Do you have a child or children with a birthday coming up who love dinosaurs? Then, why not use that passion to create the ultimate dinosaur birthday party?
What is a Dino Drama Scene and why do I need one!?
Playful Dinosaur scenes are a fabulous way to add a fun surprise to celebrations! These cute scenes are also a wonderful way to build community and show love!
Creativity, storytelling, crafting…
Dinosaur scenes are fun way to bond with family and friends or build community. Display them on your front door denoting there's a celebration going on! Use Safari Ltd dinosaur figurines (or other Safari Ltd animals) to style playful drama scenes for birthdays, graduations, retirements… or just a sincere thank you to essential workers delivering your mail and packages. The figurines that you use can also double as a special bonus gifts!
Party Planning Overview
So, where to begin with this idea?
Colors
Firstly, when you think of dinosaurs, you don’t think of bright yellows and reds. You think of more natural, muted tones. When choosing napkins, balloons, and table covers, or even when ordering the cake, try to ensure that the colors are natural and harmonious. Try for greens, browns, and oranges, mixed with muted yellows (like sand) and terracotta.
Decorations
If possible, consider adding faux or live ferns to the space. These will add a prehistoric vibe and enhance the visual appeal of the dinosaurs. If the party is being held in the summer, consider holding it outside in a yard, where there will be plenty of greenery to enhance the ambiance. If the party is being held in the fall or winter, try to make the space look as green as possible, and consider sticking paper volcanoes on the walls to set the vibe.
A DIY Dino-mite Birthday Surprise
Materials:
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Dinosaurs (or other animal) figurines from Safari Ltd that go with your kiddo's birthday theme
- We used the following Safari Ltd dinosaur figurines:
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Mini Party Hat templates
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Mini Party Banner template
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Mini Gift Bag/box templates
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Tray or cookie sheet
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3 Gift Boxes/Craft Boxes/hat boxes with removable lids
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You will need 1 small, 1 medium and 1 large box to stack
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Cakes are various shapes, and so you can use any shape of boxes that you want. Just make sure that all of your boxes are the SAME shape.
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Scrapbook paper if you are decorating boxes
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Tissue Paper
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Wooden Skewers or Straws to hold banner
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Thin ribbon or string
Procedure:
- Print all of the templates that you will need on card stock or decorative paper
- Cut out templates and follow assembly directions (listed on template forms)
- Dress the dinosaurs in party hats
- Decorate craft boxes (if needed: I used scrapbook paper to decorate)
- Put lids on medium and large boxes. Assemble the large, medium, and small boxes into a stack.
- Hot glue the medium box onto the large box lid and the small box onto the medium box lid.
- Hot glue or tape wooden skewers or straws standing up like poles (to hold banner) to opposite sides on the inside of the small box.
- Stuff tissue paper in the small box
- Add Dinosaurs “popping” out of the small box
- Add other Dinosaurs in various positions around and on the box “cake.”
- Add mini presents and gift bags (I glued ribbon on mine and had the dinosaurs hold them in their mouths) to the scene.
- Deliver that Dinosaur Scene to your family, friend, neighbor or community hero or leave it for them as a surprise!
Party Activities
No, you don’t have to put Jurassic Park on the TV. There are many other ways to incorporate the dinosaur theme into the activities at your child's party.
Dinosaur Masks
Simple and fun! Get some plain dinosaur-shaped masks, and then crack out the paint, pens, or felt. This is a great way to set the party's theme up and is a gift that the kids can take home.
Dinosaur Egg Hunt
Okay, think Easter egg hunt, but with dinosaur eggs! If you are having the party indoors, you can place the eggs around the entire home. A fun twist on this is to place some of the dinosaur eggs in a nest, and underneath, a few small toy dinosaurs, as if some of the eggs have hatched!
Pin the Tail on the T-Rex
An interesting twist on the traditional ‘pin the tail on the donkey,’ all you have to do is print a cartoon image of a T-Rex, print the tail, and stick it to some cardboard. It's fun and it will likely keep the younger kids engaged.
Food/Menu Ideas
For a kid's dinosaur birthday party, the food is crucial. It needs to be fun, bite-sized, and dinosaur-themed. Pretty simple!
The Cake
There are so many dinosaur-themed cakes that you will likely be able to grab one at your local grocery store. If you are ordering the cake, be sure to inform the decorator of the theme and select the color palette mentioned earlier. Or why not try your hand at making muffins, with a thick icing on the top in the shape of a volcano? If you are really skilled at baking, you can try to create fossil cookies.
Or consider cupcakes with little dino figurines!
Savory Items
You have to get some chicken dinosaurs, which can look great when paired with different dips and dressings. Add a lot of greens, such as broccoli and cucumber, to make the entire table look greener and to highlight the dinosaurs.
Drinks
Create your own swamp or dinosaur punch by mixing Sprite, lemonade, pineapple juice, and lemon-lime Kool-Aid drink mix. Refreshing, tasty, and the perfect addition to a dinosaur party!
Party Favors
Check out our Dino TOOB for easy party favors that will be a guaranteed hit! There are so many options for party favors that it can be overwhelming for parents to choose a suitable option for their kid's dinosaur birthday party.
Stretchy Dinosaurs
Much like the stretchy, sticky toys that can be thrown at a wall and stuck, there are bulk options to buy these toys in the shapes of dinosaurs for an affordable price. A fun reminder of the party that the children will actually play with.
Dinosaur Bubbles
Think of the bubble blowers that were given out as party favors in the 1990s, make the tops dinosaur-shaped, and you are on the right path. These are simple, affordable, and fun for all kids who attended the party, and they come in a range of colors.
Hatching Dinosaur Eggs
What kid doesn’t want their own hatching dinosaur egg? Again, these come in bulk, and all the kids need to hatch the eggs is water. They also come with their instruction manual and provide a cute reminder of the party, without breaking the bank.
Decoration Strategies
This was briefly touched on in the party planning section, but here are some additional ideas to make your home or backyard feel like a prehistoric jungle for your kids' party.
Dinosaur Tail Chairs
Okay, so this will require some skill, but it will produce some amazing photos!
When the kids go to the table to eat, and each has their own chair, you can attach a cardboard or paper dinosaur tail to the back of the chairs. Try to avoid using the same colors, as this can be a bit boring. If you have a bit more money, you can buy fabric versions of these chair backs, which can be placed over the chair and will also make for a personalized and fun party favor.
Fossil Pit
This is ideal for parties held both inside and outside. All you need is a sandpit, with some plastic (or real) fossils, and some plastic spades. This is not only a fun activity for the kids to participate in, but it also gives them a toy to take home, and it creates an interesting decorative piece that allows them to play at being a dinosaur bone hunter. It’s simpler than expecting them to be able to pronounce palaeontologist!
Dinosaur Footprints
A final option to decorate the space is to place dinosaur footprints on the floor of your home. This is straightforward, and they can be coloured or painted black to give the impression of imprints. You can download stencils online, print them, paint them, and stick them to the floor of your home with sticky tape. Easy to remove and can be a great way to lead the kids from the front door to the party area.
Supply/Resource Lists
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/curations/dinosaur-fun
- https://myblahblahblahg.com/diy-dinosaur-birthday-party-ideas-for-a-rawring-good-time/
- https://justfamilyfun.com/printble-pin-the-tail-on-the-dinosaur/
- https://www.organizedmom.net/dinosaur-birthday-party-ideas/
- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slingshot-Dinosaur-Stretchy-Christmas-Childrens