Party face masks: the ultimate fun addition to birthday kids parties

Children's birthday parties have a rhythm: the arrivals, the games, the food, the cake, the goodbyes. Photo face masks slot into every one of those moments — and unlike a plastic crown or a paper plate, they get laughed at all afternoon and then go home in the party bag.

Here's how to use them well, from a studio that has printed thousands of faces onto card.

Why they land so well

A mask of a grandparent, a teacher, the family dog or the birthday child pulls a bigger reaction than any party accessory you can buy. It's the moment of recognition that does it: the room knows that face. Within a minute, half the children are wearing somebody else's and posing for photos.

It also solves the shy-party problem. A child who won't join in a game will almost always put a mask on — they're hidden, and that makes it easy to be silly.

The cake moment

Stick masks on the wall behind the cake, or give them out just before the candles. The photographs of a birthday child surrounded by nine grinning versions of their family are the ones that stay in the album. Order a couple of spare faces — someone's little brother will want one.

Get the photos right

No studio session needed. A phone photo in daylight is plenty, as long as:

• the face is looking straight at the camera, not turned or tilted;
• you're near a window rather than under a bright indoor light;
• the hair is in the frame — hair included is what makes the mask convincing;
• nothing is covering the face — no sunglasses, hands or party hats.

Send the biggest version of the picture you have, not a screenshot. We check every photo before printing and will ask for another if it won't print sharply, so there's no risk in trying.

Build a whole party set

Masks do the heavy lifting, but the props around them make the table look put together without any decorating effort:

• personal photo party hats for the little ones who find masks a bit much;
• photo bunting across the wall or the back of the garden — birthday faces and the family pet in a row;
• cake toppers for the candle moment, and
• photo straws so even the drinks have faces on them.

All of it is printed from the same order, in the same colours, so the photos match instead of fighting each other.

Sticks, elastic or self-cut

For a party, ready to wear is the easy answer: mask, elastic and eye holes done, straight out of the envelope and onto a face. Sticks work better for the cake photos, because everyone can hold their mask up at eye level.

If you're printing activity sheets for the table, the DIY self-cut version keeps children busy with scissors while the food comes out.

Getting them in time

Order by 2pm Monday to Friday and your order is dispatched the same working day. Choose Royal Mail Tracked 24 if the party is that week, or Tracked 48 / InPost if you're more organised than most of us. Postage is priced per product and shown on every product page.

Nothing is charged at checkout: we check your photos, confirm the order and then send an invoice that includes the delivery you picked. Once that's paid, the masks are printed, cut and posted.

One thing to remember

Order a mask for the adults too. A birthday party where the grown-ups are wearing the children's faces is the version everyone talks about on the Monday.