If you're looking for an alternative but traditional children's party, how about hosting a role play afternoon tea party for a small group of your child's friends? It's fun, a little bit quirky, and a lovely learning opportunity as the children get to play at being grown up for a couple of hours and mimic a real life scenario. Half term's looming. It could be a good activity to pencil in and prepare for. What do you think? Here are some handy hints and tips to bear in mind.
STEP ONE: THE INVITATIONS
Yes, you can buy off the shelf invitations, but where's the fun in that? If your child loves arts and crafts, you could encourage them to create their own. A single piece of paper with a simple time and date, or perhaps something more elaborate using a restaurant menu format (Canva has some wonderful free templates if you don't mind spending half an hour at a computer to customise them). Or, send out individual slices of our wooden cake and a luggage label attached with all the party details on - and ask everyone to bring their slices with them, of course.
STEP TWO: THE TABLE
The Little Bo Peep toddler table is perfectly sized for a small afternoon tea party. It's great for playing and drawing, and makes a handy spot for tea and cakes. Add a table cloth, get your best toy dining set out, and even pop a flower or two from the garden in to a small vase to really set the scene.
STEP THREE: THE FOOD
For maximum magic, we'd suggest mixing and matching real finger food and cakes with our gorgeous afternoon tea set. Pop real macarons on the cake stand and use the wooden cupcakes for a a beautiful centrepiece. Have plates of proper sandwiches for guests and one or two little wooden versions for any stuffed toys who happen to be invited to the party, too. Obviously, keep the jam and cream away from the play scones. They wipe clean but it's probably best to try and limit how sticky they get.
STEP FOUR: THE ROLE PLAY TOYS
The time for tea trolley is great for tea parties, both real and more imaginative ones. It's fun to wheel about and ideal for transporting cakes and sweet treats from the kitchen to the tea table. Of course, our wooden cake stand would come in super handy too and even doubles up as a fun shape sorter. Each cake is shaped and numbered, so it's a brilliant toy for developing shape and number recognition, as well as manual dexterity and imaginative play. And don't forget the tea set - the berry tea set includes a tray, a tea pot, two cups and saucers, a milk jug, a sugar pot, a plate and three toy biscuits. It's a childhood classic.
STEP FIVE: THE GAMES
What could be more appropriate at an afternoon tea party than inviting guests to decorate their own cupcake or biscuit ... or both. Think icing pens, hundreds and thousands, mini sweets, and even edible glitter spray. Follow it up with pin the cup on the saucer (or cake on the cake stand) and a game of tea tray memory - place ten objects on a tea tray, give the children twenty seconds to memorise them all and then a minute to write down as many as they can remember. The one with the most correct answers wins.
STEP SIX: THE PARTY BAGS
Party bags aren't an essential but if it's something that you'd like to send children home with, how about a book that relates to yummy food? 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' is always a favourite, 'Tea for Me, Tea for You' is lesser know but younger children will love its fun rhymes. However, for the ultimate in tea party tales, you can't beat Alice in Wonderland. There are lovely picture book versions depending on the age of your guests.
For more ideas, have a look at our Pinterest board dedicated to children's parties.