Birthday Party Games for Toddlers
You have been planning and shopping for your toddler's birthday party for months. You have selected the perfect theme, party decorations, party invitations, made arrangement for the food, etc., and are quite happy about it. However, you have forgotten a very important thing - birthday party games for kids. Most of your guests would be children of the same age of your son/daughter, and one thing is sure, toddlers enjoy playing. If kids do not have anything specific to do, chaos may begin, thus ruining the party. Hence, arranging some fun games will ensure that the children are entertained and the party goes on smoothly.
There are certain things that all parents should keep in mind while arranging a birthday party for toddlers. The attention span of little kids is very less, and though they may be excited or interested in something initially, they soon lose interest. Due to this, a toddler's birthday party should not be longer than two hours. Also, while arranging games for toddlers, make sure that they are simple and easy for the kids to understand. One way of finding this is by taking a trial with your kid to know whether he likes it. If he seems to like the game, you can surely include this in your games list. Another thing that you have to remember is that as the party is for very little kids, try not to make the games too competitive. Children do not really understand this and will feel bad if they do not receive a gift. Therefore, try to plan the games in such a way that all the kids are given a gift. Here are some party game ideas that you can include in your agenda to entertain the birthday boy/girl as well as the little guests.
Toddler Birthday Party Games
Fishing Game
This game can be played at home or in your backyard, however, you will have to do some work before the party begins. Cover a part of the area which you have selected for this game with a blanket or sheet (may be a corner of your living room). You can decorate this place by painting waves and pictures of different types of fish on it. Inside this closed area, place a huge cloth basket or a cardboard box and fill it up with goodies like candies, inexpensive gifts, etc. Make a small fishing pole with a small stick and a string attached to it. Tie a clothespin at the end of the fishing line. Before the kids start to play, ask an adult to hide behind the covered area. Explain to the children that they all will get a chance to put the fishing pole into the pond. When a child puts in the fishing pole, the adult hiding inside should attach one of the goodies to it. In this way, each child will get a gift which can act as party favors too.
Musical Game
Mark several circles and square shapes on the floor and place the pictures of animals or maybe cartoon characters on each of the shape. Make chits where you have written the name of all the animals and cartoon characters. Ask the children to walk on the shapes while you play the music and when the music stops they should stand on one of the blocks. You have to take out a chit each time and call out the name of the animal you find on the chit. The child who is standing on the block which has that animal wins a prize. Play this game till all the children receive their prizes. The child that remains till the end wins the game and receives a prize.
Treasure Hunt
As it can be a little dangerous to leave toddlers to roam around the house to find a treasure, it will be a good idea to restrict your game to one room. You can either hide party favors or blocks of different shapes and colors around the room. Tell the children that whoever finds the red circle will get a gift. Ensure that there are as many blocks/gifts as there are children, and once a child finds a block, he/she cannot play again, so that every child will get something. You can also arrange a scavenger hunt for kids.
Fish in the Bowl
This is not a very new game, rather, it can be called a different version of the very old game 'pin the tail on the donkey'. This is one of the most favorite indoor games among children. You can either buy a toy goldfish or make a beanbag goldfish at home. Mark a place on the floor which is at a considerable distance from the fish bowl and tell the children that they have to stand at this place and try to throw the fish into the fish bowl. The child who does this successfully wins.
With a little bit of creativity, you can create your own games, however, make sure that they are safe for the kids to play. So try out some of these games and watch the kids have a great time.
