Children age 2, 3 and 4 years old are often very good at entertaining themselves but also need to be offered simple activities to keep them occupied especially at birthday parties were there are lots of little bodies in one place. Here you'll find some fun entertainment ideas to keep those little hands busy and to make your birthday party a load of fun for all.
1) Let's Blow Bubbles - This is an easy way to entertain young children. Moms and Dads can hold the bottles of bubble solution and the children can dip the wands into the mixture and have fun blowing bubbles. This can be done inside the house or as an outdoor activity.
2) Stickers - Give each child a sheet of paper with a picture on it. It could be something you've drawn out and printed or it could be a page from a coloring book. Another option is to give them a small notebook or coloring book from the dollar store that they can fill with stickers. It's a well known fact that children love to peel off stickers and apply them to things. (Usually items that parents would rather they didn't stick them too) lol
Here you can find a great selection of stickers that come in sheets of 20, you could even cut them into sections and give each child a certain number to use. That way they would get a nice variety to play with.
3.) Let's Color - You can offer coloring books and crayons, erasable markers, or even paint if you have the space and can make easy clean up of this. Poster board can be used on easels or you can cover a table in craft paper and let the children draw all over it to their hearts content. If your birthday party has a theme or color purchase papers to match your color scheme, it can add a bright decorative affect.
4.) Non-Toxic Slime - It's no surprise that kids of this age love to get their hands dirty. Have children sit at a table covered with a plastic tablecloth or plastic placemats that can be easily cleaned. Give each child some colored slime that you have made up before hand. Let them stretch it, mold it and play with it as long as they like. The little girl in this video below is the cutest ever and proof that little kids will love playing with this fluffy slime.
5.) Playdough - A little different than slime, a childhood favorite playdough can be bought or made at home. There are some great recipes where you can learn how to make colorful, soft homemade playdough. We also know how 2, 3 and 4 year olds still like to put things in their mouths. Aha, there are edible playdough recipes to handle that! How fun to tell kids they can shape their dough into cookie or candy shapes and actually nibble on them.