A birthday party can be a special and memorable occasion for your child. However, it can also become a time of stress, overexcitement, and chaos. The best way to plan for a successful children’s party is to lower your expectations. Toddlers are easily impressed, so you don’t need to hire the most popular performer around and a cast of thousands to entertain your guests. Your best bet is to eep things very simple. Invite only a few of your child’s playmates, and keep the party short and uncomplicated. Refreshments, gift opening, and two or three simple activities is plenty.
Theme Parties
You don’t need to have a fancy theme to have a successful birthday party for your child. But there are advantages to a theme party. It may be easier for your to decorate and plan for a party that revolves around a theme. You can adapt just about any menu or activity to fit your theme. For example, the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey can fit into any of the themes below if you simply change it to Pin the Ears on the Teddy Bear. Pin the Nose on the Clown, or Pin the Tiara on the Princess!
Teddy Bear’ Picnic Theme Party
This is a great theme idea for an outdoor party.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
1. Encourage children to bring their own teddy bears to join in he festivities. Be sure to have a few extra on hand for those who attend the party solo.
2. Weather permitting, serve refreshment outside on a picnic blanket. Once themed menu idea is Teddy Grahams.
3. Put on some music and have guests dance with their toddy bears. They can also form a circle by holding hands with each other and the bears to play Ring Around the Rosy.
4. You can also create simple party hats for your guests. Create a headband from folded brown construction paper. Cut out brown bear ears for the children to glue on.
Princess Theme Party
Make your birthday girl feel special and make her princess for a day.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
1. Let your guests get into character by making some props, such as crowns and magic wands.
2. Be sure to have some old dresses and fancy accessories for the party guests to play dress up.
3. Before your guests sit down at the table for refreshments, have them decorate folding chairs to create their own throne. Provide each child with an old pillow case. Cut off half of the length. Let the children decorate the pillow case with fabric paints. When they are dry, simply slip the covers on the backs of the chairs to create thrones.
Circus Theme Party
There are many fun ways to celebrate a circus theme. If you are considering inviting an entertainer for the party, keep in mind that many toddlers are fearful of clowns.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 1 hour
1. Let the children put on their own circus. Set out three hula hoops for the rings. Invite each child to take a turn stepping inside the ring to dance or perform.
2. Stretch a thick rope on the ground and challenge the guests to walk along it as if they were in a high-wire act.
3. No circus is complete without face painting.
Face Paint Recipe
Easy to apply, easy to wash off. Now your child can be a clown for the day!
Variable Yield
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 part cornstarch
1/2 part water
1/2 part cold cream
Food colouring
Mix all ingredients together and apply with cotton swabs.
Birthday Parties for Two-Year-Old
Your child’s second birthday will not hold much meaning fo him. Recognise that children these age often have difficulty playing together. Have different options on hand that will let your young guests play on their own if they are not ready to join the group.
Follow the Path
You will need a fairly large space for this activity. Be sure that children are supervised so that they do not pick up the rope and tangle it around a playmate or themselves.
Activity fo a group.
Age grup: 18-40months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
1. Use a thick rope or cord to create a path for the children to follow. The more twists and turns you can make, the better. You can tape or weigh down sections of the rope to make them stay put.
2. Set up a surprise at the end of the path, such as a basket of party favours or the birthday cake.
Teach the children the folowing song and movements.
Clap Your Hands
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap your hands together
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap your hands together
Stamp, stamp stamp your feet
Stamp your feet together
Stamp, stamp stamp your feet
Stamp your feet together
Other verses: Shake, shake, shake your leg; Bend, bend, bend your knee, Nod, nod, nod your head.
Birthday Blocks
Not all birthday games need to be group activities. Two-year-olds often do best when simply playing side by side. Here is a fun play activity to have available.
Activity for an individual child or a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
Scissors
Tape
Gift wrap
Wooden building blocks
Clear contact paper
Use scissors and tape to wrap each building block like a miniature gift. Cover it in contact paper to keep the wrapping paper intact. Give the blocks to the children to build with.
Birthday Parties for Three-Year-Olds
For your child’s third birthday, you can plan more involved activities. Children of this age have a longer attention spans and are better able to follow directions.
Flour Bombs
This is strictly an outdoor activity and makes a fun alternative to water balloons. You may wish to set up a target or just le the children bomb the trees, pavement, and walls.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 20-40 months
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
What you need:
Paper napkins
Flour
Masking tape
For each flour bomb, fill 1/2 of a paper napkin with flour. Bring up the ends of the napkin and twist. Secure the bomb with a little bit of masking tape.
Party Hats
Skip the store-bought party hats this year. Your guests will enjoy making their own.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
What you need:
Construction paper
Stickers
Ribbons and bows
Confetti
White craft glue
Stapler
1. Let each child choose a sheet of colored construction paper. Have them decorate one side with stickers, ribbons, bows, and confettii.
2. When the paper is dry, you can fit the hat for each child. Roll each piece of paper into a cone so that the opening fits on the child’s head. Staple the cone closed along the seam.
Group Craft Projects
A group craft project can be a fun ay to involve all of the party guests, young and old alike. These activities focus more on the process than on the finished project.
Homemade Wrapping Paper
You can let the children take some of the paper home. Alternatively, do this project at the beginning of the party and while the children are preoccupied with something else, have someone use this paper to wrap the party favours.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
What you need:
Scissors
Kitchen sponges
Butcher paper
Pie tins
Wooden clothespins
1. Before the party cut the sponges into different shapes such as a party hat or birthday cake. If you are having a theme party, cut shapes that match the theme.
2. Seat your guests around a table covered with butcher paper.
3. Pour different colors of paint into the pie tins and show the children how to use the sponges as stamps. Attach the clothespins to the sponges if children are having difficulty grasping the sponges.
4. Encourage the children to create a design on all areas of the paper. Let dry before dividing or using.
Fence Tapestry
This is a great project if you have a cyclone fence in your yard. You will be surprised at how nice the finished results looks. Be sure to take pictures of the completed results to send home. Supervise the project carefully, and be mindful of any long materials that could pose a choking hazard.
Activity for a group:
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
What you need:
Various weaving materials, such as ribbons, foil scraps, newspaper strips, twigs, yarn, and old sheets and curtains.
Show the children how to weave the different materials through the fence holes. The weaving technique does not have to be perfect or uniform. In fact, it will look better when children add materials in their own way.
Jumbo Card
Do this activity during a transition time in the party when children are arriving or leaving. Your child will be left with a special keepsake of the day.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 5 minutes
What you need:
1 sheet poster board
Markers, crayons, and the decorating materials
1. Fold poster board in half and write “Happy Birthday” on the front. Attach a large bow on the top corner.
2. Set the card up in a location that is easy for the guests to reach. Supply them with crayons and markers for the to “sign” and decorate a message for the birthday child.
Giant Mural Puzzle
The nice thing about this activity is that the guests get to take puzzle pieces home with them. You may want to provide snacks, as they can be a messy activity.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
What you need:
Butcher paper
Pie tins or pans
Tempera paints
Large paintbrushes
Scissors
1. Hang a large sheet of butcher paper in a place where all the children can easily reach. Outdoor is best.
2. Give the children pans of tempera paint and large brushes. Encourage them to work together to paint a large mural.
3. You want children to work together, but you can also mark sections of the mural off with a pencil if necessary.
4. Who the children are done, let the painting dry.
5. Cut the paper into equal sections. Give one to each child.
6. Distribute the sections and then challenge the children to put the mural puzzle back together again.
More Party Games
Here are more all-purpose party games. You will find that they are appropriate for a wide range of ages and abilities. They require few materials and little planning for those times when you need a little something extra to pass the time.
Sleeping Lions
As with other party games, you can adapt this game to meet the theme of your party.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 minutes
Duration of activity: 15 minutes
1. Divide the guests into two groups. One group is the lions, the other group is the safari photographs.
2. Instruct the lions to lie down and pretend to be sleeping.
3. The photographers are to sneak up as close as they can to take a picture without waking the lions.
4. When the lions awaken, they are to roar and scare away the otters group.
5. Make sure that all children get a turn to be in both groups.
Blob Race
Although relay races may be too complex for young children, they will enjoy this simplified version.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 30-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
1. Divide the guests into two teams. Designate a starting and finish line for the race.
2. On your signal, teams are to race to the finish line.The one rule is that all members must stay connected. You can have them run different heats with aviations. They can form a train, hold hands, or make a giant hug circle. See what other ideas they can dream up.
Silly Says
Here is a simplified version of Simon Says. In the adaptation, the leader is not trying to “trick” anyone.
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
1. Start the game with an adult as the leader to show the children how it is played. Then each child can take a turn being the leader.
2. The leader picks out a character to imitate and calls out the direction using the persona (“Barney says” or the Easter Bunny says”).
3. The leader tells the group who to do (jump, spin, or touch their noses).
Party Preparation and Props
As any party host knows, half the fun of having a party is in the anticipation and planning. Don’t be afraid to involve your child and to let her make some small choices and decisions about her special day. Encourage her to participate in the preparation.
Napkin-Holder Place Cards
Here is a creative way to involve your toddler in the party preparations.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 20 minutes
What you need:
Scissors
Wrapping paper or tissue paper
Toilet paper tubes
White craft glue
Stickers
Felt-tip marker
Address labels
1. For each napkin holder, cut a piece of wrapping paper or tissue paper to fit around the tube.
2. Help your toddler glue the paper onto the outside of the tube.
3. Let her attach decorative stickers on each tube.
4. Write the guest’s name on the address label and affix it to the tube.
5. Roll and insert a colorful napkin.
Table Centerpiece
Your child will enjoy creating this festive and decorative centrepiece craft.
Activity for an individual child.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
What you need:
2 sheets construction paper
Empty coffee can
White craft glue
Scissors
Colored tissue paper
Shallow pie tin
1. Help your child roll the construction paper sheets to cover the outside of the coffee can. Let her glue the paper on.
2. Trim off any extra paper.
3. Let your child rip the tissue paper into tiny squares.
4. Show your child how to crumple up each square to create a tiny balloon or blossom.
5. Pour a small amount of glue into th pie tin. Have our child dip each tissue wad into the glue and stick it onto the can.
6. When your child is done decorating the can in this fashion, let it dry.
7. Use the container to hold flowers or balloons.
Party Photo Frames
What better party favour than a reminder of all the fun times!
Activity for a group.
Age group: 18-40 months
Duration of activity: 30 minutes
What you need:
Scissors
Poster board
Felt-tip marker
Confetti
Glitter
White craft glue
Instant or digital camera
1. For each frame, cut a square of poster board 2” larger than the diameter of the picture you will be using.
2. Cut out a square from The Center of the poster board, leaving a 1-1/2” frame.
3. Use the marker to write a title on the top of the frame, such as “Tony’s 2nd Birthday Party.”
4. Let each child decorate her own Fram with the confetti and glitter
5. The the pictures while the frames are drying. If you can not make reproductions of one picture go ahead and snap similar pose for each picture—they don’t have to be identical. Pose the children in a group. Don’t push for perfect smiles. Let them be a little silly and capture the true fun they are having.
6. Attach a photo behind each frame with a small dab of glue or rubber cement.