If living more sustainably with children is already a party, then of course a sustainable children's party is totally awesome. With a little creativity, you can make it super fun and good for the planet. And as a bonus, you get a good feeling about it too. Here are our top tips!
How can you celebrate a children's party sustainably?
When you think of a children's party, you might quickly picture balloons, plastic decorations and mountains of gift paper. Of course, it is smart to find more sustainable alternatives to these - we have them for you, we'll get to them in a minute - but did you know that other things often have an even bigger negative impact on the planet? Think about the choice of treats, for example, or too many nonsensical presents that are only played with for a short time. But there is good news: we have great and much better, more fun, tasty alternatives that are just as much fun, but have a much smaller impact on the planet. And those presents? Those remain sacred, even at a sustainable children's party. Just like cake, garlands and the song. Beep the beep?
No children's party without presents
Gifts are part and parcel of a children's party. Almost all children love getting something ‘new’ and being able to unwrap it. But does something new really have to be new for the birthday boy or girl? Such a cheerful toy may look innocent, but it took a lot of raw materials and energy to make it and transport it to the Netherlands. Not coincidentally, not transport, flying or eating meat, but rather our stuff purchases rank first in the Impact top 10 of an average Dutchman (source: The hidden impact). At your new sustainable children's party, less new stuff will be given as gifts. But do we unpack? Well, ehhh, how about second-hand gifts (tips for giving second-hand gifts with flair we have here for you), pass-on gifts (gifts from guests' own cupboards), big gifts (having all guests contribute to one valuable gift) or no physical gift at all but giving a fun experience as a gift is also hearty fun. A strip card at the ice cream shop, cinema voucher, an outing to the playground....
Ask for sustainable (second-hand) gifts that the birthday boy or girl will enjoy for a long time.
Sustainable party snacks
Another thing not to miss at a children's party is some goodies. Here you can also easily do something good for the planet: have less meat (and dairy) as a treat and avoid food waste. Holy moly, what a lot of cake, chips and snacks usually end up in the bin after a successful birthday party. A shame! Buy smarter, freeze things or give doggybags along to guests! And the chips and snack treat that is traditionally on the menu at many Dutch children's parties need not be skipped either. Because supermarkets are full of plant-based snacks these days. So this year, vegan croquettes and vegetable frikandells in the airfryer!
Prefer to make something yourself? Then we have some more ideas for you here:
- Make the tastiest vegan pancakes.
- Unpack with vegan cheeseburgers or a vegan fries hair salon.
- Pizza always does well, too.
- Also for zero waste snacks we have plenty of inspiration.
If you also rely on regional, organic and seasonal products mind, you are totally a sustainable topper.
Even a vegetable cake is a piece of cake these days. Anyone who likes to bake their own will find at sustainablechoices.com delicious recipes for vegan cake. Those who prefer to buy the cake ready-made in shops will find at bonusvegan.nl a handy list of all vegan cakes for sale.
These fruit skewers in the shape of a peacock and a cactus with vegan crunchies are always a big hit at our children's parties. You will find them in the article on sustainable treats.
Activities during a sustainable children's party
And what do you do at such a sustainable children's party? If you can, choose an activity at home or close to home. After all, driving a car emits a lot of CO2. And with an average of eight children, you will soon need two cars for the outing. Does staying at home sound too boring to you? Nah, a scavenger hunt through the neighbourhood, building your own scape room or geocoaching is at least as much fun! Or maybe there are cool and original outings nearby, such as a game picking walk. Moreover, there are also plenty of games and activities you don't need to buy anything new for. Think chair dance, children's disco, a home cinema or nail-pulling. For all the creative types, there is also plenty to invent with things you already have around the house. How about crafting with salt dough, homemade clay, make a lantern or making candles from candle remnants.
If the kids are already a bit bigger (say eight-plus), then of course nail-pulling or musical chairs are so-not-cool. Then it is also an adventure to take public transport into town for a cool museum or the cinema (super-cool), or you hire something or someone for a banger of a party: a living Disney character, a set of laser guns or a sports clinic (megacool). By the way: ‘just’ going to the pool (on a bike?) is still a top fill-in too. Swim gear with us, but we don't say what we will do!
Durable decoration
We haven't talked about the decorations yet, because yes, that too can be more sustainable. Slingers are easy to make yourself and on Pinterest you will find plenty of ideas to make your own decorations for children's parties. You won't find anything that unique anywhere! If you don't have time to craft yourself - we understand - you can always have a look at the thrift store or the handy apps of Marktplaats or Vinted. Or buy a great fabric garland which you will then get a lifetime of use out of. Disposable plates and cutlery are also unnecessary at your new style party. Use your own crockery or get some plates from the thrift store that you can use for parties (or buy them before the party and return them afterwards, think of this as a donation to your thrift store). Oh well, and if there really is no other way and you accidentally buy a few balloons... Remember that you have a much bigger impact on the planet with other things like gifts, the treats and activities. As long as you don't leave broken balloons in nature, because animals can choke on them. You can find more about balloons and sustainable alternatives in this article.
Fabric garlands made from old garments.
No sustainable alternative to glitter
All glitter fans we have to disappoint: unfortunately, there is no room for glitter at your sustainable children's party. The problem: glitter is mainly made of plastic. And those tiny plastic particles (hello, microplastics) can very easily end up in nature and thus in our food chain and eventually in our bodies. What about bio-glitters? Those are usually made of paper or other biodegradable materials. But, they still have a small plastic layer for shine. The TV programme Keuringsdienst van Waarde came to the conclusion that even glitter, which the packaging said was ‘biodegradable’, is still bad for nature. So, unfortunately, we will have to be patient until a truly sustainable alternative to glitter is found. You can read more about glitter here.
Will you celebrate a sustainable children's party next time?
We hope we have given you enough ideas for a sustainable children's party. The ones who have to get used to change the most are the adults. The kids - believe us - don't notice a thing. They have the greatest fun anyway as long as they are in the spotlight on their day, get presents and cake and can do fun activities with their friends. Do you have any more fun ideas for a sustainable children's party? Great, let us know! You can get in touch with us via the follow and contact buttons at the bottom of this page.
Sources: Keuringsdienst van Waarde, sustainablechoices.com, hetkanwel.nl, Smarticular, book: ‘The hidden impact’ by Babette Porcelijn. Photo credits: main image and photo gifts: Vlada Karpovich (Pexels), wooden toys: Karolina Grabowska (Pexels), treat peacock and cactus: Kirsten Schoner, flags: Melanie de Oliveira.
