I've got 12 two year olds coming for a party on Sunday and it's forecast for snow!

[glamourbadger]

I was planning to turn them out into the garden - we have a slide, sand table, ball pond, etc to keep them amused. Any idea of what to do inside? We have quite a large kitchen space so I could bring the sand indoors, or am I just asking for trouble?

This is the first party I have ever organised so not really sure what to do. They seem too young for the traditional party games, TBH I don't think they would really understand games like pass the parcel.

Any advice gratefully received!

They love chasing balloons - not helium ones becasue those pesky things just float to the ceiling. I'd have the ball pond in doors rather than the sand pit. For DS2's 3rd birthday I bought a £9 disco lights ball and a bubble machine from Woollies stuck on a boppy CD and they loved dancing and chasing balloons and bubbles. Also decorate biscuits/gingerbread men. We have had a bouncy castle as late as November - only the supervising adults were cold!
They might get musical bumps. Dance stop the music fall on your bottom -easy.

First rule of a party - make sure some of the parents stay, the more the merrier. Is any of the parents brilliant at games/music? Enlist their help.

The sand in the kitchen - nooooooo - sheet of old wallpaper & crayons, perhaps. I used to get some papaer plates & get them to draw faces, stick on wool for hair etc.

I would try to keep the los out of the kitchen tbh, so that you can get the food ready in peac, have the table all set up in advance and bring them in to eat.

Don't forget the jellies!

Snow would be brilliant - shove them out in the garden to catch snowflakes in their tongues! That game can last AGES

Oh, and second rule - limit it to two hours max.

Most 2year olds don't get any games IMO. Apart from a grown up dressing as a bear and chasing them about, they like that.

Balloons and ball pool are good. Have you got ride-along toys you can bring inside? Or just bring out your other toys and let them rummage.

Chocolate button hunts round the living room have always been successful for us.

Feed them earlier rather than later, it's the main point of a party for most 2 year olds and they are calmer after food.

lol!
/Sneaks into thread to remark...
I read it backwards as 2 twelve year olds. I really couldn't work out why you thought a sand table would be particularly appropriate

I always buy a couple of huge paper tablecloths, move the furniture to the sides of the room. Lay the tablecloths on the floor and set it up like a picnic. The kids then sit arouns it. At the end roll the whole lot - including half chewed sandwiches, paper cups etc, into a big ball and throw it all into a black bag. hey presto tidy room again. Tiny amounts of juice or water in cups or buy those plastic lids that you can stick a straw through.

OhYouBadKitten, me too. lol

Was thinking, three kids, what's the fuss?

thanks for the ideas. Might just keep it simple with some biscuit icing in one room and toys in the other!

Sounds great. I'm almost tempted to ask for an invitation...

btw I too read it as two 12 yr olds. Wonder why so many of us read it that way?