6 Fun Party Drinks for Kids (WITHOUT Anything Artificial!)

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Would you love to serve some fun party drinks for kids that aren’t full of artificial colors and flavors? There are a thousand recipes for colorful drinks for kids, but most of them have Kool-Aid, soda, or some other ingredient that I like to avoid in my diet and my kids’ diets. These recipes are great to help make your kid’s holidays and special days even more special!

Drinks for kids

I love a party and love having a fun, kid-friendly party drink to serve. Here are 6 easy mocktails for kids that don’t include anything artificial. (PS – adults will love them too!)

1. Sweet Tea

My most popular non-alcoholic drink at my daycare parties is sweet tea. Honey, we Okies love our sweet tea and I am world famous for mine. 

My best tip is to always get the good ice. It costs a few cents more to run to Sonic or some other place that sells crushed ice, but your party guests will enjoy it and that’s all that matters.

I have seen some ladies get all elbows and rough when it comes to who is going to get the last cup of this yummy tea. They say it’s better than McDonald’s sweet tea, which is all the rage in these parts.

It’s super simple, so I don’t know what all the buzz is about. And, truth be told, I can’t stand tea at all. Not any kind. I don’t ever drink this tea. If there was an emergency and all the water in the world was gone, and I HAD to drink a glass of tea, I sure wouldn’t want it sweet, yuck.

Isn’t it funny the things I seem to be the best at are the things I don’t want to eat or drink? (I don’t like bread either, but I make world-famous homemade bread!) 

I love making sweet tea as a party drink because it makes my daycare parents happy. So, sweet tea it is!

Here’s how I make it: Take 2 family size tea bags (I use Lipton, but you can use whatever you like). Get a saucepan with a few cups of water in it and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and toss in the bags. Set the timer and let it steep for 4 minutes. Take out the bags and discard. I like to compost them.

Dump it in a pretty 2-quart pitcher and while it’s still hot, dump in 2/3 cup of raw sugar. That’s the only sugar I have in my house, so that’s what I use. I suspect it might be why everyone likes it so much, but I’ll never know. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Fill the pitcher about 2/3 of the way with water and chill until right before the party. When it’s party time, fill the pitcher up with crushed ice and set it out for an easy party drink for kids.

Of course, I always serve a nice big pitcher of water with crushed ice as a party drink. That’s what I like to drink, so I always want to make sure it’s an option for everyone. The crushed ice is what takes it from regular to party drink.

2. Pumpkin Apple Fruit Punch

I wanted to throw a cookie party and have a couple of party drinks for kids to go with it. There was some pumpkin puree in the freezer and I was trying to use it to make something super amazing. 

I created this little recipe and it turned out to be a delicious kids’ party drink! I love that we got to have punch but that it was still made with real food ingredients. The best of both worlds.

This recipe makes 8 servings. 

• ½ cup honey
• 4 cups apple juice
• 2 cups sparkling water
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Pour the pumpkin puree and honey into the apple juice and stir until dissolved. Then add sparkling water and top off with ice.

If you want to make simple syrup instead of using honey, use ¾ cup of raw sugar to ¾ cup of water. Heat on the stove to a low simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cool and use in place of the honey.

3. Watermelon Lemonade

This watermelon lemonade is one of my favorite drink recipes for kids. I love to make homemade lemonade for my guests and adding the special touch of watermelon makes this one of the more colorful drinks for kids. It’s so refreshing and full of flavor.

This recipe makes 8 servings. 

• 4 cups cut up watermelon, seeds removed
• ¾ cup honey
• Juice of 8 lemons
• 2 cups sparkling water

Roll the lemons on a cutting board, using firm pressure from your hand to release the juices. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze juice from the lemons thoroughly. Strain juice to remove seeds.

Add honey to the lemon juice and stir until dissolved. Place watermelon in a blender and process until smooth, then mix into the honey/lemon juice.

Add sparkling water and stir. Top with crushed ice.

As with the previous recipe, you can make simple syrup instead of using honey. Just heat one cup raw sugar and one cup water to a low simmer and stir until dissolved.

For another fun lemonade, try this lilac lemonade too!

4. Cherry Limeade

Another great kids party drink is cherry limeade. This yummy, fizzy cherry and lime drink is just as good as Sonic, but without the artificial colors and high fructose corn syrup.

This recipe makes two servings.

• 1/3 c raw sugar (or honey)
• 1/3 c water
• 1/2 c tart cherry juice, no sugar added
• 2 limes juiced
• 2 c club soda

Cook and stir sugar on low heat in water until it’s completely dissolved. If you’re using honey, don’t heat it, just stir until it’s incorporated into the water. Cool the simple syrup.

Add the syrup to a quart-sized mason jar, then add the cherry juice and the juice of two freshly-squeezed limes. Stir well.

Add club soda and ice. Put the lid on the jar and shake it well. Pour into smaller mason jars or glasses and enjoy.

5. Spa Drink Recipes for Kids

If you are having a spa party or girl’s night, this is the perfect party drink for kids. I love to make spa drinks even for myself to drink sometimes!

With this recipe, you can make so many different drinks for kids. These spa drinks are refreshing, lightly flavored water with no sweeteners. All you need is water, ice, and any fruits, veggies and herbs of your choice. 

1. Fill a pitcher with filtered water.
2. Add fruits, veggies, and herbs of your choice.
3. Let set for at least one hour before serving.
4. Top off with crushed ice and serve.

6. Blue Mocktail 

When it comes to easy mocktails for kids and non-alcoholic drinks, the key is to make the drink look special and exciting. This blue mocktail is a recipe the kids have made just for a fun party drink. They loved it! 

The blueberry flavor infuses into the water and makes it look a bit blue. My kids called it “Elsa water” – so it would be perfect for a “Frozen” themed kids party drink. Extra fun!

Drinks for Parties

I hope this article gives you lots of ideas for new kids party drinks and you try a few of these for your next party. I love knowing that there is no high fructose corn syrup, white sugar, or artificial colors and flavors in the drinks I serve my guests. It’s fun to let your guests try a new party drink they’ve never seen before.

We have a ton of party ideas to go with your kids party drinks! Check out our ideas for a circus party, zoo party, dinosaur party, Valentine’s party, all about me dance party, disco party, summer party, olympic party, camping party, water party, Easter party, and Gingerbread party. You’ll find tons of fun ideas for celebrating!

For more special day ideas, check out these home daycare crafts and activities for special holidays can help make your celebrations fun!