Tea Party Ideas for Kids: Menus, Decor and Songs

I love hosting tea parties for kids! They work for birthday parties big and pink and small with costumes — plus fun afternoons at home.

Tea parties for kids are fancy, fun and easier than you think to pull off but best of all…tea parties are great for teaching manners.

“Oh, thank you so much!”

“No, no, after you!”

There’s something sweet about the ambiance that encourages a little more self control plus, you can gently lead the crowd through any instructions you have.

Tea Party Instructions

Here’s what I like to ask of our tiny guests, whether it’s just my own kids or a full house:

Take one of each item, then pass the tray to your friend.
If you take a bite of something you don’t like, just leave the rest on your plate. No need to say you don’t like it. Let’s focus on fun instead!
Don’t forget to use your fancy napkin.
If you’d like more of something, ask a friend to pass the tray to you.
Is there only one left? It’s EXTRA polite to ask if anyone would like to share it with you. If so, let’s cut it. If not, it’s all yours to enjoy!

Now for the tea party planning. Fancy Nancy Tea Parties has tons of ideas but here’s how I like to host a big tea party:

Tea Party Invitations

Start with a sweet little invitation on paper…

or adorable online versions, like this one from evite.com:

Tea Party Decorations

Setting the mood can be so fun. Here are my favorite ways to set up kids’ tea parties:

Use real cups and saucers but get them from a thrift shop! Any breaks will be low drama, plus a mix and match collection is adorable. Ditto for a teapot or two.
Tea party decorations can be elaborate or simple. A few ideas I love:

Tea Party Menu

If you’re going for a full High Tea, you’ll need a 3-tiered stand for every 2-4 guests, depending on the size of the stands and the guests (but any collection of trays and cake stands will be festive, like this one below).

How to use a 3-tiered stand for tea parties:

Put savory items on the bottom layer.
Fill the middle layer with fruit and vegetables.
The top layer is filled with sweets.

Explain that the bottom layer is served first. That’s the first course in the tea party. Everyone gets to enjoy one of each item from the bottom layer. When everyone’s ready, pass the middle layer. And finally, pass the top layer.

TEA

I like to serve two kinds of herbal tea, using two teapots for tea parties. Tip: An electric kettle makes heating water quick and easy.

Kids love adding a little milk with a tiny creamer (also super easy to find at a thrift store!)Or, consider serving cold milk (dairy/almond/coconut milk) plus a little bowl filled with frozen hot chocolate mix. Kids can use a tiny teaspoon to stir the chocolate in.

Then it’s on to the food! Choose 2-3 items from each category: