Make some rainbow fruit kebabs or put lots of sliced fruit out on a big plate to share.

Safety tip: grapes can be a choking hazard for children, so make sure to cut grapes in half lengthways.

Simple, bite-size sandwiches or wraps are sure to be popular. Ham, cheese, jam, chicken are simple filling ideas, not forgetting some bagel quarters with cream cheese.

Want more sandwich ideas? Check out our round-up of 65+ sandwich fillings suitable for all, including vegan.

Take two bars of chocolate (both milk, or one milk and one white) and melt them in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring in between.

Let the kids dip their strawberries into the melted chocolate (or if you prefer less mess, dip each strawberry and allow chocolate to dry.

“These go down a treat and I like the fact that they are getting something healthy and treat-y at the same time.”

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Make a hedgehog for the kids. Take half an orange and using cocktail sticks with cubes of cheese and fruit, push the sticks into the orange to make your hedgehog.

“The kids love it and it’s healthy!”

Kids love to dip so the simplest thing is hummus with carrot sticks.

Or give them a couple of different dips to try with breadsticks, pepper slices, even apple slices can be dipped.

Here’s two great recipes for Rice Krispie buns and Rice Krispie Chewies which are quick and easy to make.

“Always a winner at any age.”

We have found that a big bowl of popcorn is constantly a hit at kids parties. We always make our own as we prefer it to microwave popcorn, and it’s really simple.

1. Coat a pot with a thin layer of oil then add the popping corn and put the lid on.
2. Put the pot over a medium heat on the cooker and when you start to hear the popping just give the pot a shake every few seconds to make sure the corn isn’t burning.
3. Once you hear no more pops, it’s safe to take the lid off.  Empty the popped corn into a bowl and add a blob of butter to the warm pot and melt it and pour over the popped corn.

These are so simple to make. Just put a scoop of ice cream in a glass and pour in a fizzy drink on top. Great combinations include vanilla + coke or vanilla + American Cream Soda.

Smoothies and milkshakes are also another popular choice with kids, so why not try making strawberry and banana milkshakes.

Whip up a set of mini pancakes and set out some sliced bananas or strawberries, Nutella, whipped cream, mini marshmallows, or sugar & lemon juice. Here’s how to make some fun pancake shapes for kids.

Another great kids party food option is Digestive biscuits with Philadelphia and strawberry on top.

“Kids loved them when we had them at our recent home party.”

“This was a total hit! All you have to do is make some fruit kebabs i.e. strawberries and grapes and then let them dip into the fountain. My daughter’s friends from school were asking before her birthday ‘was the chocolate fountain going to be there’ as they remembered it from last year!”

Homemade chicken goujons or chicken skewers with dips to pour over the chicken or to dip into. You could try a honey-mustard dip, garlic mayo, satay sauce, sweet and sour, or sweet chilli for older kids.

Most kids love sausages, even the fussier kids, so a good option for party food are either cocktail-sized sausages or mini sausage rolls (you can buy the larger ones and slice them into 3 before serving).

Or why not make your own – here are some super easy recipes for Homemade Sausages and Sausage Rolls.

Why not make some homemade pizzas? Kids love choosing their own toppings for and it helps cater for different tastes and even accommodate the fussy eater. Alternatively here’s a recipe for Neapolitan pizza.

“Make small pizza bases, then put out toppings in bowls (cheese, tomato sauce, ham, sweet corn, etc) and let the kids make their own.”

“Try puff pastry pizzas – literally get the ready-rolled puff pastry, fold back a little bit on each corner; put tomato puree or tomato sauce over it; add mozzarella cheese and use your imagination!”

An alternative to making pizza dough would be to use wraps or English muffins as the base.

These are very easy to make in advance and have ready to grill, here’s Clodagh McKenna’s mini burger recipe.

“Mini burgers go down a treat and if you keep them small, they are less likely to leave them uneaten”

“For my daughter’s first birthday I didn’t have time to decorate the fairy cakes so I made icing in three different colours, put jelly tots, smarties, hundreds and thousands, etc out on a table in bowls and everyone decorated their own…adults and kids LOVED this!”

Our lemon buns would be a tasty bake for this!

Take some oranges, cut them in half and scoop out the orange being careful not to tear the orange skin. Then make up some jelly and pour into the ‘boats’. Leave to set in the fridge before serving.

“I used red jelly and green so they could choose (or fight) over what coloured boat they wanted!”

Melt some chocolate, then dip the top of a marshmallow in and top it with a colourful Smartie. Repeat with your remaining marshmallows, allow to set and serve.

“So quick and easy to make, and the kids love them.”