The personality of a toddler is on a spectrum. They are your cuddly, cute best buddy one minute and your terrorizing tyrant the next. One thing is for sure, there isn’t a toddler out there who doesn’t love birthday parties! When planning your toddler’s birthday party, it’s important to remember how quickly something can go from super fun to super frustrating for a tiny tot. The key to planning an all fun, always birthday party? Entertaining the little ones every step of the way. By following these four easy steps for toddler party entertainment, we’ll be all smiles all day.
Step 1: The Theme
With any birthday party there comes the all important first step… the theme! Choosing a theme for a toddler’s birthday party should start with figuring out what theme will be appreciated by the guests and the birthday kid while avoiding the themes that will be plain frustrating to plan. Choosing the right theme can start with figuring out which ones have group games that will keep kids entertained, go well with easy but Pinterest-worthy DIY projects, and could pair nicely with tasty snacks to keep kids coming back for more! A theme should be age appropriate to the guests because even though you really want to have that superhero party for your 2-year-old, he’ll appreciate it so much more when he’s a big 5-year-old!
Creative Themes
Old MacDonald’s Farm Party. Picture your tiny toddlers running around in flannel and overalls with a big grin in the middle of their chubby cheeks. These little farmers will have a blast, creating memories and celebrating the special birthday boy or girl. Suggested age group for this party: 2-3 years.
Bubbles Party. Giant suds of fun can entertain you toddler for hours. What exactly does a bubbles party entail? Lots of watery fun and sudsy games with decor reminiscent of Glinda the Good Witch! Suggested age group for this party: 3-4 years.
Tiny Artist Party: All toddlers need to exercise their creative muscles and there’s no better way then a painting party. These Picassos in training will have a great time getting all that creative energy out on to paper with various activities catered to their artistic needs. Suggested age group for this party: 3-4 years. For these type of parties, you may check out Face Paint Kit. It’s Safe, Non-Toxic and is Water-Based.
Ice Cream Social: From multicolored sprinkles to crispy, waffle cones and everything in-between, it’s time to give your little guys a taste of the sweet life with an ice cream party. Decor for this party is a blast with bright colors and don’t forget the tasty snacks that go along with this fun party theme. Suggested age for this party: 5 Years.
Step 2: The Activities
Keeping our toddlers entertained during the party is a must! That’s why step two is figuring our what activities and entertainment will please the whole bunch. Activities include theme related games and group crafts that will focus the kids while you can light the birthday candles, set out the presents, entertain the parents and the millions of other tasks you will have as a party host! Entertainment allows time when you can put your feet up and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. For each theme, there are a ton of awesome games and group activities (that you don’t have to be in charge of!) that will help you out when it comes to toddler party entertainment.
Farm of Fun
Having a farm-themed party means taking advantage of all the fun activities that come with the seasons changing. When fall in Colorado rolls around, enjoy the reprieve in-between the hot sun and the harsh snow with a farm party! To celebrate your tiny tot’s birthday, entertain the kids with a hay ride through the tall corn fields of your local farm. At Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, a tractor or horse-drawn hay ride is available for $95-$125 and party facilities that include picnic tables and a campfire on the Hilltop at $75 for two hours.
If your toddler loves games and interacting with other kiddos, farm-themed games are always a good option too! Let your toddlers bob for apples in a pig trough or get in a good game of horseshoe toss. To get the kids up and moving, have horsey racing! All you’ll need is a couple stick horses (keep reading for a DIY stick horse idea!) and finish line. Tell the kids to gallop their way to the finish line and get some great pictures at the same time. A farm-themed party is the perfect way to entertain youngsters and make birthday parties extra special!
Bubbles of Joy
It might seem that with a bubbles party you are limited when it comes to entertaining games and activities. But that’s just not the case! A bubbles party can include all sorts of outdoor activities and even arts in crafts like painting with bubbles. Amaze the little ones with giant bubbles! Using this recipe for giant bubbles, have the kids participate in a biggest bubble contest (may need adults to help with this one but this will really amaze the kiddos!). Some games require no props, only individual bubbles, like keeping the bubble afloat game where you have kids blow on the bubble to never let it drop without popping it!
Bubble races are fun too; see which bubble makes it to the finish line first. Bonus: no clean-up needed with bubble games on the lawn (as opposed to those pesky plastic, water balloon games). If you want kids to have entertainment that will last longer than a sudsy bubble, balloon twisting is a great option for this party! Giggle Loopsy offers entertainers that fit the whimsical theme within a bubbles party. Professional entertainers at Giggle Loopsy are talented when it comes to the art of balloon twisting while they are great with younger kids aged two through six. For pricing and more questions on how to get an entertainer at your party contact Giggle Loopsy for booking.
Painting Away
When planning your toddler’s painting party, think outside of the box! To keep this party entertaining for toddlers, don’t feel like you need to stick to the traditional arts and crafts for this one. Yes, finger painting is a great idea for little ones to access their creative side but what about thinking on a larger scale? Giant canvases will amaze the kids with how much space they are given to create their masterpieces. If you have a chalkboard wall anywhere in your house, let the kids use chalk paint pens to create a fun mural that will look great in pictures as a background.
Don’t have a chalkboard wall? Easy, chalkboard paint can create any large surface, like a piece of plywood, into a chalkboard. Once the chalkboard is painted, secure the plywood to a table or a wall and have the kids go crazy with chalk paint that way. Let’s face it, at this party, there is bound to be a few splashes of paint that get on hands and faces, so why not make it at least look good? Face painting is a great option for this party! Giggle Loopsy also offers entertainers skilled at face paint design who will love an artsy party like this one. For pricing and more details about how to make your party a face paint extravaganza, contact Giggle Loopsy for booking.
Delicious event
An ice cream party is not only delicious but can have entertaining games for toddlers as well! Your ice cream social doesn’t have to be all about the ice cream sundae bar (keep reading for ideas!) because group activities are just as easy with this theme. Loved the giant canvas idea but what to stick with an ice cream theme? Use the canvases with the kids and have them create their very own ice cream creation!
Using paint, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, sequins, and whatever else you can find, tell them to come up with their very own ice cream dish! These will be fun and get their appetites excited for the real thing. Check out how this 50’s themed party used ice cream cone props to have a fun relay to entertain the kiddos! If your kiddos would like to see how the pros do ice cream check out group tours of an ice cream parlor! Glacier Ice cream offers group tours of the facilities to see how vanilla ice cream is made; the best part is the tasting afterwards included with the tour for $5.95 a person.
Step 3: The DIY Decor
You have your theme and your activities planned out so you’re half way there! Step three is all about creating decor that will entice kids to have a blast at your party! These decor DIYs can be anything from creating an essential piece for the group activity to a place to display the yummy snacks for the kids to munch on. Have fun before the party even begins with these helpful DIY projects to intrigue your guests and while they also go great with the themes. These decor crafts will transform your fun kid’s party into an entertaining birthday extravaganza!
Stick Horse
Remember that stick horsey race from Old MacDonald’s farm party? Well creating a stick horse on your own will save you the trouble of buying them! All you’ll need is a half yard of suede, a scrap of flannel, craft felt, a wooden dowel, yarn, and heavy duty thread. Download the pattern and more instructions on how to make your stick horse.
A bubble party can only be complete when you have the right decor. Of course bubbles will be floating around all day but a DIY hanging bubble bouquet will be a great addition to your party. What will you need? Straight pins, chain-nose pliers, cord, glue, 32 glass (or plastic) balls, 1.5 inch washer, and a ceiling hook! Discover more guidelines on how to make your hanging bubble bouquet!
Paints and Crafts
A painting party is more than laying out paint brushes and plastic cups of paint! This DIY stacked cake stand can double as a home for cupcakes as well as a fun way to hold dishes of paint and craft items. The best part of this how-to, is you’ll only need paper plates, cups, and a hot glue gun! Also add an additional cup on the highest tier to hold paint brushes!
Ice cream cones can come in all sorts of colors and sizes! Make your own out of fabric, Styrofoam and ribbon with your sewing machine. These hanging ice cream cones will be a great addition to your party decor. Mix up the color combinations to inspire kids for their build your own ice cream activity.
Step 4: The Snacks
Let’s move on from the well-planned activities and smart decor to what really matters- FOOD! The key to a toddler’s delighted grin lies in what’s in your kitchen. Find the snacks that will both fit with your party theme and entice a 3-year-old into sitting down to chomp into something delicious. Snacks balance out all that toddler party entertainment with a full stomach. Of course after all those games and activities, make sure your busy toddlers are well fed with fun party snacks!
Prepare grubby snacks for your hungry toddlers with farm favorites for Old MacDonald’s Farm party. Get creative with the labels you put with the snacks to get into the farm theme. “Tractor tires”, “pigs in a blanket”, and “fruit from our orchard” are all creative names for mini chocolate doughnuts, biscuit wrapped sausages, and cut up fruit.
Blowing bubbles all day is hard work! Offer guests bubbly treats like a fizzy raspberry drink- ginger ale + raspberries! Feed hungry toddlers treats they love like ice cream with a twist. Dippin Dots have over 25 flavors that can be delivered for your party and definitely keep with the bubbly theme!
Tasty Treats
Your tiny tots might be artists but they don’t have to be starving! This painting party goes hand in hand with kid friendly Hors d’oeuvres. Bacon wrapped crackers are easy to make and grab with one hand and paint with another! For a healthier option try yogurt bars with blueberries and almonds; great for busy toddlers and health-conscious moms.
Your toddlers birthday party starts and ends with these four easy steps. Conquer them and all your little guy or gal’s special day will be out of this world!
Party entertainment can be found on our treats’ gallery page.