Birthday Party for a 2 Yr Old

Two year olds don't play games.
But they likely WILL enjoy playing with all the paper, bows and boxes that the presents come in :-)

Toss shower loofahs into a laundry basket.
Make a simple obstacle course... A box to crawl through, a pillow mountain to climb over, and a few chairs to go around.

Honestly though, for a two year old I wouldn't put too much effort into party games. Just set out a few balls, whatever other shareable toys are handy, and let them entertain themselves.

Run around and play.

2 year olds are not designed to play together yet, they also are not going to do more than maybe 20-30 seconds of a game. They are still developmentally playing by themselves or side by side, they won't play "together" until they get much closer to age 3 if not after they turn 3.

Just let them play and have fun. Lots of duplicate toys, not just 1 truck, 1 ball, 1 doll, instead have dozens of trucks, several balls, etc....

Two year olds just run around and eat. They don't really play games.

Cake and free play is enough.

Honestly, 2 is really little, and really temperamental, for any kind of party. But if you're going to do it, it might work well to incorporate music. Have them play Freeze Dance, Wheels on the Bus -- give them tambourines or just have them drum on boxes. Music is the only thing I know of that keeps kids this age focused and cohesive as a group.

They are too young for organized games, I think. When my son turned 3, we had his party at our house. I set up the train table with lots of trains on it. I set up a play-doh station, too. We had tons of cookie cutters and other accessories. I did it in the backyard, but inside you could just put a mat or newspaper under the table to help contain the mess.

You could also put out coloring books and a bunch of crayons. The fat, triangular ones are good for this age. Color Wonder markers are great too because they don't make a mess (you have to use the special Color Wonder paper too).

They aren't really ready for many organized games. If you have a big parachute, they would play with that for awhile. You could turn on music and have them dance.

Honestly - 2 year olds don't play games well! Just put out some toys and let them do their own thing! They don't enjoy a group activity unless you want to have a little craft table with a lot of parental supervision. (Maybe sticking some foam shapes on a foam picture frame, or sticking some feathers and goggly eyes on a piece of cardboard? Have parents bring an old t-shirt for the child to wear as a smock.) I wouldn't even attempt coloring - kids that age often don't have the fine motor skills to hold a crayon, and then you have to worry that they'll color the rugs or the furniture.

But really, 2 year olds do not understand what a birthday is anyway, and they really don't understand why another kid gets presents they can't play with. The less you expect of the birthday child, and the less you expect of the guests, they happier you will be!

I agree that music can be fun but I wouldn't even try a freeze dance - they just don't follow instructions well. If they all know songs like "Wheels on the Bus" fine, but if they don't, they may not want to sit still and participate. Put some music on if you want, but let things just play out how they play out. They can't pin the tail on anything, they don't like to be blindfolded, and they don't like to wait their turn, doing nothing while someone else has the floor. They don't "obey" to play Simon Says and they hate Musical Chairs because once the first kid is out, he's bored and rejected! Really - save those games for when they are 5 or 6, and even then, don't play something where someone is "out".

Free play, cake and a little prize to take home, that's it.

trying to get 2 year olds to play organized games is like herding the proverbial cats. you'll make yourself crazy and annoy the toddlers.
have snacks and let them play.
khairete
S.

freeze dance. duck duck goose, parachute. Simon says, musical chairs.
Keep the party short. 2 hours MAX!! And time it for when they are well rested. 11 am - 1 pm on a weekend is good. Or 3 pm to 5 pm on a weekday. Don't do the party late and don't do it when most are napping.

Simon says, musical chairs or mats.
Hullabaloo.
Pin the tail on something.
Hats, cake, ice cream cups, pizza, chips, juice boxes.