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Happy Second Birthday!
Birthday Party Ideas for Your
2-Year-Old
2-Year-Old
By Keath Castelloe Low
One year David threw a "petting zoo" party for this age group. "All the kids came and picked out an animal they wanted to be that day," she says. "We gave them a stuffed animal as a gift and the adults dressed up as various zoo workers. They were vets, zoo keepers, zoo beauty salon workers, zoo exercisers and so on."
The kids went to each station and had their animal's health checked or gave their animal a bandage, David says. "They exercised their animal using parachute games, had their animal groomed or put bows in its hair," she says. After visits to all the stations, the kids enjoyed a special birthday snack with their animals. David says that anytime you can use a child's imagination, there will be fun!
Iovine agrees. Pretend play is very important at this age. "Toddlers at 2 are particularly fascinated by everything that Mom and Dad do," she says. They like to be part of the action. "With their 'me do it' approach to just about everything, babies this age are eager to learn new words and to test the waters of coloring, dancing and music," she says.
Iovine says that color is one of the simplest themes to use for this age group. "Children tend to have a favorite hue and even if they don't, colors are a concept they can grasp," she says.
Dabek tells parents the most important thing to remember is to enjoy yourself. "Don't stress," she says. "This party is as much for the parents as it is for the child at this age. Have fun. Don't worry if your child has a meltdown, refuses to eat cake or is just generally disinterested in the whole event."
Dabek reminds us that toddlers can be unpredictable. "If you relax, have fun and don't set too many expectations for the party, you will have a much happier outcome!" she says.
