Thomas the Train Birthday Party Help

The suggestion about letting them run around is great. That's al they want to do. And moving boxes (which you can get for free off craig list) decorated to look like train cars is another great idea.

Remember to put up a sign at the entry way welcoming them to the island of Sodor. You can get train wistles and red bandanas so the kids can run around as engineers.

Really don't stress and overplan. They are kids and as long as they have run room they'll be happy.

Two year olds do not care about creativity. All they want to do is run around. They really do not get the whole concept of a themed party. Just have some outside toys and let them loose. Get the Thomas plates, napkins, cups etc. That will be good for him. Relax, take a deep breath and make it simple so this way you enjoy your son on his special day.

My son and daughter (4.5 and 5) went to a friend's Thomas birthday party last year. They had just moved into their house a few months before his birthday, so they had a lot of moving boxes. The boy's dad taped all of those boxes together and made a huge maze out of them in their basement! It was the coolest thing! They passed out a flashlight to each kid and the kids played in those tunnels for the entire party until it was time to have cake and open presents.
It was so fun, they invited us back for a playdate a few days later to play again in the tunnels before they took them down. It was a super creative idea! I am sure you could probably collect some boxes from businesses or post something on Facebook and see if your friends have any old boxes to donate. You could give flashlights as party favors! Good luck!
HTH,
A.

You could always use coke a cola and call it coal ca cola since it has less caffeine and maybe sugar depending on how you make it.. Just a suggestion from my hubby. Or you can do both. If your not set on doing a cake you could do mini cupcakes and put them in a train design then frost them to look like Thomas or either your sons favorite character off of Thomas the train movies.

We did this for my son's 2nd birthday in April. I went to Party City, and they had big plastic wall hangings of Thomas and Percy. I don't remember what the cost was, but I know it was less than $5. We had the party at Grandma's and they are still on the wall in the playroom, and he still loves them.

If you buy a cake, the one with the Thomas train and coal car is still his favorite. But, they don't stay together, so we had to glue them.

If most of the kids are 2 or 3, they just really want to run around. But, if you need a game, then why hot get blue and white cupcakes and let them decorate their own. It's messy, but still nice enough outside you should be able to do it there. Or in a room with no carpets. Just buy colored C. of all different kinds, and let them put the C. on the cupcakes. It will keep them busy and they get portion controlled cake and frosty pieces. (We won't talk about the sugar in the C.).

I love the idea of a track on the floor and the box train cars!

Every part of the party doesn't have to fit the theme.
Have a Thomas cake, Thomas decorations and give out wooden train whistles?

I think you have to scale back your expectations. He's 2. He doesn't understand what a birthday is, let alone what a theme is. He does not care. His friends do not care. He will not care when he is 3 or 4 or 5. Really, he won't. And little kids do not enjoy organized activities. They don't like iced tea and parents don't let them drink it usually. They don't do well in large parties with 20 kids. Children don't handle big gift-fests well either. The birthday child gets overwhelmed with a bunch of presents, and the guests want to know why they can't play with them. If you don't open gifts, the guests never get to see the pleasure on the child's face, and the child never grows up learning to say "thank you". So it starts a whole bunch of headaches.

So decide who you are doing this for. So that you will have great pictures? Understandable. So that you can show the other parents that you are creative and spend a lot of time planning? What if no one notices? What if 2 year olds don't understand what diesel fuel is and what a water tower is? We all like compliments. But please, don't get sucked into the stress of children's parties and trying to outdo what you did last year. You will be happier for it.

I'd scale way back. Get a few paper plates or a helium balloon with Thomas on it. The bakery or the supermarket can make you a small sheet cake with Thomas on it. I like the idea of using what you have on hand - putting the food in "train cars" behind an engine he already owns. Simple and economical!

I love the suggestion below about creating a train out of moving boxes! Home Depot has a bunch of moving boxes in different sizes for about $2 a box. Buy 5, along with a box cutter and a roll of tape. Then assemble them and cut holes with a box cutter so the kids can crawl from one to the next. Cut a few "windows" so they can see and peek out at you. Buy some black plastic dinner plates at the party store and glue them on as "wheels". Put an oatmeal box on the "engine" as a smokestack. Don't worry about the writing on the boxes. No one cares. And they will think you are brilliant.

Pizza and drinks are fine. I doubt the kids will come out of the train long enough to eat it, but that's okay. Parties are about fun and getting together, not about so much work ahead of time that either you're too tired to enjoy yourself or you have too much invested and are disappointed if the children are not overwhelmed with joy by the theme. They really don't care - they just want to run around and play.

I second what Patty said - 2yr olds just want to run around. They do not need or understand organized games. Too many kids becomes chaotic for the kids and the hostess so only invite 5 or so kids. Go to Target or Wal-Mart and buy Thomas themed cups, plates, table cloth. Give every kid a used book from the thrift store on their way out and a balloon. If the party is in your home the other kids will just want to play with your son's toys and you so will be excited anyway. Plan the party around naps and at a 2yr olds party offer the parents food and drinks too. Simple stuff like a frozen pizza. Cheap cake with a Thomas cake topped or a clean Thomas train on top. There's plenty of years to go crazy at kid's parties when they are older. Keep it simple at this age. I think the box idea would be a hit and fill the room with balloons. Enjoy the day. I promise you your son will not remember it so relax and have fun

You could get a bunch of boxes, decorate them to look like train cars, glue straps to them, and let the kids wear them and run around. You could try to get them to walk in a line like a train, but I doubt that would happen with 2 year olds. Lol.

You might also make a train track for them. Use duct tape to make the tracks, then put up a few obstacles. Maybe a hay bale (or rolled up blankets) hill to go over (make sure to put down a thick blanket for a soft landing...). A box for a tunnel to go through. A "tree" (maybe a chair decorated, or a large potted plant if you are inside) to go around... Etc.

I agree that at two, they most likely won't care (or remember) what goes on too much. Plus, they aren't likely to cooperate much with organized activities. Just set up some open-ended stations, and let them go to town. :)

http://pinterest.com/chandice/thomas-the-train-birthday/

You could probably go a little insane on this site! LOL

have you checked pinterest? I did a quick check...they have TONS of Thomas ideas.

you can always add chicken wings and different sauce , for fun you can do blooms and face painting pin the tail on the donkey

It is about 10 years since I did this so I cannot remember everything. I know I had train whistles as party favors. I drew a large Thomas the tank and did a pin the whistle on the Thomas game. I also bought Thomas bingo. I am sure if you google party ideas for a Thomas theme you might find more ideas.

Updated

I also drew train tracks on the driveway.......

Your food sounds great.
You can use cardboard or poster board to cut out train cars, paint then
place against wall in kitchen or living room.
Have a small train set set up in the living room or on the kitchen table.
Have the little town set up in your backyard or living room.
Provide little a wooden train car for them to paint & take home.
You can put chips or C. in little containers you make to look like train
cars in a line (cover/decorate tupperware bottoms).
You can put the round pizzas on the "tracks" that rotate around.
Love your idea of using his toy to put the veggies on.
Make your own "train cake".
Have a bean bag toss.
They can decorate their own "box car" to wear w/strings to hold it up over
their shoulders.
Set up a little "train" on a "track" they can sit on in the backyard for a photo op.
Over-decorate your house in red, blue, white & black balloons & steamers
Make your kitchen doorway look like a tunnel entrance.
Use a lazy Susan on your kitchen table as the part of the track that goes
around, set it up like a track & serve the food out of mini "box cars".
Hand out train whistles or engineer caps.
Make an engine "cut out" for them to get behind & stick their head out of
a window for a photo.
Hand out Train tickets.
decorate the table like a train set/station complete w/lights etc.

"Pin the Caboose on the Train"....use poster board to make cutouts for this. Encourage the kids to make "choo choo" sounds as they approach the train. :)

"Steam Engine".....line the kids up in front of a low table. Have them "puff steam" (blow with their mouths) to push cotton balls across the table. Read the book "The Little Engine That Could" (or whatever the title is) before beginning the game.

My SIL used to make a train cake by using mini loaf pans for the cake/train cars. She decorated each car & it was as cute as could be. You could probably google/Pinterest train cakes.

Good Luck! Keep it simple & let the kids play.....