Party Games for 2 Year Olds
Birthday Parties

Photo courtesy of: Shizhao

Two-year olds love to sing and imitate those around them. When you add music to the mix, they are drawn to it like bees to honey. To work out extra energy, have the little ones sit in a circle so they can easily see the leader. For the following party games, have each of their parents nearby so they can help their child with the words and movements.

HOKEY POKEY - Have the little ones stand in a circle with a parent or older child serving as leader. The leader will sing the song and make the movements while the babies try to imitate the body movements.

You put your left leg in,
You put your left leg out.
You put your left leg in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

Repeat the above using right leg, left foot, right foot, left arm, right arm, left hand, and right hand.

I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT

I'm a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle (Put one hand on hip),
Here is my spout (Put other arm out straight).

When I get all steamed up,
Hear me shout,
Just tip me over and pour me out! (Lean over toward spout)

TEDDY BEAR, TEDDY BEAR

Teddy bear, Teddy bear, turn around.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, touch the ground.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, show your shoe.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, that will do.

Teddy Bear, Teddy bear, run upstairs.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, say your prayers.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, blow out the light.
Teddy bear, Teddy bear, say "Good night."

Have your little ones do each of the motions, as they are mentioned.


GAMES FOR 2 YEAR OLDS: BUBBLE FUN

Little ones love to play with bubbles and adults love to watch them enjoy themselves. The following party games pertain to bubble fun:

BUBBLE BLOWING - Have the adults blow bubbles while your little ones chase after them, trying to catch or pop them. Be sure to give them opportunities to blow the bubbles too.

BUBBLE ENCASEMENT - Assuming weather permits, fill a wading pool with a bubble solution. Place a hula-hoop in the pool and have your little ones take turns getting into the center of the pool, while an adult slowly lifts the hoop up to encase them in a great big bubble.


GAMES FOR 2 YEAR OLDS: MISCELLANEOUS

The following party games are just a few examples of games that are appropriate for this age:

BALL PIT - Make a ball pit with a blow-up pool filled with plastic balls and let the little ones freely play inside the pool. To avoid a "fall" on a hard surface, it is best to put the pool on grass or carpet rather than cement.

BALL TOSS - Line up some colorful plastic pails and secure them on a board so they don't fall over. Have the little ones take turns trying to toss balls into the pails. You can also use laundry baskets with larger balls.

BUILDING BOXES - Cover square empty tissue boxes with colorful paper and decorate with numbers, letters, and shapes. Let the little ones build with the boxes. In the alternative, provide building blocks, stack n' sort cubes, alphabet nesting stacking blocks, etc.

FISHING - Use a wading pool and hang a sheet across the front. Tie a string to a stick with a clothespin attached on the end of the string. Have your little ones cast their line into the pool and go fishing. Have someone clothespin prizes on the end, give a tug to signal that a fish has been caught, and have them pull in their prize. Be sure to have plenty of prizes because your little ones will want to do this game over and over again.

FOLLOW THE LEADER MUSICAL STYLE - Play music in the background. An adult serves as the leader and the little ones do as the leader commands and demonstrates. For example:

• Crawl
• Touch your toes
• Touch your nose
• Touch the top of your head
• Touch your knees
• Touch an elbow
• Reach up
• Reach down
• Wiggle your fingers
• Shake your hands
• Roll over
• Sit down
• Stand up
• Fly like a bird
• Bark like a dog
• Meow like a cat

MUSICAL ANIMALS - Play some music and when it stops, have your little ones move around the room acting like one specific animal with sounds and movement. The adults can help out by demonstrating the sounds and movements for them.

PARADE TIME - Have the little ones put on a birthday parade for the parents. Give them each little musical instruments like horns, shakers, bells, cymbals, chimes, cowbells, drums, tambourines, etc. Line them up and have them follow the leader (parent or older child) through the house or yard, while playing their instrument. Periodically let them exchange instruments so they each get to try a new one. If you want to do it up right, have them all dress up as their favorite cartoon character.

PUPPET SHOW - Enlist some of the parents' help or hire high school drama students to put on a puppet show. Use your child's favorite book or DVD as your guide. To keep the little ones' attention, remember to use silly voices, lots of expression and movement with the puppets.

PUZZLES - Have little ones put together age-appropriate chunky puzzles with various themes like farm animals, fish bowl, construction, dinosaurs, jungle animals, house pets, shapes, cars, etc. You can pair up an older child or parent with each baby to help and encourage completion.

TREASURE HUNT - Have all of your little ones sit in a big circle and place various toys in the center. The leader, who is a parent or older child, says something like, "(Name), please bring me the gray elephant." Then that child gets up and finds the gray elephant in amongst all the toys. Keep going around the circle until everyone has had an opportunity to get a toy. Be sure there are more toys than there are children so each child will have to make a decision as to which toy is the correct one. Toy ideas to use: blocks, various stuffed animals, trains, airplanes, etc.


GAMES FOR 2 YEAR OLDS WITH A STORY TIME TWIST

This is a great opportunity to implement party games for 2 year olds that will start to quiet down your little crew. Consider a story time "game." The following are just a few examples of games for 2 year olds:

ALPHABET BOOK - Use a large alphabet book that can be seen easily from a distance and that has the letter with a picture. Then you open the book, point to an object, and say, "B" is for and they will try to say whatever the picture represents. In this example, it might be a ball.

TELL ME ABOUT THE PICTURE - Show everyone a picture of an object and ask them questions that pertain to that item. For example, a ball might have these questions:

• What is in this picture?
• What can you do with a ball?
• What color is it?
• What shape is the ball?

STORY TELLING - Have your little ones sit in a circle. Give them each a small stuffed animal as a party favor to hold while the story is being read by an adult in a very animated style.


Games for 2 year olds are a perfect way to create a great party. Just remember to have enough adults to help out, plan your time accordingly, and implement a good mix of games for 2 year olds for a well-rounded affair.




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