My 2 Year Old Birthday Party

Depending on the different ages of the other kids at the party, you may want to do a mixture of games and just open free play activities since younger children may not have the attention span or patience to sit through a game yet. Sometimes having areas set up for themed play will give the freedom to do as they like. This will also free the adults from having to constantly arrange/supervise activities.

Examples:
-mini ball pit to act as a "water station" or "bubble pit" and throw plush/toy fish/underwater animals for kids to dig through and find
-drumming arena - have bongo drums or even just plastic stepstools for kids to create some percussion music for older kids to dance to
-line an area with tarp and let the kids paint with the adults an underwater mural

Foods:
For children, you may want to put little individual paper cups out with a variety of crackers, fruit, and cheese. That way each little guest can pick up a cup of snacks. This will help avoid germ spreading that happens in larger groups and especially in shared platters that get little fingers digging through them.

-A. H.
www.kukisplayshop.com

Have the kids make fruit kebobs. Even young children like to put fruit on the skewer. Cut the pineapple in rings instead of chunks. Then have them "plant" the skewer in a head of lettuce that's in a flower pot. I saw it in a Family Fun magazine this summer. We did it with the whole family and it was lots of fun.

I'm having a birthday party for my 2 year old DD this Saturday too! We're having it at a park next to a brand-new playground, so I'm not organizing any games. I was thinking about covering the tables with butcher paper and including a handful of crayons at each place, but we decided not to. I still haven't settled on a theme yet (!) I want to do Elmo I think, so we're going to run around the shops today and look for decorations.

Here is our menu:
Deviled Eggs (she LOVES them)
Fruit Salad
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
BBQ Pulled Pork on Mini homemade rolls (like sliders)
Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemonade

I'm not sure how we're going to serve the lemonade yet, maybe in a punch bowl? Or maybe I'll do a sherbert punch...

Got this info from this website: http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com

Buried Treasure Hunt
Fill a kiddie pool with sand and then bury small treasures such as pretty rocks, sea shells, fake jewels and large
plastic coins. Give the party guests sand shovels and sifters to find the buried treasure in their “beach”. Let them
take the treasure home as a party favor.

Beach Ball Icebreaker
Blow up a beach ball and write questions all over the ball - fill up as much space as you can with as many questions as you can think of.
Have guests sit in a circle and throw the ball to each other. When someone catches the ball they have to answer the question that their right thumb is touching.
Sample questions: What is your middle name? Scuba dive or surf board? If you were a marine animal what would you be? What sand sculpture would you like to make? Have you ever been to the beach? Ever been stung by a jellyfish? If you had a million dollars what would you buy first? What would you change your name to? Chocolate or vanilla? Favorite color?

Limbo
Use a decorated broomstick handle or pole for guests to limbo under. Have a contest and give away lei’s or small
prizes to the winner.

Mystery Fishing Game
Kids fish for prizes in this fun game!　 For the "water" use a large appliance box, hang a sheet across a doorway, or cover a table so that the "fish" (and the person in the water) are hidden from view. Tie a string to a stick and attach a clothespin on the end of the string.　 Birthday party guests take turns "casting" the line into the "water". The person in the "water" puts small gifts, favors or candy on the clothespin and then tugs the string to signal that there is a "fish" on the line.　 Then kids pull up the line and retrieve their prize.　 This is a simple but fantastic birthday party game that kids adore!　 Have lots of prizes because kids will　want to do this birthday party game again and again.　

Activities
Parrot Piñata

Or a pineapple or palm tree … anything tropic would work.

Hot glue colorful flowers on barrettes.

For older children give them each a beach ball and let them blow it up and put their name on it. Give them
permanent markers to sign each others beach ball.

Make Lei’s - paint coffee filters with water colors and let dry. Cut circles about 1 ½ inches wide from the coffee
filters. String the coffee filter flowers on thread with noodles or beads as spacers.

Make colorful necklaces with sea shells.

Decorate a picture frame with small sea shells and jewels.

Sand art projects - either bottles or pictures.