5 Winter Toddler Birthday Party Ideas (That Won’t Break the Bank)

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A few weeks back my oldest daughter turned 2, and since we weren’t able to have a first birthday party for her (thanks, covid), I wanted to make sure this one was special, but I also didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars to rent a space at an indoor waterpark or bounce house center. I’ve seen some really fun, creative ideas for kids’ birthday parties on Pinterest, but almost all of them were outdoor activities, so I went to Instagram to ask for some winter/indoor-friendly ideas. Most of the responses I got were requests to share what others said because apparently I was not alone in not knowing what to do with my kid’s winter birthday, so I thought I’d go ahead and share some ideas that worked for us and some that we’ll likely use in the future too! 

Our daughter has been obsessed with dinosaurs since she was about 18 months, so we decided on a “Two-Rex” theme for her birthday. But even if you don’t want to do a dinosaur-themed party, I think most of these ideas can be adapted to fit tons of different themes. 

1. DIY Ring Toss

This one was probably the biggest hit for all the kids at the party (ranging in ages 1-11). We did a “Tricera-toss” which I found on Pinterest. I bought a pack of party hats, some glow stick bracelets, and a foam board from Dollar Tree. I then inexpertly painted something that sort of resembled a triceratops, duct-taped the hats on the foam board, and voila, the “Tricera-toss” was made. It was not the most beautiful, but it got the job done! Weeks later, my toddler still wants to play this game.

Ways to adapt for a different theme:

• Jungle theme: Rhino toss
• Frozen/Winter theme: Olaf/snowman toss 
• Princess theme: Unicorn toss
• Beach/Under the Sea theme: Narwhal toss

2. Hat decorating 

This was another Pinterest find, and it was so much fun! We called them “paleontologist hats,” but I bought these safari hats on Amazon and loaded up on letter and dinosaur stickers at Dollar Tree. The kids loved decorating these with their names and favorite dinosaurs. Some even used markers to draw pictures on their hats too! This was a little less fun for the older kids, but the toddlers and lower elementary kids had a blast with them. 

Ways to adapt for a different theme:

• Jungle theme: safari hats (that’s what these were intended to be, after all)
• Construction theme: Hard hats
• Firefighter theme: Fireman hats
• Any theme: grab some old-fashioned party hats and some stickers to go with your theme

3. Egg hunt

The idea for a dino egg hunt came from my friend, Elizabeth. We bought a giant bunch of easter eggs (we did not use them all and will now be set for Easter as well) and stuffed them with some candy and these small dinos. It was a huge hit and helped the kids burn off some energy while still being inside. We did have a pretty big space to work with, but it could definitely be doable in a smaller space. Since we had kids of a lot of different ages at our party, hiding the eggs while the little ones decorated hats was a great way to involve the older kids. We also had the kids use their hats as a container for the eggs they found, which I thought was pretty practical. 

Ways to adapt for a different theme:

• I honestly think you could do this with any theme. Obviously, not every animal hatches from eggs, but I don’t think any kids would care about that. If you really want to step up your game and have older kids, you could do more of a scavenger hunt, too!

4. Giant Coloring Page 

This was another idea from my friend Elizabeth (she is seriously the best!), and it was honestly my favorite because it’s still keeping my kids occupied weeks later. Linked here is the dinosaur coloring poster we used.  

I also found these dino molds and made dinosaur crayons for the kids to use on the big coloring page and as party favors. It was relatively simple, albeit time-consuming. I peeled the paper off the crayons and broke them into smaller bits so they’d fit in the molds, and put them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until they looked melted. Before popping them out of the molds, I let them harden for probably an hour or two. They turned out so cute. I will say that I 100% recommend using Crayola crayons because the cheap ones took FOREVER to melt and didn’t turn out as well as the Crayola ones did.

You can definitely find various silicone molds that might fit your theme as well!

Ways to adapt for a different theme:

• Jungle/Animals coloring poster
• Unicorns coloring poster
• Under the sea coloring poster
• Mermaids coloring poster

5. Sensory tables/activity bins

This idea came from a friend who had an Under the Sea theme for her kids’ party, and we thought about using it this time around but decided to save it for next time. Many of us already have water/activity tables that our kids use, so why not put them to use at their birthday parties? There are so many different options, depending on how messy you and your party guests are willing to get! I would definitely recommend laying down a tarp, trash bags, or disposable table cloth under any activity tables for the inevitable mess that will be made. 

• Dino party: dino dig with sand (you could also blend up some Cheerios for taste-safe sand!)
• Under the sea: sandcastles, dig for sea creatures, find the seashells
• Construction zone with toy bulldozers, cranes, and sand (or taste-safe “dirt” from blended chocolate cookies/Oreos)
• “Car wash” for toy trucks and cars
• A swimming pool or ball pit (dry beans or Orbeez would be great “balls” for dolls or small figurines) for your child’s favorite characters. 

If you don’t have a water table, you could easily do this with an under-the-bed storage bin, too! 

Indoor parties for winter birthdays don’t have to be lame, and you certainly don’t have to spend tons of money on renting an indoor playground or waterpark. We had tons of fun at our toddler’s mostly DIY party!

Have any other winter party ideas? Leave a comment, shoot me an email, or hit me up @theanxiousmom.diaries on Instagram! Hope to hear from you soon!