Great Toddler Party Games And Activities!

Photo courtesy of: Banna

TODDLER PARTY GAMES - MUSICAL ACTION SONGS

Toddlers 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 toddlers sit in a circle so they can easily see the leader. For the following toddler party games, have each of their parents nearby so they can help their child with the words and movements.

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)

FIVE LITTLE DUCKS

5 little ducks went out one day (Flap arms and waddle)
Over the hills and far away, (Wave hand over the hill)
Mommy (daddy) duck said Quack! Quack! Quack! (Make quack movements with hands and quack sound with mouth)
But only 4 little ducks came back. (Flap arms and waddle)

4 little ducks went out one day (Flap arms and waddle)
Over the hills and far away, (Wave hand over the hill)
Mommy (daddy) duck said Quack! Quack! Quack! (Make quack movements with hands and quack sound with mouth)
But only 3 little ducks came back. (Flap arms and waddle)

3 little ducks went out one day (Flap arms and waddle)
Over the hills and far away, (Wave hand over the hill)
Mommy (daddy) duck said Quack! Quack! Quack! (Make quack movements with hands and quack sound with mouth)
But only 2 little ducks came back. (Flap arms and waddle)

2 little ducks went out one day (Flap arms and waddle)
Over the hills and far away, (Wave hand over the hill)
Mommy (daddy) duck said Quack! Quack! Quack! (Make quack movements with hands and quack sound with mouth)
But only 1 little ducks came back. (Flap arms and waddle)

1 little ducks went out one day (Flap arms and waddle)
Over the hills and far away, (Wave hand over the hill)
Mommy (daddy) duck said Quack! Quack! Quack! (Make quack movements with hands and quack sound with mouth)
But no little ducks came back. (Flap arms and waddle)

HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

Put both hands on part of body as they are mentioned. Keep repeating verse and speeding up each you do.

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 toddlers do each of the motions, as they are mentioned.

ITSY BITSY SPIDER

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout. (Alternate touching the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other.)

Down came the rain, and washed the spider out. (Hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers as you lower the hands.)

Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain. (Bring both hands up and then to the sides to sweep out a semicircle [the sun]. then wiggle the fingers upwards to show the rain drying in the sun.)

And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again. (Alternate touching the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other.)

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town.

Substitute the following:

The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish...
The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep...
The money in the box goes Clink, clink, clink...
The driver on the bus says, "Move on back..."
The baby on the bus says "Wah, wah, wah..."
The mommy on the bus says, "Shush, shush, shush..."
The doors on the bus go open and shut...
The bell on the bus goes Ding, ding, ding...
The lady on the bus says, "Get off my feet"...
The people on the bus say, "We had a nice ride..."
"Your name" on the bus says, Let Me Off!...


TODDLER PARTY GAMES - NURSERY RHYME SEE AND SAY

For hundreds of years, toddlers have loved to recite nursery rhymes. When you add objects relating to the rhyme for them to handle, it makes all the fun come alive. For the following toddler party games, have the toddlers sit in a semi-circle so they can easily see the leader. Have each of their parents nearby so they can help their child with the words and keep the objects moving. The following are just a few examples of toddler party games that are appropriate for this age:

TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

As the toddlers recite this rhyme, have them pass stars to one another. You can make them from card stock decorated with glitter glue.

MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

As the toddlers recite this rhyme, have them pass silver bells and cockle shells (clam shells) to one another.

ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE

One, two, buckle my shoe.
Three, four, knock at the door.
Five, six, pick up sticks.
Seven, eight, lay them straight.
Nine, ten, a big fat hen.

As the toddlers recite this rhyme, have them pass around children's shoes that have buckles.

HICKORY, DICKORY, DOCK

Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.

As the toddlers recite this rhyme, have them pass around a stuffed toy mouse and a clock to one another.

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

BUBBLE BLOWING - Have the adults blow the bubbles while the toddlers chase after them, trying to catch or pop them. Also, be sure to give the toddlers 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 the toddlers take turns getting into the center of the pool, while an adult slowly lifts the hoop up to encase the toddler in a great big bubble.

WATER BALLOON TOSS - Partner up the toddlers and have them try to gently toss a water balloon back and forth to their partner. After each toss have them take a step back from each other and see who can throw the farthest without breaking their balloon.


TODDLER PARTY GAMES - MISCELLANEOUS

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

HIDE AND SEEK - To start the game, have the birthday toddler be "It." Have all the other toddlers go hide Parents can help them find "good" hiding places or hide with them in case a toddler doesn't want to be left alone. Meanwhile, "It" will slowly count to 10 with the help of a parent and then yell, "Ready or not, here I come!" The last person to be discovered shall be "It." If "It" has trouble finding the hiding toddlers, feel free to give them clues.

RED ROVER, RED, ROVER - Split the toddlers into 2 teams and have each team hold hands with their teammates. Have the first team call out, "Red rover, red rover, send [name of player on opposite team] right over."

The person called out shall run to the other line and try to break through 2 players' hands (link) to be able to stay on their own team. If they don't break the chain, then they must join the other team. When only 1 player is left on a team, they must try and break through a link. If they don't succeed, the other team wins.

HIDDEN TREASURE - Hide various items and have the toddlers search for them. Also, give the toddlers an opportunity to hide the items and let the adults look for them.

BALL TOSS - Line up some pails and have the toddlers take turns trying to toss the balls into the pails. You can also use laundry baskets with larger balls.

MUSICAL ANIMALS - Play some music and when it stops, have the toddlers 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.

FOLLOW THE LEADER PARACHUTE STYLE - Use either a large piece of fabric or a sheet as the parachute. An adult serves as the leader and the toddlers do as the leader commands. For example:

• "Walk" - Everyone holds onto the parachute and walks around in a circle.

• "Touch the floor" - Everyone puts their end of the parachute down to the ground.

• "Touch the sky" - Everyone brings their end of the parachute up as high as they can go.

• "Wave" - Everyone flaps the parachute in the air.

• "Go Under" - Everyone gets under the parachute.

• "Run" - Everyone holds onto the parachute and runs around in a circle.

FOLLOW THE LEADER MUSICAL STYLE - Play music in the background. An adult serves as the leader and the toddlers 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

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

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 the toddlers sit in a semi-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.

PRINTABLE TODDLER GAMES

Here's a fantabulous selection of printable toddler birthday party games, which are a great party add-on to just about any theme.

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Fun Toddler Party Games!

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Clever Toddler Activities is a great site, not only chocked full of additional games for toddlers, but also provides suggestions for fun toddler projects and stories, along with parenting tips and hints.