Dining out is more common in 2010, according to Home & Garden Television’s Susie Coelho. More families eat out because of busy schedules. It is wise for restaurants to prepare children’s menus that cater to their likes and dislikes. Children’s menus can be folded into fun shapes to make your restaurant exciting and memorable.

Animal Shapes

Kids menus are attractive in small animal shapes. Different color papers and textures add life to the paper animal creation. After the menu is printed on the paper, fold it into the shape of various animals. A duck is a popular shape that a kids menu can transform into. Children can also identify birds, rabbits and snakes. Learning to fold the menu into these creatures takes some time, but the end result will have parents and kids excited about the menu. You may also leave portions of the menu blank, so children can color in the shade of their animal. Children will also enjoy swapping animal menus with their siblings or friends. Offer as many animal shapes as possible and have someone available to create an animal upon request. Taking this extra time to please the child will have parents coming back time and again.

Airplane

A paper airplane menu is a toy for a child. Fold the menu into the shape of a paper airplane before the guests arrive. Children will be thrilled to see an airplane at their place setting. Create menus in black, blue, green or red for all different colored airplanes. You may also choose to teach children how to make their menu into a paper airplane. Lastly, create an open space in the restaurant for children to play with their paper airplane menu. This controlled area will be full of different colored airplanes that the children have launched. Paper airplane menus will be memorable and children will request to return to the restaurant.

Fan

Fold restaurant menus with style to keep children smiling. Create a small kids menu, about the size of a cloth napkin to form a standing fan. Fold the menu in half vertically several times like an accordion. Open up the folds so the menu looks like a fan, and stand it on the child’s place setting. To make this menu fold more exciting, place a light object or paperweight on top of the folded menu. When the child arrives at the restaurant table, he will be surprised to remove the paperweight, and see the fan menu pop up. Make sure to use thick paper for this menu so the folds do not set in. This will help the menu pop up easily.