How to Build an Epic Birthday "Charcuterie" Board for Kids and Kids-at-Heart

Move over meat and cheese, here come the birthday treats.

By: Samantha Lande

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Photo By: Samantha Lande

The Next Big Thing

Charcuterie is all the rage for adults, but what if you viewed a charcuterie board from a kid’s point of view? We aren’t talking meat and cheese here, but a board full of treats! Call it char “cute” rie if you will. Birthday charcuterie is picking up steam as the next big thing for birthday parties or even small family birthday gatherings. They look impressive, are super colorful, and aren’t too difficult to make with a few pointers.

Decide On Your Board

This large board will serve a lot of people, but if you're only entertaining a small crew, you’ll want to choose an adequately sized board. The size you choose will determine just how many things you need. For a smaller board, 4-6 items will likely suffice, mid-sized 6-8, and large 8-12. We also had a goal of making ours nut-free because many kids have allergies, so think through your group's needs.

Give the Board a Centerpiece

Since this is a "Happy Birthday" board, it is nice to have a centerpiece to build your board around. For this board we used these Harry and David birthday cakepops. We placed a few more of them (without letters) elsewhere on the board. Small cakes or a large cupcake could work well too! This definitely signals that it's a birthday board.

Think Through Your Color Scheme

Are you trying to achieve a certain color scheme? For this board, we wanted to stick to primary colors, so we thought through items that included them, like these Mega Candy Buttons. We also wanted plenty of rainbow sprinkles because they are fun and celebratory. So, we decided on the Legally Addictive Surprise Party crackers and some Hostess birthday cupcakes. We added in frosted animal crackers as well.

Add Texture

You want to make sure your board has texture, so pick a few items that will help you achieve that. We added a pile of Safe + Fair birthday cake popcorn (It’s allergen free!) and made skewers out of the Airheads extreme rainbow berry strips to really make them pop on the board. Chocolate covered pretzels and colored marshmallows would work too.

Think Birthday Fun

We thought of everything birthday for our board, but you can certainly take this in any thematic direction you’d like, from sports to princesses. You’ll want to think of a few elements that will go with that theme. We set down these these adorable gummy ice cream cones from Dylan’s Candy Bar to flow out of a waffle cone bowl. We sprinkled in some Three Musketeers birthday cake minis with messages like “U R My One Wish” and “Life’s a Party.” We also filled cupcake wrappers with candy instead of using little serving bowls.

Fill in the Blanks and Dig In!

Once you assemble your board, you’ll want to fill it in with a few extra things, depending on how you space it. You want it to look full, colorful, and interesting. We put in things like Pocky sticks, white chocolate covered Oreos, and various different candy to cover up any blank spots.

Snap a few pictures and enjoy the fruits of your labor!