Cheese trays don't have to be fancy things.
While most people think of a cheese platter as something that goes well with wine at a party, a cheese platter is also most welcome at a party that serves grape juice. While a kids' party cheese platter may contain a few of the same offerings as the adult version, making a platter that appeals to children requires both the right choices of kid-friendly cheeses and an amusing presentation likely to draw them in to try it. Use a variety of cheeses, shapes and arrangement inspirations to get your partygoers nibbling away like little mice.
String Cheese
String cheese is a favorite with children and should be included in any kids' cheese platter. Cut standard sticks of string cheese in half, since they tend to be on the large side for a kids' serving when there are other cheese options. Arrange these around the outside of your cheese platter, fanning them out to frame the other cheeses.
Cheese Shapes
Buy cheese sandwhich singles in a variety of cheese types and cut them into shapes using a cookie cutter. These flat shapes look great, but they're a little tricky to pick up, so prop them up against taller pieces of cheese to make them easy to grab. For the best look, use a variety of colors and textures of floppy cheese (especially white and yellow) and three or four different shapes of cookie cutter.
Mini Cheese Wheels
Miniature cheese wheels are made with kids in mind and provide an appealing, thick shape to fill out your cheese platter. Kids will enjoy the novelty of these these tiny wheels; for added fun, unwrap the wheels beforehand and cut a tiny wedge out of each one, making them look like the cheese wheels kids are used to seeing in cartoons.
Cheese Snacks
Consider filling your tray with not only cheese, but also a few cheesy snacks to accompany them. Cheese flavored crackers, especially of the teensy, animal-shaped variety, are both a tasty snack and good way to fill out the spaces between your other cheese and make that cheese tray look appetizing. Other good cheese snacks include cheese puffs and macaroni and cheese balls.
Soft Cheese on Crackers
For a milder treat, place some cottage cheese on snack crackers and arrange them in in a circle towards the outside of your cheese platter. This will provide a mild cheese flavor for those children who don't like the sharper cheese tastes. If you like, alternate cottage cheese crackers with crackers covered in spray cheese, or combine the two by topping off the cottage cheese dollaps with a teeny spritz of the canned stuff.
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