Having a Birthday Party for a Kid or a Grown-Up? Delight Your Guests with 14 Unique Return Gift Ideas for Birthday Party

Return gifts are a standard feature of birthday parties today. Unlike earlier days when the concept of return gifts was restricted to weddings, now all celebrations - whether held for kids or adults – include some sort of a return gift, So now along with the stress of organizing a birthday party you also have to pick an impressive gift to put into the goodie bag!

While it can be tempting to pick get something routine and convenient - do not do so. Your gift is a gesture of thankfulness to the guests who have taken the effort to join in your celebrations. With a little thought, you can pick something unique and memorable from the plethora of options available. Our shopping guide has smart tips that'll help you get started and get it done easily!

Choosing a return gift for your birthday party depends on several factors: profile of guests, party theme, your preferences and of course the budget available. But if don’t know where to start, take this organised approach to narrow down your options.

Finding gifts that are not only unique but also within your budget can be a difficult challenge. But this does not mean you lower your quality expectations. If you can’t get a snazzy gift with the price limits you have set, then no harm. Get something small but classy so it will be appreciated by the guests regardless.

Make your return gift memorable by adding a customised message. For kids it could just be the name or photo of the child and the date. For return gifts for birthday parties of adults, you can make it more personal. Add an interesting quote, a striking artwork or else, keep it simple with the host's name and date.

Customising your gift helps your guests to remember your celebration, and you, much after the event is over. Most online sites today offer personalisation at reasonable costs, so shop around.

The cost aspect of return gifts is naturally the trickiest. Once you have identified a gift, remember to get quotations for products that are the same or similar from a few different online and offline stores. This will give you a good understanding of what is the best deal available.

While assessing the quotes, try to get gift wrapping or a gift bag included in the final cost. This will save you the hassle as well as some money. Also keep in mind that several online stores offer free shipping and free gift wrapping which can be a useful option to consider.

These colourful Unicorn Mason Jars are a wonderful option for return gifts for kids parties. Made of high quality glass, these jars have a capacity of 450 ml and come with a metal lid as well as a straw. The jars are available in 4 colours - yellow, blue, pink and purple (though ordering specific colours is not possible). They will be delivered in a printed box making it easy for you to gift wrap. Available for Rs.159 from returngiftwala.com.

This is a perfect gift for young kids. The Magic Scratching Paper sheets is a fun arts and craft gift that will help give free rein to a child's creativity. The pack comes with 10 sheets (A4 size, 7 x 9 inches) of 'magic 'paper' on which kids can draw on using the accompanying bamboo pen. As the child draws on the sheet, a multitude of colours show up which are enchanting to look at. Priced at Rs.99, they can be ordered at returngiftwala.com.

Another brilliant arts and craft gift is the Apsara Art Kit from penandpencil.in. This gift set carries 12 wax crayons, 12 oil pastels, 6 water colour shades, 3 poster colours and 3 drawing pencils. A comprehensive collection that kids can use to paint their heart out. Available at the site for Rs.140.

A lunch box is always a welcome gift for little ones, particularly if it features cute cartoon designs. Made of food grade plastic, the Chocopie Lunch Box is a good quality option for birthday party return gift of young kids. Perfect for snacks and small lunches, the lunch box comes with a clip seal lid, a partition inside as well as a set of fork spoon. You can order this cute lunch box at theoneshop.in for Rs.69 per piece.

All kids love the idea of having their own wallet. Colourful, useful and safe, these cute 3D design wallets are something the kids will enjoy flaunting. Made of high quality rubberized plastic, the multipurpose wallets sized around 3 inches can be used to store money, coins or even headphones. The wallets close with a zipper. The top cover features one of the popular cartoon characters like Hello Kitty, Doraemon etc that’ll charm the little ones. Available for Rs. 349 for a pack of 6 from Amazon India. the wallets will be delivered in cellophane packaging.

If these don’t fit your needs, no worries. These is no dearth of options in coin purses and wallets at the same site, so you can pick out the best choice for your needs.

A lock diary is an excellent option for older kids who will like having something offbeat. The Lego Diary has a cover contains few pieces of Lego blocks made of soft silicone material which can be moved to form initials, words and even lock the notebook. Colourful and distinctive this creative gift will fascinate the kids. Available for Rs.199 from returngiftwala.com.

As a gift, this unique diary is also suitable for adult birthday parties.

If the Lego Diary falls out of your budget, then consider the My Friends Little Notebook with Pen available at kheliyatoys.com. The diary measuring 7 cm x 6 cm comes with a cute cartoon cover and also a pen printed with the character. Available for Rs.50 at the website.

Return gifts for kids that are both fun and educational are the best kind. Little ones will enjoy working with Funskool play dough creating interesting shapes. The activity provides a boost to the kids' creativity and imagination giving them several fun-filled hours. The Funskool Fun dough pack contains 12 tubs of dough in different colours that kids can use to play with. It is available at amazon.in for Rs.211. The dough is non-toxic and completely safe for kids above the age of 3 years.

Return gifts for birthday parties for adults can be a tough challenge. Depending on the profile of people coming to your party you can look at practical gifts, or something for the house or a quirky gift.

Keychains are small but a useful return gift. While on its own this gift may not seem impressive, but it makes a good addition to a goodie bag filled with several small gifts. This handicrat keychain features a small mirror and intricate and colourful thread work. It is priced at Rs.270 at Boontoon.

For more cheaper options, and custom options you can check out sites like Vistaprint and Printland that allow you to create your own design that gets printed onto the keychain. Prices start at Rs. 199.

As return gifts, mugs are an evergreen gifting option. However you can make it a little more special by customising them. Websites like inkmonk.com allow you to add images, artwork and messages onto the mug to make it more interesting. You can add a relevant photo, any meaningful artwork or quote. Inkmonk.com offers the option of 3 mug types at varying rates. The standard one is priced at Rs.122, the one with a different colour on the inside of the mug costs Rs.171, while the magic mugs that change colour when a hot beverage is poured inside, cost Rs.260. All the mugs have a capacity of 325 ml and are microwave and dishwasher safe. Order them here.

Completely customised chocolate boxes are an ideal return gift for birthday parties. After all who doesn't like chocolates! Chococraft.in offers chocolate boxes that can be customised in several ways. Options include custom prints on the chocolates, on the cover of the chosen box as well as an optional message. Prices start at Rs.345. An appealing configuration for return gifts is one with alternate printed candies packed inside a customised wooden box accompanied by a personalised butter paper. This particular option costs Rs. 545 per box. Order them here.

This one is for the ladies. Made of raw silk, this gorgeously embroidered sling bag features a vivid and striking Indian design and is great for casual use. Priced at Rs.230, the bag can be ordered at wedtree.in.

If you are wondering what to give the men in the party, then look no further. The small 3 Piece Wine Gift Set available at batranovelties.com is a super cool gift for the guys. This cute set although small in size has three useful bar accessories packed inside a bottle shaped kit. It is available for Rs.220.

Home decor gifts are great return gift for birthday parties where the profile of the guests is mixed. This large incense gift set from Hosley, which is an international brand, contains a 20 small incense cones, 6 large incense cones, 20 incense sticks as well as a sachet of fragrance beads. The set also contains 2 sets of incense stick and cone holders, 2 tea lights, along with a glass tea light holder cup. Pick from fragrances like wildberry, sensual therapy and warm spice. These are available at pepperfry.com for Rs.299.

When the guests leave your party, they take with them memories of your celebrations as well as a memento in form of the goodie bag. Here are some tips to make the bag something the guest will be excited to unpack.