“Toddler Birthday Party Themes, Games & goodie Bag ideas”
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Birthday Party Fun: Goodie Bag Alternatives
If you're looking for alternatives to pricey goodie bags, here are a few ideas that will make your guests--and wallet- -happy.
Any Fun Party: Take Polaroid photos of each guest with the birthday child, and decorate cardboard picture frames, or make frames with popsicle sticks.
Hawaiian Party: Decorate inexpensive plastic sunglasses with artificial flowers. String together more artificial flowers for one-of- a-kind leis. Royal Party: Decorate paper crowns and make scepters from wooden dowels and plastic jewels.
Sleepover Party: Decorate plastic light switch covers with stickers. Allow your young guests to embellish white pillowcases with fabric paints for a take-home sleepy surprise.
Spring or Garden Party: Paint flower pots and include a pack of flower seeds for children to grow at home.
Survivor Party: Send the children on a scavenger hunt equipped with compasses and trail mixes that they can make before the hunt. The compass will become a new favorite gadget, and the trail mix is a lot healthier that candy treats.
Tea Party: Let the girls decorate straw hats with artificial flowers, which they can wear for the party, and later take home. Complete the party with candy necklaces.
Have fun!
About the Author: Deborah Shelton the author of "The Five Minute Parent: Fun & Fast Activities for You and Your Little Ones." Visit Deborah's website for more family-friendly ideas: http://www.fiveminuteparent.com Subscribe to The Five Minute Parent email newsletter mailto:Five_Minute_Parent-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Keep a birthday party for young children simple and flexible
We invited entire families to visit for our birthday parties for young kids, that way their parents are also around to both lend a hand and comfort their kids if they get overwhelmed. Besides, the parents also get to visit with each other then...
At that age, I would not worry about many organized activities, have some balls to play with, maybe a bean bag toss, and just let the kids play. Two year olds are just learning about taking turns and the like. You can break the free play time up by offering food, the birthday cake, and opening presents with free play time between each.
As for food, depends on who your guests are - easy finger foods that won't be too hard on your home if dropped (these are 2 year olds) that aren't choke hazards - like hot dogs cut long way into quarters, veggie pieces and dip (the parents might like that too), chips, luncheon meats (could be sandwich fixings for the adults), cheese chunks, cheerios, mini muffins, slices of apple... whatever the kids like to eat.
Most of all, have a good time - a couple families visting will be more than enough activity to keep everyone busy for a couple hours, and to celebrate the past two years...
PARTY GAMES
With a little creativity you can adapt any of the games below to fit your theme.
If your theme is based on a T.V. show or movie be sure to read through the story for ideas. Blue loves to find clues.
The traditional Scavenger Hunt becomes Blue's Treasure Hunt.
You might also want to play theme music at the party and read a short version of the original story.
Most of these games are good for almost any party with kids - they're not just for birthdays!
We will be adding new games often so be sure to check back with us soon.
Pinata
This is a game that requires room and good supervision - the children are blindfolded (or not, if they are young and don't want to be) and they take a stick and try to break a hanging container that has candies and other small goodies in it. (Colorful Band-Aids were popular among the preschoolers here!).
To make one, you can do something as simple as decorating a paper grocery bag with paints or crepe paper and then gluing and taping the top shut once the treats are inside.
Run a string along the top edge before shutting the bag. You can also make a fancier one using a balloon and paper mache. The fun thing is that these can be decorated to match any theme.
Pin the _Something_ on _Something_
Traditionally pin the tail on the donkey, this game can be changed to fit any theme. In this game, blindfolded guests try to stick a paper 'tail' onto a poster of a donkey.
You can take a piece of poster board and draw anything with something missing - a nose on a clown or animal, the TY heart on a beanie baby, a spaceship in an outer space scene, and one year we gave Yoda (Star Wars) his staff. Just be sure to include an outline of where the object needs to land.
Drop the Clothespin Into a Bottle
This is another one that can be turned into a themed activity simply by using a coffee can with a plastic lid on it as the container to catch the clothespins. Cut a hole into the plastic lid appropriate for the age child. Then decorate the can.
Bean Bag Toss
You can make an easy Bean Bag Toss using a double layer of poster board glued together and a large box. Use the large box as a base, and attach the poster board to one side of it. Before attaching the poster board, paint a design on it, allowing for one or more holes.
We never kept score, but the kids had a lot of fun throwing those bean bags. One year we even gave bean bags as party favors - they're easy to make from fabric scraps if you sew.
Go on a Treasure Hunt
These are some treasure hunt ideas: You can scatter coins in the lawn and let the kids hunt for them, much like an Easter egg hunt.
You can hide each child's goodie bag and then give that child a piece of paper with a hint for finding it - it could be a simple map drawing for a young child, a word or two, or a riddle for older children.
You can also let the children do a paper clue based hunt as a group - with the goodie bag for the youngest being the first found, along with the clue to the next goodie bag, and so on.
Make a Bracelet/Necklace
This activity can be an activity the children can go to between other activities, or the main focus. A big bag of pony beads, some elastic cord, scissors and an adult to help when needed, and they can make their own jewelry.
Be sure to supervise this one, so that necklaces and bracelets are not made too tight.
Make their Own Place Cards or Placemats
This activity could be as complex or simple as you want - children can decorate 3x5 cards or construction paper with a variety of stickers, cut outs (use an old beanie baby magazine for a source of a hundred or more beanie pictures, a pokemon magazine for pokemon), crayons, and colored pencils.
If you have enough help to cover the placemats after they're done with clear contact paper, they will last a long time.
Guess How Many
Fill a jar with candy. Have children write their name on a small piece of paper and their guess as to how many candies are in the jar.
The child who guesses the right number, or comes closest, gets a sucker. The candy in the jar is then divided among the children. A variation would be that the winner takes the jar of candy home to share with their family.
Who Am I?
When the children come through the door tape a farm animal or item/object to their backs. Through the course of the party they may ask each other yes and no questions about what they are.
Explain that the first question they may want to ask is "Am I an animal or an object?" At the end of the party each child takes a turn saying what they think they are. Suggestions: cow, pig, sheep...pitchfork, saddle, horseshoe, hay, milk, barn, tractor, etc..
Farm Buddies
Is similar to Who Am I?, but this time you whisper in each childs ear a name of a farm animal.
Tell them that there is at least one other person that is the same animal as they are. Throughout the party they may ask each other yes and no questions to try to figure out who their "Farm Buddy" is.
At the end of the party tell everyone to go sit by who they think their buddy is. Go over the clues with the kids until they figure it out and everyone is sitting next to the correct buddy.
Birthday Dinner
Players sit in a circle. The first player starts by saying, "At my birthday dinner I like to eat hamburgers". The next player must repeat "At my birthday dinner I like to eat hamburger..." and add another dish.
This continues all the way around the circle with each player reciting the dishes in the exact order they have been given and then adding a new one.
If a player makes a mistake they slide out of the circle and the game continues. The person left who can perfectly recite the birthday dinner menu wins.
Fruit Basket
Put chairs in a circle with one less chair than there are players. One person says, "I'm grateful for people with blue eyes".
Everyone with blue eyes stands up and changes places. While everyone's scurrying for a chair a parent takes one away. The person left standing is out and the last person to sit down goes next..."I'm grateful for everyone who's wearing tennis shoes". Repeat.
Button, Button, Who's got the Button
A child is chosen to be "it" and hides her eyes as a button is given to a child to hide in his lap or behind his back. "It" then has three chances to guess which child has the item. (All children hide their hands in their laps/behind their backs like they have it.)
For animal themes, select an item that goes with the animal. If you're doing a character theme like Cinderella it would be "Slipper, Slipper, Who's got the Slipper".
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a fun way to entertain kids at birthday parties. Rather than encouraging competitiveness between teams, have children work together to find all the items. Hide items in yard or designated rooms.
Duck, Duck, Goose
Whatever the theme, substitute words from the theme for "duck" and "goose." (like "Pika, Pika, CHU" or "Scooby Scooby Scooby DOOO")
Hot Potato
You can use virtually any item for the "potato" for this old favorite. For character parties use a stuffed toy of the character.
Simon Says
For character themes replace "Simon" with a character from the theme. Children should listen carefully and only do what "Simon" says.
Red Rover
Divide players into two teams. Each team forms a line by holding hands and stretching themselves out.
The two teams face each other and should be about 25 feet apart or more. Each side takes turns calling, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send (name) right over." At that signal, the player called, runs from his line and tries to break through the line of his/her opponents.
If he breaks through, he can take one opponent back with him to his team. If he does not break through, he joins the other team. The team to add the most players wins.
Charades
Have one child come up to the front of the group and whisper the name of an animal, or something to do with your theme, to them. They then act out what the animal does. The rest of the kids try to guess the name of the animal.
Water Balloon Volleyball
You'll need lots of water balloons stored in a bucket full of water and towels for each pair of children. Divide children into two groups.
Pair them off and give each pair a beach towel. One side begins by placing a water balloon in the center of their towel.
Each child holds onto one two corners of the towel in their hands. The object is to toss the water balloon over the net with the opposing side catching the balloon in their towel. The volley continues until one side misses and the balloon breaks giving the other team a point. First team to 15 wins.
Variation: If you do not own a volleyball put two sets of pairs a distance apart and have them volley back and forth.
Variation for young children: Instead of beach towels use two large blankets. Divide into teams, each team member holds a part of the blanket. Toss the balloon back and forth between teams. Not too tough with a bit of team work.
Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.
Freeze
Begin by playing music, everyone moves and dances until the music stops then they must "freeze" in whatever position they happen to be in.
Musical Chairs
For character themes based on movies or T.V. shows play music from the program and tape characters on each chair.
Pop-the-Balloon
All the children gather in a circle, holding hands. Everyone moves into the center and on the birthday child's mark begins blowing.
The circle expands getting larger and larger until you can no longer hold hands and "POP" everyone falls down laughing. Toddlers and young children love it!!! child grab a balloon at the same time and try to pop it.
Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.
Balloon Bust Relay
Purchase large balloons, stuff with a prize such as a whistle, then inflate and tie. You will need one balloon for each guest. Divide children into two teams and place each team behind the start line.
At the other end of the room are the balloons. On your mark a child from each team runs to the other end of the room, grabs a balloon and sits on it, bounces on it, lays on it, anything they can do to make it pop.
When the balloon pops they collect their prize and run back to their teammates. The game continues until every child has retrieved their prize. If one team falls behind parents are allowed to help
Make sure you've got the movie camera rolling, you won't want to miss the action or the expressions. If you don't have time for a relay yell, "GO" and let every child grab a balloon at the same time and try to pop it.
Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.
Wits and Consequences
Blow up balloons with questions, written on strips of paper, inside and place balloons in Bag "A". Let each guest reach in and pull out a balloon on their turn.
If they answer correctly they stay in the game for another 'round, if they answer incorrectly they pull a balloon out of Bag "B", pop it and have to do what it says..."Rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time", "Strut and cluck like a chicken three times".
If they complete their task they can return to the game. If not they can cheer on the remaining players. When all the questions have been answered the games over.
Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.
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