Birthday Party Ideas for a 2 Year Old!! Help!!

We had a 2nd birthday at our house last year for our daughter and it was great fun! Some simple games that come to my mind are London Bridge, Ring Around the Rosie, Follow the Leader, etc. You need short, simple games to capture their attention and when they are done, you move on. You can even sit together and sing songs that have actions- hokey pokey, if you're happy and you know it, etc...

Can you have it outdoors? How about playing with water? 2 year olds LOVE water! We bought my daughter the step 2 fun flow play sink because she kept wanting to play with water- all you need is water, a bunch of little containers, and some 2 year olds! Sidewalk chalk is great for outdoors, too. How about the old-school huge paint brushes and buckets of water? Or bubbles? There are some really fun huge wands they can dip and run with, or even the automatic bubble makers- 2 year olds could go crazy running through bubbles and popping them with their hands and feet!

Also, once I bought a little inflatable pool at Wal Mart for about $7 and those plastic balls (100 for $10 or so) and filled the pool with balls. Instant fun!

You could also have little "stations" with simple activities that they could choose- playdoh, stickers, coloring, etc.

Have fun!!!

Or if you're really brave, they can decorate their own cupcakes... :)

1 mom found this helpful

Sounds good what you have planned already.

Last year for my daughter's party we had a luau type party. I told kids to come in bathing suits and we had the sand table set up (with pink sand) and a water table set up. I played oldies music like Beach Boys and Islandy music. I gave each guest a lei as they walked in the door. I used paper plates and plastic cups that had hibiscus on them. My husband cooked sliders on the grill and we used the Hawaiian Sweet rolls for the bun. I made the cake and decorated half of it blue and the other half covered in crushed graham crackers. I put a miniature surfing Barbie in the water. The kids had a blast! My house and yard is super small too, but it was fun!

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Heck, whatever YOU want. She won't really care or remember - they start to care around 3-4 years old. Hit the dollar store and go crazy :)

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I did a piñata at my sons 2 year party, I wasn't sure how it would go but the kids loved it, takes up 15-20 min+ as the kids get excited to pick up and play w the stuff (I got small toys from dollar store so not all candy). just use the pull strings instead of having them wack at it

have you thought about renting one of those inflatable jumping things...then you can be in or outside.
2 year olds are hard..its hard to keep them focused for really anything so I wouldnt do TOO much...just clear out a room and let them all play with the toys... But if you DID want games, I would sing songs, let the draw a picture...PLAYDOUGH is always fun for my kid
and favors are a must...I like to grab things from the $1 store and fill a small bag for each child..usually contains a toy, candy, chalk and stickers
Have fun

Actually there are plenty of musical games kids at that age will love to do! I'm a toddler music teacher and have entertained many toddler birthday parties with music games, dancing and instruments. Feel free to message me if you would like more info.

On a side note, you can get a few plastic shallow bins and buy a bag of sand at Home Depot and let them play with sand out doors, digging for toys or making castles, etc. Put some tents up outside and let them lead play in and out of them. Have a couple large Yoga balls to bounce around and roll around. They can be so much fun.

I have had my son's party at the park every year. I have never had a reservation. I don't use the pavillion, I use whatever picnic tables they have and bring one for my food and stuff. You only need 1 picnic table for the kids, and they don't sit there that long so the parents can enjoy it after they are done with presents and cake and ice cream. Or you can ask parents to bring a chair to sit on. Without having to pay for the pavillion, I was able to put a lot more into other things. Also at the park you don't have to do as many games and entertainment, the playground does it for you, and the kids prefer it! They mostly love the park because they can run around. Good Luck!

I also agree with Peg M. The details are lost on this age, so just let them play and get the pictures of them enjoying their friends!

I recommend keeping it short & simple. I have 4 kids under age 5 (each a separate pregnancy). I usually keep the party to 2 hours then kick everyone out for naptime. The it flies by food, cake, presents, then...silly string in the backyard! I hit up the Dollar Tree & get a couple of cans for each kid (and maybe 1 for some adults). Silly string & a party pack of bubbles are always a hit for that age. Good luck & have fun!

For my daughter's 2nd birthday, the theme was all about her favorite things, "Barney, bubbles, ballons, and balls". I bought a huge - and cheap - bag of different beach-like balls from Oriental Trading and blew them up (with a pump) and covered the back yard with them. I also bought a bubble machine for the back yard. Inside the house as an activity I purchased a cheap fabric from Walmart, several feet long, which I laid out on the floor for the kids and they all got to createtheir own foam tiara/crown - I tossed piles of foam stickers all about the fabric and they had a blast. I think I got the hats (cheap) and stickers from Michaels. All the kids loved the sticker fun and then they all ran around outside playing with the balls and chasing bubbles - I think they had birthday cupcakes outside, too. It doesn't take much effort with kids that young - good luck!

I had a party for my 1 year old in my apt. There were more older kids there tho.He had an Elmo, so I gave each child a gold fish as a party favor. :) I would say for 2 year olds,make sure you decorate with her favorite character or theme. It would be nice if all of the decor was the same. Get A LOT of balloons. They love ballons. Maybe you and a few of the parents can blow bubbles and have the kids jump up and pop as many as they can. Simple arts and crafts is also a good idea. Something that they can make altogether. Maybe a birthday card for the birthday girl Pizza is a great idea. After cake and a lil fun, it will be time to say goodbye. Have fun. Good luck

Most of the details will be lost on the littles – they'll be content with play time, yummy food, and lots of attention. One or more of them may have a melt-down no matter how carefully you plan your party, so don't knock yourself out or make it run too long. The moms who bring their kids will enjoy some simple decorations, a selectiion of nice teas and beverages, some cake and conversation. Take pictures of toddlers being happy.

Save your big efforts for ages 4 and up, when the kids are beginning to really enjoy and remember events. Even then, I would choose simplicity over lots of scheduling, detail, and expense. Just do what's fun and relaxing for all, and stay within a reasonable budget. There seems to be an unspoken competition in some mom-circles to out-celebrate other people's children. It's really kinda dumb, and doesn't teach our children what's truly important in life.