Kids' tea party ideas: games, timing and caffeine-free cups

A kids' tea party works when three things are true: every pot at the children's end of the table is caffeine-free, the tea reaches them lukewarm or iced rather than hot, and the table itself is the entertainment. Pick two caffeine-free infusions from our catalog, brew them on the numbers each tea page lists, let them cool before anyone small gets a cup, and plan about 90 minutes around pouring, one game and the cake. The rest of this piece is the detail: which teas, how to cool them, a timeline and the games that hold a table of children.

Pick teas from the bottom of the caffeine ladder

Every infusion in this piece sits at level 0 on our caffeine ladder, so there is nothing to calculate. Two pots are enough, and the best pair is one sweet and one bright. Vanilla Rooibos tastes of vanilla and is gently sweet on its own; we list it at 203°F (95°C) for 5 minutes with 2.5 g per cup. Honeybush, a close botanical cousin of rooibos from the mountains of South Africa's Cape, is honeyed and soft at the same 203°F (95°C), 5 minutes and 2.5 g. For the bright pot, hibiscus brews ruby red and tart, a little like cranberry, at 203°F (95°C) for 5 minutes with 2 g, and it is the one children notice first because of the color. Keep the black, green, oolong and white teas for the adults' pot: they sit higher on the ladder.

Serve it lukewarm or iced, never from the kettle

Hot water is the main hazard at a children's table, so the kettle stays in the kitchen with an adult. Brew the pots an hour or two ahead on the catalog numbers, let them cool on the counter, and serve them at room temperature in a teapot the children can pour themselves, or chilled in a jug over ice. Vanilla rooibos and hibiscus are both good cold, and the deep red of iced hibiscus in a clear jug does half the decorating for you. If you would rather make the cold version the night before, the fridge method in our cold brew guide covers herbal infusions too. Small cups help more than big ones: a child who pours half a teacup and drinks it will happily pour again, and the pouring is most of the fun.

A 90-minute plan

Ninety minutes is long enough for a proper party and short enough that the cake arrives before attention runs out. Spend the first quarter of an hour on arrival and a place card to decorate with a name and a drawing, which also tells everyone where to sit. From minute 15 to 35, do the first pour with the savory food: show them how to hold the lid while pouring, then let them serve each other. From 35 to 55, play one game at the table. From 55 to 75, bring out the sweets, pour a second round and raise the teacups for a toast. The last quarter of an hour is for thank-you tags and goodbyes.

For what goes on the plates, menu three in our tea party food guide is built for a table with kids: sandwiches cut into shapes, small scones, fruit and plain cookies to decorate at the table. If adults are staying, the same guide has the quantities for their side of the table, and our guide to hosting afternoon tea at home covers the setting without a special tea set.

Games that work at a tea table

Guess the tea is the easiest. Pour three small cups of three caffeine-free infusions and ask the children to close their eyes: vanilla rooibos smells of vanilla, hibiscus is sharp and fruity, and mint is fresh and cool, so most of them will name at least two by smell before they taste. Write the answers on a card and keep score. Mint brews like the others in our catalog, at 203°F (95°C) for 5 minutes with 2 g, and it is also level 0.

The color trick is the one they will tell their parents about. Butterfly pea flower brews a deep blue, and it turns purple and pink the moment you add a squeeze of lemon or lime, because its pigments react to acid. Brew it on the same 203°F (95°C), 5 minutes and 2 g, let it cool, pour it into clear glasses and hand round the lemon wedges. It is caffeine-free like the rest of the children's pots.

If the table still has energy after that, a round of bingo with tea words, or a quiz about tea-party manners where every answer gets a cheer, fills the gap before the cake.

Who does what

Give the children the jobs that feel grown-up: pouring, passing a jug of cold water to top up iced cups, handing round the sandwiches. Keep the jobs that involve heat or knives with the adults: the kettle, the oven and cutting the cake. Vanilla rooibos and honeybush already taste sweet, so many children drink them as they come; a small bowl of sugar cubes is the classic tea-party touch if you want one.

If you would rather print the party than draw it, The Tea Party Printables Toolkit has invitations in four designs, fold-over place cards, a banner, twelve cupcake toppers, thank-you tags and a set of games: four different Tea Bingo cards with caller's chips, a Guess the Tea game with score sheets and a host's key, and an etiquette quiz. The games are written for adults, but nothing in them is grown-up-only, so kids can play every one.