the 1950’s will be a great addition to the look and feel of the party
Food and Drink
Obviously sweets and treats will dominate the menu, but if you want to add some healthier options, here’s some ideas:
- Jelly Roll Sandwiches – Could just be jelly and bread rolled up, or add some peanut butter, almond butter or Nutella for a little dash of protein.
- Pinwheel “Aram” Sandwiches – Roll cream cheese, ham and turkey slices in a large tortilla or flat bread. Slice into small cylinders, to get the pinwheel effect.
- Veggie Sticks in a Jelly Jar – It may not be candy sticks, but put out a couple of sauces for dipping, and possibly the veggies will pass as colorful treats.
- Fruit Lollipops – Sear small sliced or balled fruit pieces to colored toothpicks for an easy, fun fruit lollipop.
- Stock up on some fun flavored cream sods or fruit juices for that soda-fountain look. Some brands have great looking, “retro” labels that will add to the look of the party. Place the bottles in a large tin and fill with ice.
- Pink Lemonade in a Pitcher – Pink lemonade will fit right in with the color scheme and be a refreshing option for the younger folks. To cut down on sugar, some brands offer sugar free mixes.
Arts and Crafts
Play Dough Candy Factory
Set up a table and let kids young and old make pretend candies and cupcakes from play dough. There are many kits available to buy that have molds to look just like treats. Make sure to get plenty of different colors, but don’t expect them to stay pristine for long!
Jellybean Frame
Buy some inexpensive plain frames at your local craft store and have kids glue jelly beans to the front. When done, use a sealant like Modge Podge to make the jelly beans last for a long time. This is a perfect activity that also can be the “goodie bag gift” at the end of the party!
Candy Necklace
Set out some bowl of different colored life savers. Cut pieces of string to be the length of a necklace for a child. Now, have the kids make their own jewelry treat! They’re fun to wear and even better to eat.
Coloring Pages
Check out B.Nute productions’ Sweet Treats Coloring pages for some guaranteed fun! Just set up a table, put out some crayons, markers, glitter glue and whatever else suits your fancy and let the kids color away! There’s “Make Your Own Sundae,” “Decorate the Cake,” and “Color the Candy” coloring pages, perfect to print out for the party. See below for instructions:
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| Make Your Own Sundae Coloring Page by B.Nute productions |
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| Decorate the Cake Coloring Page by B.Nute productions |
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| Color the Candy Coloring Page by B.Nute productions |
1. Select link or image above.
2. Print image from browser. Make sure to set printer to landscape mode. Coloring page is 8.5x11.
3. Now it's time to color!
(Note: Free printable coloring pages are copyright protected and for personal use only.)
Games
Guess the Number of Candies
Those great decorations on your table could also become a good game. Have kids guess how many candies are in each jar. Closest one wins a prize. For little ones, keep the number or candies in the jar to a minimum.
I Spy in the Candy Jar
As an alternative to guessing the number of candies, you can also do an “I Spy” game. Inside your lovely jars of candies, put a few random small plastic toys. Have kids see if they can find all the toys in the candy jars just by looking at the jars!
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| Example Image of a Candyland Game Board |
Inspired by the popular children’s board game, create a Candyland obstacle course in your yard or house. Create stations around the space, for instance Gumdrop Alley, Peppermint Hills, Lollipop Lane, Fruit Chew Fields, etc. Write these names on a piece of poster board so kids can see each location. Have a box or bag of matching candy on a chair at each station.
Now, separate the group into two teams. Each person needs to pick up one candy from each station, then return to his team to tag the next team member to go.
This game will give the kids a chance to run around as well as stash a couple candies for their goodie bags!
Entertainment Ideas
Cookie Decorating
Set up an area with frosting, cookie decorations and let the kids make their own personal treat. To save time, store bought sugar cookies are a perfect alternative to home made, and can taste great too!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Depending on the age of the guest (and length of your party), you could let the kids watch some or all of this candy-filled movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You could also play this movie on the TV with the sound off as an ambient feature!
Treats and Goodie Bags
Treats Galore
This party is pretty much one big treat, but there’s always room for more!
Here are some ideas to really make this party sweet!
• Make Your Own Sundae Bar – Set up bowls of all types of treats: sprinkles, chocolate chips, mini-marshmallows, fruit chews, crushed candies, banana slices, strawberries pieces, etc. Have vanilla and chocolate ice cream handy and let the kids make a sundae! Don’t forget the fudge and carmel sauce!
• Chocolate Dip – Set out some cut up fruit, a bowl of chocolate sauce, and some toothpicks and let the kids dip away. For an older crowd, you could make this Chocolate fondue instead of just chocolate sauce.
Goodie Bag Ideas
Many of the ideas in this guide can produce instant goodie bag treats (i.e., decorated frame, play dough candies, etc.), but here’s some more ideas if needed:
• candy scented lip balm
• candy necklaces
• candy shaped eraser (Note: this would not be advisable for small tots, since they might try to eat them!)
• extra large lollipops, like Hammond’s lollipops
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