Themes, Food, Games and Gift Ideas

“Birthday Party Ideas for Terrific 2s and Thrilling 3s”

Photo by ND Strupler. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).

Need help with Toddler Birthday Party Ideas? Explore toddler birthday themes, food ideas for kids and adults, gift ideas and places for a toddler birthday party.

By now your toddler is a walking, talking, jumping, skipping vibrant little person having gained a mind boggling host of skills in an equally mind boggling short amount of time.

They have learned a great deal about their world, self, and others. Can you attest to this? By the time your child reaches the age of 3 she has learned the art of influencing others by employing the skills of:

• Manipulation
• Deception, and
• Humor

How scary is that? Moreover . . . where did they get that?

By the time they are two and three they have already developed a sense of self as being distinct from others.

BTW, have you noticed that these little ones have turned into humongous bundles of energy? The Energizer Bunny has nothing on these little bunnies. As a matter of fact, I hear tell that between the ages of two and three, human beings experience their highest levels of energy. That explains a lot!

These babies are curious and eager to participate in whatever activity suits their fancy. And by now they KNOW, that birthdays are all about – ME, MYSELF, AND I!

So let’s do this!

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas to Getcha Goin’

1. Limit your guest list. A rule of thumb: Invite one guest for every year of the birthday child’s life, plus one.
2. Remember: KISS – Keep It Short Sister! For this high energy quick burn-out age a party of 1 to 1-1/2 hours will suffice.
3. 4 short simple games ought to do nicely for this age group given their attention spans and level of understanding.
4. It’s a good idea to have toys available with which little guests can play while the birthday child opens his gifts. We aren’t yet at the, “I’m so happy for you stage”. It’s more, “Okay, THAT should be MINE”. Am I right? (True confessions: I still at least think that at birthday parties).
5. Have a quiet private changing station prepared for your mini-guests who may not have the potty thing down.
6. A big stress reliever: Deputize at least 2 guest parents to be helpers to be in charge of taking care of shy, overly rambunctious, disruptive, or otherwise not-playing-well-with-others child. The other could help with serving cake & Ice-cream and generally being at your beck-and-call.
7. Kid-proof the party room making sure breakables are out of reach and sharp corners are bumper-ized. Make sure outlet covers are installed and safety gates are up.
8. Do not serve any hard candies, popcorn, or hot dogs.
9. Charge up our camera and video camera to make sure their batteries last as long as the party.
10. Provide a comfortable secure place for your four-legged family members, well away from your little guests.

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas: Food

For a party held between traditional meals: Just cake & ice-cream, cupcakes, or ice-cream cake, please.

Beverages? Water is always a safe bet. Some children may have dairy allergies thus I tend to avoid serving milk. Juice just adds juice to the otherwise revved up birthday bunch so I avoid that as well, and pop? . . . don’t even go there. No sugar-highs please with this bunch.

For parties during a mealtime: Think small.

1. Cut sandwiches into quarters. Better yet, cut them with small fun or theme shaped cookie cutters.
2. Small portions of fun shaped pasta
3. Hamburgers, quartered
4. Pizza slices halved
5. Small pieces of sliced fruit
6. Cheese cubes
7. Mini-bagels
8. Fishy crackers or saltines

Consider using fun colorful bowls rather than plates for the still developing fine motor-skills of this growing age group.

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas: Games & Activities

Advance quickly and smoothly from one activity to the next to minimize the chance of boredom settling in.

Plan a variety of activities including: crafts, like “Party hat making,” quiet and active games, and thinking games such as “Feely Bag.” This gives the kids a sense of, “What’s gonna happen next?”

Have an “Arrival Activity” planned for the first 10 to 15 minutes such as a game kids can easily jump into such as duck-duck-goose or a craft.

Here are some examples of Arrival Activities:

• Decorate a party hat
• Make hand-print birthday cards (be sure to tell parents you will be having their child make a home-made birthday card for the guest of honor)
• Decorate a birthday tablecloth
• Chalk a sidewalk
• Play with play dough
• Build with blocks
• Sandbox time
• Swing-set time

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas for Games and Activities

1. 2s to 3s are still self-absorbed so plan games that do not require teaming-up, taking turns, or losing. They are in the playing “side-by-side” stage at this point as opposed to interacting as required in team sports. That will take a couple more years!
2. Have at least one craft for this age group. One idea is to do hand-prints which becomes a keepsake if properly prepared, or simply trace their hand on a piece of paper which they have colored and placed stickers on to be used as either a take-home craft or a birthday card for your child. Another craft idea is to have the children make their own party hats upon arrival for the first 10 to 20 minutes.
3. Kids love music! What I like to do (as do the kids) is play upbeat cheerful music, break out the bubble machine (they’re inexpensive: $19.99 and up) and let them dance in the swirling bubbles. I have handed out dixie cups to each child with which they try to catch the bubbles. They LOVE it! The excitement of it lasts up to 10 minutes.As an alternative, you can visit my recipe for bubbles page for soap bubble recipes and links to other fun pages all about bubbles.
4. My experience has been that children in this age group will play Duck-Duck-Goose, Ring-Around-the-Rosie and London Bridge Is Falling Down for up to 20 minutes. Many has been the time I’ve worn out before the kids!
5. Have Play-Doh® on hand for the kids who finish a craft or game before other revelers. Play-Doh® is also great for an “arrival activity.” I have a“recipe” for home-made play dough, if you’d rather go that route.
6. Plan at least two more activities than you think you will need.

REMEMBER: If you have older kids, there are dozens of fun kids birthday party games to explore!

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas: Themes

A theme is practically essential now that our little ones have tasted the irresistible flavors of what the world temptingly offers our budding consumers. Here are a few ideas to spark your own . . .

Your Child’s Favorite Media Character	Your Child ‘s Favorite Toy	Your Child’s Favorite Animal
Forms of Transporation	Li’l Ballerina	Li’l Princess
Li’l Cowboy/Cowgirl	Barnyard	Yo Gabba Gabba
John Deere	Disney	Bugs
The DOG	Unicorns	Superheroes
Thomas the Tank Engine	Sesame Street	Mickey or Minnie Mouse
Dora the Explorer	Firefighter/Fire Engine	Child’s Favorite Sport
Airplanes	Dinosaur	Fairy
Jungle	Zoo	Music

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas: Places to Go

Holding a toddler birthday party outside your own home is much more doable than it is for a 1st birthday party. The kids are much more mobile, so it’s easy to move around the chosen venue.

HOWEVER: Be sure you choose a location with controlled boundaries, or be certain you have enough adults to keep an eye on EVERY child.

Amusement Parks	Aquariums	Children’s Museum
Build-a-Bear	Chuck-E-Cheese	Local Park
Public Swimming Pool	Community Center	Zoo
A Public Farm	Water Park	Bounce House

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas: Gifts

Now that you have a 2 or 3 year old, gifts often become more fun than the box they came in. Here is a list of gift possibilities to satisfy, edify, gratify, prettify, pacify and hopefully not gasify your birthday boy or girl.

Rocking Chair	Name Stool	Story Books
Growth Chart	Picture Frames	Puzzles
Toddler Bowling Set	Toddler Basketball Hoop	Baseball Bat and Tee
Ride-on Toys	Wooden Train Set	Band in a Box
Shape Sorting Toy	Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles (toys!)	Toy Phone
Dress-up Dolls	Play House	Small Play Structure
Outdoor Swing	Toddler Stroller	Fire Engine
Tractors	Kitchen Set	Construction or Fire Hats
Tool Set

Need More Toddler Birthday Party Ideas?

It’s time for crowdsourcing! If you have some fun, helpful, creative or practical (you get the idea) Toddler Birthday Party Ideas to contribute, please add your thoughts and ideas in the form immediately below. In fact, if it has anything to do with birthdays, we would love to hear from you!