Kids' Table at a Wedding: Ages, Ratios and Where to Put It

Whether to have a kids' table comes down to how many children you are inviting and how old they are. Under four children, seat them with their families. From four up, ages 6 to 12 are usually better off together.

Age bands

Under 5: with their parents. A toddler at a separate table means a parent leaves their own dinner every few minutes. Put them at the parents' table, and tell the venue how many high chairs you need.

6 to 12: a kids' table. This is the group that benefits most. They eat quickly, get bored at adult speed and enjoy sitting with cousins. Seat them at a table with an adult, and put the adult's name on the card so they know.

13 and up: their own table, or with adults. A 14-year-old at a kids' table with 7-year-olds will wander off in ten minutes. Give teens a table of six to eight with cousins or friends their age, or seat them with a sibling at an adult table. Do not ask them which they prefer in front of the family; ask their parents.

How many adults for how many children

There is no official ratio, so this is our suggestion: keep it to about one supervising adult per table of 6 to 8 children aged 6 to 12, and closer to one adult per 4 or 5 if any are under 6, because younger children need someone within arm's reach. Fourteen children aged 6 to 12 means two tables of seven (14 ÷ 8 comfortable seats, rounded up, gives 2 tables) and two adults, one per table.

A good supervisor is a teenage cousin, an aunt who likes children, or a hired sitter. Ask them in advance, and make it a job with a start and end time, such as dinner and the first dance, so it is not a punishment.

A 60-inch round table seats eight adults comfortably; with children, eight is generous. Our round table sizes guide has the chair counts for each size.

Where to put it

• Near the parents, not beside them. One table away is close enough for a wave and far enough that children stay put.
• Away from the speakers and the dance floor edge. Loud music and bass are bad for ears and nap schedules.
• Away from the bar and the kitchen doors. Servers are carrying hot plates through that route.
• Near a restroom. Eight-year-olds need the restroom at inconvenient times.
• Within the sightline of the head table. Children who can see the couple behave better during toasts.

Meal and timing

Serve the children first, about 20 minutes before the adults. They finish quickly, and an eight-year-old who has eaten is much easier to manage. Order a children's meal rather than splitting an adult plate: plain pasta, chicken tenders or a pizza slice, with fruit or vegetables. Ask for a dessert at the same time, so children are not waiting for the cake.

Mark any allergies on the table card or tell the server directly. A caterer cannot guess that a child has a peanut allergy.

Mistake to avoid: the unsupervised table

A kids' table with no adult turns into a food fight by the second course. Name the supervisor on the plan before you print it, and tell the venue so servers know who to ask about allergies and refills.

Activities that work

Keep them small and quiet: a paper placemat to color with a few crayons or pencils, a travel puzzle, a deck of cards, a small sticker sheet. Skip anything with noise or a mess. A bag with three things in it for each child, set at their seat before they sit down, buys around 30 minutes of calm during the speeches.

Sample card wording

If you are using place cards, put a short note on the kids' table:

Table 6 is for our youngest guests. Dinner comes first for you, then stay at the table until the first dance and you can all run to the dance floor together.

And a note for the supervising adult:

Thank you for looking after table 6 during dinner. The children eat at 6:40 and the speeches start at 7:30. If you need anything, find Sam at table 5.

With only two or three children, skip all this and give each family a seat count that includes them. The wedding table capacity calculator helps you check how many chairs a table of mixed ages really needs.