Kids love birthday party food that doesn't require sitting at a table.
At birthday parties, kids are usually too busy playing and having fun to stop and eat a proper meal. That is why the best kid-friendly birthday party foods consist of appetizers and bite-size food they can grab on the go. Kid-friendly food should be simple, yummy and without ingredients kids would label as "gross." It should be easy to eat without utensils, and it should be a bit creative.
Sandwiches
Sandwiches are an easy way to trick kids into eating a somewhat proper meal. They can be filled with cheese, ham, turkey or even peanut butter and jelly. Make these sandwiches as small as possible. Get white or whole-wheat bread, cut off the edges, make the sandwich between two pieces of bread and then cut it diagonally to form two, small triangular sandwiches. Arrange sandwiches on top of each other on a plate. If you want to be creative, cut the bread into hearts or other shapes, rather than triangles. Make a few kinds of sandwiches, but avoid adding ingredients which may fall out or drip such as veggies, ketchup or mayo.
Kebabs
Kebabs can also be eaten on the go. What's best, kebabs can contain vegetables, fruit and meat. For example, arrange red peppers, bacon and pieces of meat on a skewer and grill it on a barbecue. To sweeten things up, make kebabs out of pineapples and ham and grill them. You can also make kebabs out of veggies or fruits only without grilling them. Kids can grab a kebab and get their serving of fruit and vegetables without being forced to eat green peas.
Cheese and Crackers
On a large plate, arrange different types of cheese either in slices or cubes. Place a colorful toothpick into each piece of cheese. Then, place crackers and/or breadsticks around the cheese. Kids can make their own cheese and cracker sandwiches of their choice, or can grab one or the other. Use cheese such as Gouda, cheddar and mozzarella.
Warm Food
If you insist on serving a hot meal, make sure it is something simple which kids like. Such meals include hamburgers, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, tater tots, french fries, macaroni and cheese or a casserole. If serving hot dogs or hamburgers, make sure to give kids choices of adding their own condiments such as ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut and pickles. As an alternative, you can also order pizza.
Snacks
All kids like a variety of snacks. Typical birthday snacks include pretzels, chocolate, cookies, chips or candy. If you want to stay away from junk food and serve only healthy snacks, arrange vegetable sticks on a platter with a dip in the middle. These vegetable sticks could be made from celery and carrots, or even broccoli, radish or baby carrots. Other healthy snacks include small rice cakes; a trail mix made of plain cereal such as Chex, dried fruit and nuts; home-popped popcorn; and fruit salad or just fruit. Remember to order a cake, buy some pastries or even bake cupcakes.
Drinks
Soda is the drink kids usually request at birthday parties. If you want to steer away from unhealthy, sweet drinks, provide drinks such as juice, iced tea, lemonade or fruit punch. You can make these drinks yourself or purchase them at the store.
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