Christmas party favors for kids work best as one small toy, bought in a bulk pack so every child gets the same thing. Light up spinning tops, rocket poppers, foam finger rockets and water growing sea creatures all fit a party bag and keep kids busy after December 25. For a class party, count the kids and add two. For a family party, pick a toy that works for the whole age range, and skip the candy.
Everything below comes from our party favors collection. Three questions matter in December: how many to buy, which toy for which age, and what is still in use on December 26.
What Are Christmas Party Favors?
A party favor is a small gift for each guest, given as a thank-you for coming, a memento, or just for fun. A Christmas party favor does not have to be Christmas-themed. It has to be small, the same for every kid, and something they want to take home.
At a kids' Christmas party, favors usually show up in one of three places: in a bag by the door, as a prize after a game, or next to each plate. The same toy can do all three jobs.
Christmas Class Party Favors
A classroom party has rules a home party does not. The favor has to work for 20 to 30 kids at once, it has to feel fair, and it has to survive the ride home in a backpack. Some schools call it a holiday party or a winter party. None of the toys in this post is Christmas-themed, so they work for every family in the class.
What works in a classroom:
- Same toy, whole class. A mix of different toys starts trades before the bell rings. Most packs come in assorted colors or designs, so hand them out from a closed bag and nobody gets to pick.
- No food. Check the class food rules with the teacher before you plan anything edible. A toy skips that question.
- Individually wrapped if you can get it. Our water growing sea creatures 52-pack comes individually wrapped, so each one drops straight into a bag. At home, kids put them in water and they grow up to 3x their size over several hours. The product page lists no age, so keep them away from kids who still put toys in their mouths.
- Active toys at the end. Jumping poppers are active play. Save them for the last 15 minutes of the party, not the middle of a lesson.
Our Jumpeez rocket poppers 24-pack is an easy class favor. You press the popper inside out, set it on a flat surface, and wait for it to jump. No batteries, no setup. The product page lists them for ages 3 to 12, which covers most elementary classes.
How Many Christmas Party Favors to Buy in Bulk
Count the kids, then add two: one for the sibling who tags along, one for the favor that rolls under the couch. Then match that number to a pack size.
| Group size | What covers it (kids + 2) |
|---|---|
| Up to 10 kids, ages 3 to 9 | One 12-pack of spinning tops |
| Up to 22 kids (small class) | One 24-pack of Jumpeez rocket poppers |
| Up to 24 kids (typical class) | One 52-pack of water growing sea creatures, two per kid |
| Up to 50 kids (two classes) | One 52-pack of water growing sea creatures, one per kid |
One toy per kid is enough. If you give two, make them two of the same toy. Kids play with a matching pair together, and three different trinkets tend to get lost.
One Favor for Cousins From 3 to 12
A family Christmas party is harder than a class party because the ages spread out. The 4-year-old and the 11-year-old both need to feel the favor was meant for them.
- Rocket poppers cover the whole range. The Jumpeez poppers above are listed for ages 3 to 12. Same toy for everyone, and the older kids turn it into a game.
- Spinning tops fit the younger half. Our light up spinning tops 12-pack is listed for ages 3 to 9. Twist, press, spin. All 12 tops are blue, so there is no fight over colors.
- Foam finger rockets for a distance game. Each rocket in the finger rockets 12-pack is about 5 inches long. Put the rocket on your finger, pull back the elastic band, and let go. The product page gives no age range. Point them away from faces and the tree.
Toddler cousins are the exception. The CPSC small parts guidance bans products with small parts that are meant for children under 3. The spinning tops and the Jumpeez rocket poppers linked above are listed for ages 3 and up. The sea creatures and finger rockets pages list no age. Give the under-3 cousins something made for their age, and collect the older kids' favors into their bags before the toddlers find them on the floor.
Which Favors Light Up at an Evening Party?
Most Christmas parties run into the evening, and a favor that lights up gets used right there at the party. Kids can spin light up tops on the kitchen floor with the lights down.
Both of our 12-packs of Spineez spinning tops light up through motion. The spinning activates the LEDs, and no batteries or charging are required. The Jumpeez LED poppers have no batteries to install, and every bounce triggers a flash. You can see all of them in our light up toys collection.
Hand the light up favors out after dinner, not before. A dark room is where they show off.
Non-Candy Christmas Party Favors
By the Christmas party, most kids have had candy canes at school, cookies at a neighbor's, and chocolate from an advent calendar. A toy stands out because it is the one thing in the bag that is not sugar.
Non-candy favors solve three practical problems. They do not melt in a coat pocket. They skip the food allergy question. And they can still be around in January, which is the whole point of a thank-you gift.
If you are also wrapping presents for the kids, our guide to Christmas gift bags covers bag sizes in inches and what fits in each one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good party favors?
Good party favors are small, the same for every child, and still played with after the party. A toy with one simple action, like a spinning top or a rocket popper, beats a bag of trinkets that tend to get lost by Monday. At a Christmas party, it also means something that is not candy.
What to put in party favors?
One toy per child, or two of the same toy. For a Christmas party, one rocket popper, or two water growing sea creatures for kids past the mouthing stage, is plenty. More stuff does not make a better bag.
What are some Christmas party favor ideas for kids?
Light up spinning tops, rocket poppers, foam finger rockets and water growing sea creatures all work, because they are small and none of them is candy. For an evening party, pick something that lights up. For a class, pick something that comes in a pack big enough for everyone.
Ready to fill the bags? Browse our party favors for kids in bulk packs and pick one toy for the whole group.