Every restaurant that welcomes families knows the ten minutes between ordering and the food arriving can feel very long to a five-year-old. A kids menu with activities turns that wait into play time: crayons come out, a maze gets solved, and parents enjoy their drinks in peace. This Kids Menu Template does both jobs. On one side, it lists simple, kid-sized meals with prices, and on the other it has an activity corner with a maze, tic-tac-toe grids, and an ice cream cone to colour in.
What Kids (and Parents) Will See
The menu is US Letter, 8.5 x 11 inches, portrait, on a soft off-white background that crayons show up well on. All four edges are framed with drawn crayons lying end to end in raspberry, sunshine yellow, mint green, ocean blue, coral, and purple, each with a wrapper, a highlight, and a pointed tip. The border itself says this menu is for you before a child can read a word.
At the top, Little Chefs is written in big, rounded Baloo 2 letters in raspberry, with a line of small blue capitals explaining the rules: kids’ menu, ages 10 and under, meals come with a drink and fruit.
The left side is the menu, in four sections, each with a bright pill-shaped heading:
- YUMMY MEALS: mac and cheese, chicken tenders, mini cheese pizza, grilled cheese, PB & J, and spaghetti with a meatball, each with a coloured dot and a price.
- SIDES: fries, apple slices, carrot sticks with ranch, and mashed potatoes.
- DRINKS: milk, apple juice, lemonade, and water.
- SWEET TREATS: an ice cream scoop, a brownie bite, and a fruit cup.
The right side is the ACTIVITY CORNER, a pale yellow panel with a dashed border, holding a 10 x 10 maze (Help the fork find the plate! with START and FINISH), two tic-tac-toe grids in different colours, and a line-drawn ice cream cone with three scoops and a cherry under Color me in!. At the bottom, Ask your server for crayons! sits above our logo.
Activities by Age
Children at the same table can be three or ten, so a good activity corner has something for each age. Here is how the three activities in this template suit different ages, plus ideas if you want to swap one:
| Age | Works best | Other ideas to try |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 | Colouring the ice cream cone | Big shapes to colour, find the circle games |
| 5-7 | Tic-tac-toe with a parent or sibling | Connect the dots, spot the difference |
| 7-10 | The maze | Word search with menu words, food riddles, draw your dream pizza |
The maze in this template is a single-solution maze, so there is exactly one route from START to FINISH, and it is small enough to solve before the food arrives.
How to Customize the Kids Menu
- Name: double-click Little Chefs and change it to your restaurant’s kids’ club name, such as Junior Diners, Kiddos, or Mini Munchers.
- Meals and prices: each meal is a name and a price, so edit them directly. Change the rule line at the top if meals don’t include a drink.
- Activities: the maze is one grouped object, so you can move it, resize it, or delete it and put something else in its place. The tic-tac-toe grids and the cone are also grouped shapes.
- Crayon border: each edge is one group of crayons. Recolour them from the colour swatches to match your brand, or delete an edge to make room for a logo.
- Section colours: each heading pill can be any colour. Bright, contrasting colours help young readers find sections.
Making Family Dining Easier
- Keep portions and prices kid-sized: Parents appreciate a clear price that includes a drink and fruit.
- Offer a healthy default: Listing apple slices and carrots alongside fries makes it easy for parents to choose.
- Bring crayons with the menu: A cup of three or four crayons per table saves staff trips. The footer line reminds families to ask.
- Print on paper, not card: Kids menus are meant to be drawn on and taken home, so thin paper keeps costs low.
- Mention allergies: A small note such as Tell us about any allergies under the menu helps parents speak up.
Turning the Menu Into a Keepsake
A finished maze and a coloured-in ice cream cone are small achievements, and children love to take them home. Some restaurants go further, pinning finished drawings on a Little Chefs Gallery wall by the door or offering a free scoop for a completed page. It costs little and gives families a reason to come back. If you want the menu to travel well, print your restaurant’s name, phone number, and website clearly near the bottom. Parents often spot it on the fridge days later and decide where to eat next weekend.
Printing in Bulk
Because kids’ menus are used once and taken home, print them on regular 20–24 lb white paper. Crayons glide nicely on uncoated paper, while glossy paper makes crayons skid. A local print shop can run hundreds cheaply. Ask for full colour on one side, or print the activity side in black and white if you want a lower-cost version. Download a PDF for printing, and a PNG if you want to share the menu on your website’s family dining page.
Parents’ and Restaurant Owners’ FAQs
Can I print it in black and white?
Yes. The crayons and headings turn grey, but everything stays readable, and children can colour the crayons in themselves.
Can I add a second page with more games?
Use Add Page to create a full activity page with a word search, a drawing box (Draw your favourite food) or a join-the-dots picture.
Is the maze solvable?
Yes. It is generated so that exactly one path joins the opening at the top left (START) to the opening at the bottom right (FINISH).
Could this work for birthday parties?
Definitely. Change the meals to the party menu, remove prices, and add the birthday child’s name to the title: Mia’s Party Menu.
Happy Kids, Happy Tables
Update the meals, print a stack, and put crayons on every family table. While the grown-ups chat, the little chefs will be busy with the maze, and the plates will arrive before anyone gets restless.
