Fun Toddler Party Games
Planning a toddler’s birthday party can be challenging. That’s because toddlers are fast-moving bundles of energy that are hard to organize!
They also struggle to learn the rules for some party games – which means all of the activities must be easy-to-learn and entertaining enough to keep the attention of an energetic toddler.
To help you plan a successful toddler’s birthday party, this guide will share 26 toddler party games. These games work well with children as young as 2 years of age and will ensure your party is enjoyable for children and adults alike!
#1 – Sing-a-long
By the time a toddler is 24 months old, they have discovered how much fun dancing, clapping, and singing along to music is.
Although they can’t sing complete songs or understand all of the words to a song, they still have a great time whenever music is being played.
Plan a sing-a-along for both parents and toddlers at the party. Use songs that are simple to learn and memorable, like:
- The Wheels On The Bus
- The Alphabet Song
- Polly, Put The Kettle On
- If You’re Happy
- Six Little Ducks
- Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
- Jack and Jill
- Bingo
- Old McDonald
- Shoo, Fly, Don’t Bother Me
You could even throw a few songs by the Wiggles in there, like the highly addictive Hot Potato. It doesn’t have many words, which makes it ideal for toddlers to sing.
If you can’t remember the words to some of these classic songs, check out this Spotify playlist. Check out these fun toddler song ideas.
#2 – Bubble Popping
Toddlers are fascinated by the new objects they discover in the world around them.
Every time they see a new animal, toy, or musical instrument, they are blown away. However, bubbles are probably the most impressive new object for a toddler to discover.
They are amazed to discover that bubbles can float through the air and be popped with their fingers. You can make the most of this fascination by buying a bubble machine for the party.
Most toddlers will happily spend 10 minutes or more simply chasing and popping bubbles.
To make it even more exciting, you can turn bubble popping into a competition. Award each toddler a prize if they can burst more than 20 bubbles within a minute. Make the number simple to achieve, so they all win a prize.
In addition to using a bubble machine, you could also grab a pack of bubble wands. The children can then run around the party, leaving a trail of bubbles wherever they go.
Check out the Super Joy Bubble Machine or the Chimager Bubble Wands, which are both super affordable options for introducing toddlers to bubbles.
#3 – Balloon Games
Toddlers love balloons as much as they love bubbles! You can take advantage of this fact by running several balloon games at the party. Some of the best balloon games include:
Balloon volleyball
Set up a net in the middle of a room and create two teams of toddlers. Tell them they have to keep the balloon in the air and hit it over the net. If one team lets the balloon hit the ground, the other team wins a point. The first team to 10 points is the winner.
Balloon waddle races
Have the toddlers form teams of two. Each team is given a balloon that they must share.
When you say “Go” one player from each team must place the balloon between their knees, then waddle to the other side of the yard and back. If their balloon pops, they are out.
They will give the balloon to their partner who must also waddle to the other side and back. The teams that come in first, second, and third receive prizes.
Balloon and spoon race
This is a more entertaining version of the egg and spoon race, which is ideal for toddlers. Give each toddler a balloon and a large mixing spoon.
Tell them they have to walk or run to the other side of the yard while balancing their balloon on the spoon.
Their balloon must not hit the ground and if it does, they are out. Hold several races so everyone gets some practice and a chance to win.
Balloon Painting
Toddlers are just discovering how much fun it is to paint, draw, and color in. Have them use their burgeoning artistic skills to draw funny faces on their balloons. This video shares some ideas for the different kinds of faces you can draw.
You can also check out these fun balloon games.
#4 – Musical Bumps
This is a safer alternative to musical chairs, which is more suitable for toddlers.
To play, you will need some music and at least 2 players. Start by having the group dance to some music that is playing. Tell them to be as creative and zany as possible in their dancing.
Tell the toddlers that they must sit down as soon as the music stops playing. Anyone who fails to sit down will be out of the game until the next round. The winner of each round receives a small candy or toy.
#5 – Bottom Shuffle Race
It’s common for babies to learn the “bottom shuffle” before they begin to walk or crawl. They will scoot along on their bottoms, obtaining momentum from leaning forward and backward.
If your group of toddlers remembers how to do a bottom shuffle, have them race one another. All you need is a smooth surface, like tiles or a timber floor, and a finish line. Give all contestants a prize at the end.
#6 – Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are very exciting for toddlers, as they love exploring the world and finding new things. The best part of scavenger hunt games is that they can be played indoors or outside.
To play, you will need to place a collection of random objects around your home. You then give the toddlers clues to find each object in a specific order.
To make the game simpler for toddlers, you can purchase some Toddler Scavenger Hunt Cards. These cards show pictures of the objects that the toddlers need to find around your home.
They can refer to the pictures as they walk around, which makes the game easier to understand.
#7 – Animal Sounds
Two-year-olds are very skilled at mimicking the things they see and hear. This “toddler talent” makes games like Animal Sounds perfect for toddler’s parties.
Start by gathering the toddlers into a group. Explain that they will need to pretend to be the animal that you name when you say “Everyone be a…”
It may help to show the group a short video of the animal in action on your phone or tablet before you shout each one out.
When they are ready, shout out: “Everyone be a lion” or whatever animal you are using. Let them play as this animal for 30 seconds or so, they will have a great time!
My young nieces love being elephants. They enjoy stomping around, making roaring noises and lifting their arms like a pretend trunk. You can also use mythical creatures like fairies, unicorns, and trolls if you prefer.
Need some animal ideas? Check out this list of animals that start with the letter N. We have many more animal game ideas and activities.
#8 – Dance Contests
A dancing contest is a brilliant toddler’s party game because young children love moving about and it will use up a lot of their abundant energy. Play a number of songs and have the kids dance about.
At the end of each song, hand out awards for the most beautiful, most funky, most creative and most energetic dances. Make sure everyone gets a prize.
#9 – The Fishing Game
This is an entertaining game that will keep toddlers busy for quite a while. To play the fishing game, you will need a dozen or more small prizes in wrapping paper with a metal washer attached to each one.
You will also need a “fishing line” which is a rod with some string attached. A magnet is also secured onto the end of the string, so it can pick up the prizes by attaching to the metal washers they contain.
Arrange the prizes on a small tarpaulin or in an empty kid’s swimming pool. Each toddler then gets a turn using the fishing rod in an attempt to pull a prize from the pond. They continue playing until everyone has “caught” a prize.
An alternative to using prizes is to buy a pre-made fishing game like this product from DC-BEAUTIFUL. It consists of a small blow-up pond, 25 plastic fish, 2 fishing rods, and 2 fishing nets.
It is a fun toddler party game that will keep them busy for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
#10 – Pass The Parcel
Pass the parcel is a classic toddler party game that all children love. Prepare for this game by wrapping a prize in at least a dozen layers of newspaper or wrapping paper.
Then, have the children sit in a circle and pass the gift to one another as some music is playing. Whenever you pause the music, the child holding the present gets to unwrap one layer of wrapping paper.
The child who unwraps the last layer gets to keep the prize.
If the group is too young to unwrap a parcel or has members who are likely to throw a tantrum if they miss out on the prize, you could play “Pass The Balloon”.
In this version of the game, children still sit in a circle as they pass a balloon around. When the music is paused, the toddler holding the balloon is allowed to go into the center of the circle and pick a prize out of a bag.
Playing this version of the game makes it easy to ensure that every child gets at least one prize.
#11 – Pin The Tail On The Donkey
The easiest way to play this classic game is to buy a pre-made pin the tail on the donkey set, which contains a donkey poster, donkey tails, and blindfolds.
Because it uses stickers instead of tacks, there is no risk of the toddlers injuring themselves. You just need to attach the poster to a wall, then show the toddlers how to play.
#12 – Party Hats Making
Although this activity is designed for slightly older children, toddlers can still enjoy it with some help from adults or older kids.
It is a party hat-making activity that comes with 12 hats, 3 sheets of cutout eyes/ears/feathers/hands/hair, sticker sheets, 12 pompoms, elastic strings, and double-sided sticky pads.
The toddlers will happily spend 10-15 minutes creating their unique party before proudly wearing it around the party. Check out the Glittery Garden Party Hats Making Activity.
#13 – Carnival Toss Games
By the time a child is two years old, they starting to work on their hand-eye coordination. They can throw objects at short ranges and even makes catches at ‘very’ close range.
Even though they aren’t particularly skilled at throwing and catching, they love doing it.
You can make the most of this by setting up several carnival toss party games. There are several products that are suitable as a toddler’s party game, including:
Unglinga Carnival Toss Game
This combi set contains a large 31.5 x 55 inch toss banner, 12 toss rings, 12 bean bags, and 6 cones. The toddlers can attempt to throw the bean bags through the holes in the poster or toss rings onto the cones.
Prextex 3 in 1 Carnival Outdoor Games Combo Set
This set contains 6 x 9” inch plastic cones, 10 brightly colored bean bags, and 10 x 5” rings. This is a great choice if you are going to make your own toddler activities and just need cones, bags, and rings.
iBaseToy Carnival Games Bean Bag Toss Game
This bean bag toss game is a great choice for 2nd birthday parties. It comes with 10 brightly decorated tins and 3 bean bags.
The front of the tins features zany faces, while the backs have point numbers written on them. You simply stack the tins and give each toddler three throws.
If you wish, you can count the points on the tins that they manage to successfully knock over to see who wins.
#14 – Make-a-Face Activity
This is a super-creative 2nd birthday party activity that toddlers are guaranteed to enjoy. It is a 36 piece sticker set with sheets that contain different faces, eyebrows, mouths, eyes, and various objects.
Participants can choose which components to place on the faces of the Lion, Clownfish, Octopus, Narwhal, Unicorn, Dinosaur, Monkey, Elephant, and Shark included in the set.
They can create some zany combinations and will be happily showing off their work to other people at the party once they finish. Check out the Joyin 36 piece Make-a-Face Sticker Set.
#15 – Pirate Adventures
There are plenty of pirate-themed activities that are ideal for toddler parties. Start by dressing the toddlers up in some pirate-themed clothing, then playing:
Walk the plank
Place a blue tarpaulin on the ground. Next, lay some bricks on the tarpaulin and place lengths of timber across them.
Tell the toddlers that they must pretend they are ‘walking the plank’ and that the tarpaulin represents shark-filled water. If they manage to cross the plank without falling they win a prize.
Give them plenty of chances to get across and if they are very small, hold their hands to help them.
Pirate Duck Throw
Tell the toddlers that their next task is to take down some pirates who happen to also be ducks. Set up some of these pirate duck toys on a box or seat.
The toddlers then take turns throwing water-soaked sponges or bean bags at the pirate ducks in an effort to take them down.
Water war
If your toddler’s party is being held in Summer, why not have a water war between pirate gangs. Divide the group into two and hand out some small water pistols.
You can spruce up the game by defining a base for each team and leaving some pirate ducks there. The toddlers have to brave being drenched by water pistols in an effort to retrieve the enemy’s pirate ducks.
#16 – Parachute Games
Parachute games are the perfect toddler party activity. They are exciting and will keep the toddlers active – using up their abundant energy!
To play parachute games, you will obviously need a parachute. This parachute from Play Platoon is a great choice because of its reasonable size and hand grips.
It also comes with a mesh center for good airflow and carry bag, which makes storage easy. Some of the best parachute games for toddlers include:
Run under the parachute
Despite being a very simple game, toddlers absolutely love it. Gather some adults or older kids around to lift the parachute up and down. The toddlers will need to run from one side to the other.
They have to time it right or they will be squashed by the parachute! Once they run through, they will circle around the outside and line up for another turn.
Ball toss
Have the toddlers grab one of the parachute’s handgrips and place a large bouncy ball on the middle. The toddlers will have to move their side of the parachute up and down to keep the ball from sliding off.
Cat and mouse
This is a fun game that kids of all ages can enjoy. Have the toddlers form a circle around the parachute. You will then call out two names.
The first name is the mouse, the second is the cat. The mouse will go underneath the parachute while the cat goes on top.
The other players will begin to shake the parachute. The mouse will then attempt to crawl under the parachute to the position where the cat was standing.
The cat attempts to grab the mouse from the top side of the parachute. Here is a short video showing a game of cat and mouse in action.
Parachute rides
A parachute can even be used as a mode of transport. Place the parachute on some soft grass or a smooth surface and have a couple of the toddlers sit on it. You can then take them for a quick ride.
Parachute playhouse
Parachutes make setting up a playhouse simple. All you need to do is drape the parachute across some play equipment or boxes and you immediately have a building for the kids to play in.
You can even drape it across a couple of posts to form a tunnel through which the toddlers can drive their trikes, bikes, and scooters.
#17 – Chalk Art
This is a great activity because it is simple to set up and will keep the toddlers busy for a long time.
The idea is simple – give the toddlers some pieces of chalk and let them get creative on a sidewalk or cemented area near your home. You can give the toddlers a task to perform like:
- Draw a picture of the family pet
- Draw yourself pulling a funny face
- Trace an outline of your friends using chalk
- Create roads and drive toy cars along them
#18 – Finger Painting
If you don’t mind the kids getting a little messy, harness their creativity by providing the materials for finger-painting.
This finger-painting set from Lasten is a great choice because the paints are completely non-toxic and eco-friendly. The paint can also be easily removed with soap and water.
Hot tip: If you are worried about the toddlers smearing paint all over themselves, cut some arm holes in trash bags and use them as aprons.
#19 – Duck Duck Goose
Sometimes the best games to play at a toddler’s birthday party are the classics. No matter how many times a toddler has played Duck, Duck, Goose, it’s still fun for them. The rules for Duck, Duck, Goose are simple:
- Start the game by having the children sit in a circle
- Choose one child to go first, they are the “Goose”. They will walk around the circle touching the head of the other children. They will say “Duck” every time they touch someone and eventually, they say “Goose”.
- When the Goose says “Goose”, the toddler he touched must get up and try to catch the Goose as he runs around the circle. The Goose must reach the empty spot in the circle where the player they nominee was sitting before they are tagged.
- If the original Goose is caught, he will sit in the middle of the circle until another person is tagged. The child who was chosen to be the new Goose will get to walk around the circle and the game starts again
#20 – Hide and Go Seek
Hide and Go Seek is a classic party game for a reason! It never fails to excite young children, especially toddlers who are learning how to play for the first time. The rules are simple.
At the start of the round, a player is nominated as“It”. The “It” player will count backward from 30 (toddlers will need help with this).
As they are counting, the other players are looking for places to hide. Once the count reaches zero, the “It” player will begin searching for the other players.
The first player they find will be “It” in the next round. The last player they find will be the winner of the round.
You can make the game easier for toddlers by having the players that are found help the “It” player locate the rest of the players.
#21 – Freeze Dance
Freeze Dance is a simple game that toddlers can’t get enough of. Participants will start dancing to some music (the crazier the dance the better).
Whenever the music is paused, they must freeze in their current position. Any dancers that continue moving after the music is paused will be out. The winner is the last person on the dance floor.
#22 – What’s The Time Mr. Wolf?
This is another traditional kid’s party game that most children will play countless times as they grow up. Teaching it to toddlers for the first time can be a little challenging, but they should pick it up after seeing other kids playing.
Start by selecting a player to be “Mr Wolf”. Mr Wolf stands at the opposite end the playing area, facing away from the other players. The players will ask Mr Wolf “What is the time Mr Wolf?”. Mr Wolf will respond in one of two ways.
The first way he can respond is by calling a clock time (like 5 O’Clock). If he does so, the other players will take that many steps forward.
As they do so, they will count. So, if he said 5 O’Clock, they will yell out “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” as they take their steps.
The other way Mr Wolf can respond is by saying “Dinner Time!”. When he does so, the players must turn and run towards their starting point. Mr Wolf will chase them and attempt to tag players.
If he manages to tag anyone, they will be “Mr Wolf” for the next round.
#23 – Piñata Games
What’s a party without the Piñata game? Hitting a Piñata combines two of a toddler’s favorite activities – hitting things and eating candy!
To play, all you need is a piñata that is filled with candy and toys (or healthier treats if you prefer), some string to hang the piñata, a plastic bat to hit the piñata, and a blindfold.
Blindfold one of the toddlers and spin them around a few times. Hand them the plastic bat and direct them towards the location of the piñata verbally.
After they have had a few swings, give someone else a turn. Once the piñata is broken, the toddlers will rush in and grab their prize.
It’s often useful to keep some prizes in a separate bowl so you can give them to any toddlers who miss out in the rush.
#24 – Make Like A Shark
Toddlers have a fantastic imagination that makes games like Make Like a Shark a lot of fun to play. To play this game, lay a blanket on the ground and have the toddlers walk or dance on it as the music plays.
Pause the music randomly and yell out “Shark!”. When you do so, the toddlers need to jump onto the safety of the blanket as quickly as possible.
You will then run around the edge of the blanket and nibble on (tickle) any body parts that are off the blanket.
Players that are nibbled are out until the next round. You can make the game more challenging by folding the blanket in half every couple of rounds. The last toddler on the blanket becomes the next shark.
#25 – Dress Ups
A fun party game is dress-ups. Simply gather a big bag of old hats, scarves, sunglasses, shirts, dresses, costumes, and other items.
Have the kids dress themselves in crazy combinations. They will have a lot of fun and the parents at the party will find it hilarious.
#26 – Crafts area
The final toddler party game on the list is the crafts corner. This is a very simple activity: Pick a corner of your space, lay out papers, markers, stickers, or coloring books, and let the toddlers freely play and have fun.
TIP – Make the coloring pages based on the theme of the party to keep everything connected.
I hope you enjoyed reading these 2nd Birthday Party Ideas and Fun game ideas.
