Is your little one coming up on a birthday soon? Toddler birthdays can be so fun!
Seeing the joy and excitement in their faces when they wake up and realize the whole day revolves around them is almost magical!
Let’s talk about the different ages of toddlers for a second so you know what to expect from each age group on their birthday.
2 year olds still don’t quite understand what is happening when everyone continuously wishes them a happy birthday and gives them gifts. It can be hard to wrap a little mind around.
I remember my daughter was so confused and frustrated that people kept telling her “happy birthday” that in response, she started saying “thanks! Happy birthday to you too!”.
Be patient with them. It might feel like a unique and abnormal day and can be hard when they are used to having a set routine.
If you need to, take a break from celebrating for a little bit and just sit down and play to pretend like it is just another normal day. They might be more excited to participate in the celebration activities after they are regulated again.
3 and 4 year olds are so fun to celebrate birthdays with! They already think everything is about them, so having a day when you say “yes” to things because they are the “birthday kid” is a toddler’s dream come true!
Before their birthday, help your 3 or 4-year-old understand that even though it’s a special day, they might not get EVERYTHING they want. And that’s ok!
It’s also a good idea to set expectations with your tot before the big day so that they know who might be giving them gifts, what to say when they don’t like a gift they get, how to treat other siblings who aren’t having a birthday that day, etc.
Birthday parties with lots of toddlers can be such a good time. You’ll find yourself laughing at all the things they say and do when they are together in a group.
It can also be hard to know how to keep that many little kids entertained for a long time.
A great way to bridge this gap between having to keep everyone busy while not hosting a circus at your house is to invite all the parents of the party guests to stay for the duration of the party. Not only will each parent be in charge of their own child, but you’ll also have extra hands to help out with the food and games (which, trust me, is a big plus).
We want to share some fun party games for toddlers that you can do at your next birthday event for your child. We hope you’ll enjoy watching the joy on your child’s face as they laugh and have fun with their friends.
Birthday Party Activities For Toddlers
With young kids, it is a good idea to stay together as a large group instead of splitting into different stations. If you do decide to have stations set up for the party, make sure you have 1-2 adults at every activity.
Ok, enough of the instructions! Let’s get to the birthday party games!
1. Have A Sing-Along
Kids love to sing and dance! Turn on some music that goes along with your party theme and let them have at it.
If there are older kids at the party, you can try a karaoke machine so they can see the words to the songs.
Toddlers will also have a great time learning how to play freeze dance. For some reason, they find it hilarious when they move when they were supposed to be frozen.
2. Let Each Kid Decorate Their Own Cupcake With Sprinkles
This is a great option to replace birthday cake!
It can get messy, but my goodness do kids love it! I don’t know what it is about it– maybe the freedom to design, the indepence, the ability to eat it whenever they want in the decorating process?
For easy clean up, make sure you do it either outside or on a plastic tablecloth. Set up a small decorating station for each child with a paper plate with their name on it and a cupcake.
Hack: if you don’t want to give each child a knife to dip into the frosting (because we all know that will end in double dipping and germ spreading), simply give each child their own frosting in a ziplock baggie. Push it all down to the corner and cut a tiny hole.
Not only does this help with the germs, but it’s also less messy and kids feel like they are professional cake decorators with their own “piping bag”.
3. Play Duck, Duck, Goose
The classic party game! This is such a simple game that the kids will be asking to play over and over and over again.
If you have a big enough group, split into two separate games. That way each child will get a turn to be “it”.
4. Do Face Painting
Face painting is such a treat as a child. Once the animal is painted on, kids actually feel like they have turned into that creature.
A great game to play after everyone’s face has been painted is “petting zoo”. Instead of having a real petting zoo, split the party into two groups. One group will be the animals painted on their face and the other group will be the visitors.
Go to each “animal” and (if alright with the parents) “pet” the animal. Maybe see if each animal can do a neat trick for the visitors.
Be sure to switch when the first group is done being in the petting zoo so everyone gets a turn to show off their face paint.
Not a face painter? There are lots of talented people you can hire to come to your child’s birthday party.
5. Make Balloon Animals
If you don’t know how to make balloon animals yourself, don’t worry! There are plenty of options out there to hire someone for your child’s party.
It could even be the party favor at the very end of the birthday bash that kids take with them as they leave. (that way there aren’t tears during the party if their animal pops)
6. Set Up A Craft Station
Glitter, sparkles, glue, yarn, paper. Set it all out at a table and see what those creative kiddos come up with!
If you have kids on the younger side, try picking up a craft that is already assembled with the parts and all they have to do is cut and glue things on.
A cute idea could be to have a Polaroid camera at the party. Buy some foam frames with foam stickers and have the kids each decorate their own.
Then take a picture of the guest of honor and each person at the party. Everyone will have a printed out picture of themself with their close friend AND a personalized frame to put it in.
7. Make Birthday Crowns
Having a princess or prince themed party? Crowns are a great activity for toddlers!
Cut out all the strips of paper beforehand and have the kids decorate them (with markers, stickers, crayons, etc).
Then once they finish measure the child’s head and staple the crown closed. (Tip: do the staples “inside out” so the scratchy part of the staples is on the outside of the crown and doesn’t hurt their head).
8. Create A Simple Obstacle Course
This is a great idea to do in the middle of the party to help kids get their energy out and reset for the next activities.
Need some ideas? Check out our post on obstacle course ideas to get you started!
9. Play Simon Says
Some toddlers pick this game up really quick and others need a bit of time to understand it. Be patient as they are learning.
If you want to try mixing things up a bit, look at these other Simon Says ideas for some fun twists.
10. Play With Balloons
Make sure none of the kids have a latex allergy, and then give each child a balloon to play with.
Turn on music and play “keep the balloon in the air”, have races to see who can be the first to get it across the room, or just watch and see what kind of sensory play kids can come up with on their own.
11. Set Up A Treasure Hunt
Having something for kids to find is always fun! Because they are still young and don’t quite understand “clues”, you’ll probably have to help them out a bit for this one.
The treasure hunt can be as simple as leading them to different objects in the backyard and then the “prize” at the end is the birthday cake!
12. Piñata
Young children might have a hard time with this one, so try doing it without the blind fold. It can still be lots of fun!
If you don’t want to have a mess in your house of candy, this might be one of those great outdoor activities.
13. Put Sand In A Tent
What child doesn’t love to play in the sand? Ok, maybe 1 year olds who don’t like the feel of it on their feet.
If you have a sand table, this would be the perfect time to set it up outside for the party guests. It can be done while you are waiting for other kids to show up, or at the end when you are waiting for parents.
A fun twist to the original sand table is to do sand in a tent! Make sure it’s a cheaper tent so you don’t ruin your nice family camping one. Try to find one big enough for all of the kids to play in at the same time.
Find some sand on Amazon or from your local home improvement store like Home Depot.
14. Set Up A Sticker Station
Stickers are always a win at our house! The foam stickers can be helpful so you don’t end up peeling off stickers from your kitchen table all night when the party ends.
Remember, toddler attention spans are very short. So if they don’t last very long with the stickers, that’s ok. Try to have another activity prepped that kids can easily start doing if they lose interest quickly.
15. Set Up A Building Station With Blocks
This is one of those great indoor activities if it is too hot outside for the birthday party.
You can use colored blocks, big wooden blocks or foam blocks. Kids will love building and it’s fun to see what a little imagination can do to add some fun to the party.
16. Have A Bubble Station
Bubbles! kids love bubbles! Something about them is so fascinating. The color, the shape, the pop!
You can buy mini containers of bubbles and let each child blow their own. Or you can have an electric bubble blower going for the kids to pop bubbles as they listen to fun music.
Bubble wands can be really fun and could double as a great birthday gift and party activity!
17. Meet and Greet with the Character
Usually, toddlers like to have a character-themed birthday. Whether it’s Moana, Bluey, Rapunzel, Frozen, there is most likely one that your child attached to and hasn’t been able to let go of.
Hence the reason you are having a party themed after their favorite character, right?
There are some great options for hiring your child’s specific favorite character to show up at the party. You can have them come for the whole party, just to say hello and greet each child, or they can even direct the whole party with storytelling, games and a sing-a-long.
If you aren’t wanting to break the bank by hiring a company to come to the party, you can have a neighbor or friend dress up as the character. All you need to do is provide them with the costume and tell them what to do.
We did this for my daughter’s Frozen birthday party and it was a huge hit! It’s been over a year and she still talks about Elsa coming from Arendelle to see her!
18. Water Games
If your child’s birthday is in the summer, have a water themed birthday party! This is a great option of toddler parties because kids love to play in water.
It’s a great sensory activity AND it can keep them busy for hours.
Here are a few options:
1. Have a slip n slide
2. Fill up a kiddie pool and throw some toys in
3. A ball pit but filled with water
4. A “water slide” with the hose going down your slide
5. A water table
If you’re looking for more fun ways to incorporate water into your toddler’s birthday party, head over to this post on wet and wild water activities.
19. Musical Chairs
Most toddlers won’t know how to play this game quite yet, but it’s always fun to learn something new!
Use the music of the party theme to play this game.
If you have multiple adults at the party, be sure to have one adult in charge of the music, one adult in charge of helping kids find a chair and not hurt other kids, and one adult helping the kids who get “out” to start a new game of musical chairs with all the chairs that get taken out.
It’s such a classic game that kids are bound to enjoy! It’s fun to see your own children coming to love games that you played as a child. Very nostalgic.
Hopefully, this has given you some great inspiration to make your toddler’s birthday party fun for everyone involved!
If you liked one of these ideas or tried one, we’d love to hear about it! It’s always fun to know what worked and what didn’t.
Good luck with the party planning, mama! You’ve got this!