Fun "experience" gift for a 2 year old?
My best friend’s baby is turning two in a couple weeks, and my husband and I want to give him (and subsequently his parents) an experience gift. Like we would take him to the zoo or whatever. His has a million brightly colored plastic toys, and we want to give them a gift as well as they just had a new baby. He goes to the zoo all the time, so we want something a bit different. We live in Seattle, if that helps.
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Is there a Build-A-Bear near you?
What about an indoor jumpy place?
Build-A-Bear is tons of fun, but can get a bit pricey. The animal itself, without stuffing or clothes, can be as much as $30.
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@ChocolateReigns True, but that doesn’t seem obscene for a best friend’s child to me. Zoo admission, train ride, lunch, etc can be at least that much.
The Seattle center has a children’s museum that is fun, although two might be a bit young. There is another in Olympia that might be fun—right across from the Capitol. Also in Seattle is a little park at University Village for younger children. And in Volunteer park, a great wading pool for young children, when it finally gets warm (will that ever happen?). Thinking about this, though, the “experience” for a two year old is just being with you and being happy. Going to the beach on Lake Washington and playing in the sand might do the trick.
A great gift that my grandchild has enjoyed for countless hours are “magnitiles” with which she builds endless different designs. The age for enjoyment of this will stretch throughout childhood.
You live on a coast. Take him fishing. The interesting thing about fishing is that catching fish tends to be almost an anti-climax. The fun part tends to be everything surrounding the fishing: getting up in the darkness before morning, hunting for the worms with a flashlight and a spade, finding a good, secluded spot where fish are likely to hide, and then quiet, ruminative conversation until they start biting. And if you’re lucky enough to actually catch something, I promise you that a live, flapping fish will be the most astounding thing a two year old has ever seen. And if you’re adventurous, you can show the kid how a fish is gutted and cleaned, teaching what’s likely an urbanized youngster the reality that “meat” doesn’t grow in styrofoam in a supermarket cooler.
The kid most likely will not remember the event when they are older so I would just him to a park with lots of slides and swings or the beach and let him play in the sand. Give the parents the afternoon off which is something they will remember! lol!
Is there an aquarium near you? We had a membership to the aquarium the year my son turned 2 and we all loved to go. Or maybe a day at an amusement park?
We’ve been taking our little ones to Chuck E Cheese. They love it.
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