Birthday Party for Two Year Old

Just let them do their thing. Don't bother with the
sames. Two year olds, especially a group, will not work.
Really, how many two year olds get the concept of a "game." Good luck.

I don't think it needs to be very structured for that age group. When I had my daughter's party at home, I had a bunch of toys out for the kids to play with, and then at one point I took out a bunch of instruments (moraccas, drums, shakers, etc. and played kiddie music, sang with them and they loved it. I also had snacks out on tables, but when it was time for pizza I put a plastic tablecloth on the floor and they ate like on the floor they didn't have to sit on people's laps and it was very easy to clean up.

HI,

We have only done the "old fashioned" parties. They seem to always turn out fun. I have found the old rule of thumb about the number of kids be equvalent to the child's age is a good one. Make sure at least one parent stays to watch their child. It will be hard enough for you to keep an eye on yours much less their's as well. Two year olds are fine with just a few activities. Keep it simple. Set up several areas of toys so they can move from one to the other. Maybe play freeze dance if they like music. They will only play side by side at this point. Keep it short, 90 minutes tops. For food, I suggest finger foods. Chicken nuggets, pizza bagels, fruit, pretzels or goldfish and cake.

Keep it simple is the best advice I can give you.

D.

We had a birthday for our 2 year old but it was in May so we were outside. We just let the family and his little buddies play outside because thats just about all they want to do! I wouldn't invite too many children as someone already suggested, it will definitely be overwhelming for everyone involved. We didn't have anything "planned" as 2 year olds are quite the spontaneous little people! :) Perhaps finger painting or pick something up at your local craft store thats easy for 2 year olds and easy for Mommy to clean up! Maybe look on that website orientaltrading.com, you can order one activity in bulk. I'm sure he will have a blast with whatever you do for him and with the presents, just don't go overboard with activities because you might stress yourself out :) Keep it simple, it always works :) Have fun!

I just had a party in november. I didn't do games but I had a plan for the time. Two hours (2-4), started with snacks (cookies, popcorn, fruit salad, chips and salsa) and free play. Then we did presents/free play, cake and ice cream time, then free play and good-byes. The snacks were mostly for the parents and the kids just needed a little redirecting now and them. It worked out great.

We had a party for our son when he turned 2 this summer. Just 2 kids (we just moved into the area and didn't know many people). We let them play, have cupcakes, sing, played with some playdough.

The best part was heading to the party store with my son before the party trying to see what he liked. So we had picked up some fireman hats, a few curious george monkey masks, and some fun decorations for the party.

Nickelodeon has great recipes... we did the swiper cupcakes, and they turned out really well, with some help from my friend and her cake decorating supplies.

I had a blast, and I think he did, too.

I teach cooking and when my daughter turned two, this past sunday, I threw her a cooking party for her and her friends, and obviously the parents because the little ones love cooking but they need help. We made pizzas and tiny cupcakes and it was a lovely day. I can help you in a number of ways with this if you're interested - it's my business "your kitchen fairy" website under construction but I can email you some pictures of the day etc. For us it was mostly family and then a few of her best little friends - 12 in all. Let me know if you're interested - warmly, E. klein

I love love love the cardboard castle that you assemble and let the kids decorate. This whole group activity is great for 2 year olds as long as you don't mind them runnin around with markers, crayons & stickers. Here's a link

http://www.celebrateexpress.com/celebration/pages/product...

HAve fun! A.

Hi J.,

Good for you to host a simple party at home! I always did that with my kids and they loved it. Keep it simple, short and small. Too many kids is overwhleming for the birthday child too.
You are right that kids play in parallel at this age so put out some fun themed toys like a parking garage, little house, or kitchen with little people to play with and the children can enjoy playing along side each other. Set up a table with play-doh, cutters and rollers and let them create there. Select a fun book to read and maybe do a craft associated with it like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and turn egg cartons upside down, paint them green and decorate for the caterpillar.
I have lots of ideas on activities, books and games to build language on my website at www.playonwords.com.
Have fun!

familyfun.go.com has a ton of age specific crafts, printouts, games, etc.

How refreshing to go back in time to throw an old fashioned birthday party! That's the kind of fun parties my mother gave to me as a child, and it's what I did for my own 3 children (I'm a grandma now.) For two year olds it can be kept very simple like playing Hide and Seek, or just playing with colorful Balloons... tapping them high up in the air. This usually brings squeals of laughter. Let them color with crayons some pre-cut (by you) paper-crowns with slots on the ends to form into a circle...and wear on their heads(like Burger King Crowns!) Play music and have a Sing-Along..."Old Mac Donald" making the animal sounds. Let the little guests sit in a circle on the floor to watch the birthday boy open his presents, and "see what's inside!" You can't go wrong with small portions of traditional ice-cream and birthday cake (or cupcakes, or ice-cream cake.) Have a can of Reddi Whip on hand for each child to take a turn to put a squirt of whipped cream on their piece of cake. Have FUN!!!

Hi J.. I just threw a party for my son's 2nd birthday in late December. I invited friends of ours that have kids that he knows (via phone and email, not traditional invitations) and said it was a 10am to noon play time for the kids (Sunday morning). I said there would be cake and a few snacks and it wouldn't be structured, and please don't bring presents. The kids all stayed 3 hours, ate all the snacks (!), ran around the house and played. It was perfect. There were a few balloons and that was it for decorations. I made a gluten free (allergen-free) cake so all the kids could enjoy without hesitation. I had bagels and coffee for the grown ups. I did not do any favors or anything. Oh - there were 8 kids: my 10-month old and 2 year old, 3 other 2-year olds, and 3 4-year olds (siblings of the 2 year olds). More kids could have been too many.

My recommendations: Set your expectations of a 2-year old party low. I wouldn't try anything structured. I've been to parties where that's been a goal, and the poor parents feel disappointed that it didn't go the way they planned. The kids will have no recollection of this birthday, so save the big planning fun stuff for when they are old enough to remember and appreciate. Until then, all they want to do is play! Good luck, and happy birthday to your son!