DIY Bar Mitzvah Favors

Photo coasters can serve a variety of functions and be one of those items your guests will enjoy every day. They can be purchased for around $1 each in many styles to suit the theme of the Bar Mitzvah. Start off by using the coasters as place card holders. Be as simple or fancy as you like when choosing the paper and fonts to print the guests' names yourself. Have a photographer available for guests to have their photo taken with the Bar Mitzvah boy and exchanged with the place card at some point during the party. At a recent Bar Mitzvah, the kids had a great time posing for photos and showing them to their friends. The photographer had an easy time putting together a collection of the Bar Mitzvah boy with each of his guests, a task which is usually quite difficult. If the size of your party makes this impractical, place a favorite photo of the Bar Mitzvah boy in the coaster ahead of time, with or without the date or a few well-chosen words. Shutterfly offers photo coasters in sets of four, with a different picture on each coaster. These have cork backing and are $20/set.

Putting together a personalized phone charm using alphabet beads is a unique favor and can be adapted to the party theme, whether it be sports or a Hawaiian luau. Use the Bar Mitzvah boy's name, or simply spell out "peace" or "shalom". The design is totally up to you. Cell phone charms aren't always attached to a phone. Backpacks, zipper pulls and key rings are just a few of the places a charm can be attached to remind your guests of the Bar Mitzvah boy's special day. Choosing from a variety of lanyard colors will help coordinate the favor with the party theme. Attach the charms to the place cards or wrap in bunched up pieces of colored tissue paper, brought up and fastened with ribbon or cord.

A party favor that we have enjoyed the most is one that takes some planning, but serves as a Mitzvah as well as a celebration of the event. Have the Bar Mitzvah boy use the topic for his Mitzvah to involve his friends and guests. Our friend used the theme of "Tolerance". Several months before his Bar Mitzvah, he sent out emails to everyone on his guest list asking for contributions to a book he was putting together on the theme of tolerance. He explained what he was learning and invited selections of poetry, photos, song lyrics, quotes, and original writings to be sent to him and included in his book. This was the most wonderful party favor because it included everyone present and those who couldn't be there. The book was donated to the Bar Mitzvah boy's charity for fund raising. It was a Mitzvah on many levels and sits on our coffee table as an example of what a 13 year old boy can do to make a difference. Design the layout and print it yourself, have a binding put on at a local shop, or have the book printed and assembled for you, depending on the amount you want to spend.