How to Host a Teddy Bear Tea Party

If you’re looking for a special way to celebrate the little one in your life, why not consider throwing them a tea party all of their own? Kids love to mimic adults, so if your little one has seen you sipping away at a hot cup of tea with a friend, chances are they’d love to have their own tea party with their friends.
Whilst the tea party for your little person doesn’t have to be themed, it can be a lot of fun throwing a themed tea party! Some ideas could be a classic English High Tea, an Alice in Wonderland themed party, or today's teddy bear tea party. Read on for decor, menu suggestions, tips for games and entertainment, and, of course, tea suggestions!

Decor

What teddy bear tea party would be complete without our cuddly friends, teddy bears? For a really lovely and personalized touch (not to mention easy), invite your guests to bring along their favorite teddy! It’s really cute to see so many teddies gathered together with the humans who love them.
Bears live in the great outdoors. If you have a backyard or even a local park, consider hosting your event outside. You’ll save yourself some setup and cleanup. Use picnic blankets or gingham tablecloths to complete the woodsy look of your event. If you’re worried about your guests struggling to locate your event, help them out with directions! Make some bear paw prints with chalk or flour sifted through a template to lead your guests to the party.
If you’re hosting your event indoors, there’s no reason you can’t have a woodland theme still. You can set picnic blankets on the floor. If you happen to have a little indoor tent, set it up somewhere to make a cute hideout for the bears and their friends (big or small). Create a false forest inside by filling buckets with sand and placing tall branches into them. The sand should hold the branches upright and create a really pretty effect. Bunting is a diverse and effective decoration that you can make out of fabric or card stock and hang around the room.

Menu Suggestions

Go with the tea party theme and make some teddy bear treats for your tea party. I’ve seen really cute tea cup biscuits made with a marshmallow, cookie, and a candy handle. Teddy bear race cars made out of candy bars, bear-shaped cookies, and candy headlights are another hit.
Jazz up simple vanilla cupcakes up with your choice of toppings, some fruit, or sprinkles. Cookies are a great idea for any menu at a kids party as they’re easy for little hands to hold. I doubt there will be any leftovers if you serve these crunchy cocoa cookies at your party! an Irish apple cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser, with its sweet apple flavor, and this raspberry cake looks so pretty it would be a lovely addition to your spread.
Hosting a tea party for kids means you’re able to really let loose with your creativity. Gummy bears, trail mix, and fruit cut into shapes with a cookie cutter are all easy options. Maybe make some honey sandwiches in honor of everyone’s favorite yellow bear!
For the more savory inclined, have some tea sandwiches on hand. You can even make your sandwiches in advance to save on time.

Tea Pairings

When making tea for children, you might want to think about steering away from teas that are too strong. Generally, fruit flavored tea is a hit as kids are more familiar with sweet flavors. Iced teas are a great idea, particularly if your event is during warm weather. Kids will need something cool and refreshing if they’re running around having a great time! If you’re conscious of caffeine and children, be aware of what teas you choose to serve.
Our Magical Butterfly herbal tea is really popular with kids because of its fantastic blue color -- and it even changes color! For a fruity and light tea that people little or big will enjoy, try brewing up some Happy Hour hibiscus lime tea. A naturally sweet Chocolate Hazelnut tea is another great way to introduce tea to children.

Games and Entertainment

You want your teddy bear tea party, like any event you throw, to be fun! It’s important that your guests have a good time and make some special memories. Depending on the age of your guests, you might vary the number and difficulty of the games you play.
Here are some game suggestions to get you started:
Teddy Bear Hide and Seek: For this game, hide a teddy bear somewhere in your party area. You might like to place some lollipops with him for some extra fun. At some point during your event, have the children look for teddy. The one that finds him gets to keep the bear and share (or keep!) the lollipops hiding with it.
Toss the Bees in the Honey Pot: This game is inspired by my favorite yellow bear... You can probably guess who! You might need to do some DIY for this game. Roll up yellow socks and attach pipe cleaner wings (or buy some soft toy bees). Split into two teams and take turns tossing the "bees" into a large jar or decorated flower pot from a distance. At the end of the allocated time, the person or team who got the most bees in the honey pot is the winner!
Bears and Lumberjacks: This works especially well with smaller children because it’s very simple. The children are "lumberjacks" and stand in the play area miming cutting down trees. When the game leader calls, "The bears are coming!" the lumberjacks must drop to the ground and be very still and quiet. The "bears" or adults then walk amongst the children looking out for moving (or giggling) lumberjacks. Some bear behavior, like sniffing and growling, doesn’t go amiss here! If a lumberjack is caught making noise or moving, they’re "out" and join the bears.
If games are not your thing, you might rather enjoy doing some activities with your guests. Keep it on theme for a bit of extra fun. Here’s a few suggestions:

• Make bear masks out of paper plates and paint or felt. You will need adult supervision for the cutting and gluing for this one. You’ll have some super cute photos with the kids in their bear masks though!
• Sing and act out "We’re Going on a Bear Hunt." It’s a classic, and just right for this event.
• Set up a teddy bear cookie decorating station with icing and candies. It’ll be just as fun eating the cookies as making them!

At the end of the day, the decorations, games, and menu don’t matter as much as ensuring the person you’ve held this event for has a good time. The time spent together is what really matters, and it’s what they’ll remember in the end.