Second Birthday Party Ideas

Your child learned a lot and grew by leaps and bounds between one and two years of age, so the second birthday party is going to be a little different from the first. But throwing the perfect second birthday party will be easy when you follow these tips:

1. Keep in mind that the point of a birthday party is to get family and friends together to be with your child. It is not a competition with other moms and it is not a race to see who can have the most professional looking party. Keep your sanity and your enjoyment level in mind when you start planning.

2. As you’re planning your child’s second birthday party you’ll want to keep his or her abilities and limitations in mind. Two years old is still too early to have a full blown birthday party with lots of friends. Your child is learning to play with others but he or she is still too young to truly enjoy the company of peers. It’s wise to keep your guest list small. Invite close family and friends and no more than two other children your child’s age. This way you won’t have too much chaos at your party location.

3. Having your party at home is the easiest way to keep things under control. However, if you feel like your house isn’t big enough for a party, you can use the local park or a recreation center. Parties at corporate child-themed play centers can get expensive and you won’t be able to enjoy any time with your child. Often the activities are geared for kids who are much older than your child.

4. Some people choose a theme by selecting their child’s favorite television character. It’s easy to go this route, but if you want to be a little bit more creative, you can come up with your own homemade theme. Two-year-olds generally aren’t old enough to insist on a character party, so you can easily plan something around their favorite activities or interests. Pick something that your child loves, like music, colors or dinosaurs, and then run with that theme.

Some other two year old party themes are:
* Barn/farm animals
* Cats and dogs
* Jungle animals
* Pirates
* Garden (with butterflies and flowers)
* Gnomes and Fairies

5. Once you’ve got your theme, you can start to plan activities. Toddlers enjoy activity stations that can let them wander from place to place. These are easy to set up and really suit this age group because they don’t have to follow instructions. Arrange two to three different stations that parents can help out with. Consider a station with toys, a game station and a coloring station. This way the kids will be entertained and the parents can get involved too. Find coupons for discount craft supplies here and discount art supplies here. And check here for coupons on award winning educational programs and activities.

6. Your party shouldn’t last more than two to three hours. If your child takes regular naps, you can schedule the party for in between the first and second nap. If they vary from day to day, a party in the late afternoon will work best. No matter what type of party you plan, it will be a special event!


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February 17, 2009 | Filed Under Home

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