Few things thrill your little ones as much as dinosaurs! Boys and girls both love the enormous, fascinating creatures of the past. So whether you have a three-year-old who has memorized the names of every dinosaur known to man or an eleven-year-old who plans to become a paleontologist, you can explore so many fun, affordable dino options for decor, games, and more.
Dinosaur Birthday Party Theme Ideas
You can get as silly or as extra as you want with a dinosaur birthday party theme! For one thing, terrible dino puns abound. Do you want to have a “dino-mite” party? Or how about a “dino-roars” party? Of course, you can also set up more serious parties based on cool activities like a fossil hunt for older kids.
Check out a few fun and silly theme ideas below!
- Set yourself up for success with a silly dinosaur pun theme like “Have a Dino-Mite 4th Birthday” or “Dino-Roars Happy Birthday.” Or how about a “Three-Rex” party for a three-year-old?
- One fun way to entertain even very young guests is to host a dinosaur egg hunt birthday party. Set everything up like you would an Easter Egg hunt, but put dino stickers and prizes in the plastic eggs!
- Are you looking for a unique party theme? Journey back to the Land Before Time with your guests by holding a movie party! You can rent a movie theater or set up your own backyard movie night by watching this easy tutorial from BuzzFeed Nifty.
- For older kids, a Jurassic park theme will keep everyone on the edge of their seats. You can create your own Jurassic World in the backyard or even buy premade Jurassic World party kits like this one!
- If your birthday person loves science, why not throw a paleontology-themed dino party? You can add all sorts of fun activities, like a fossil hunt in the sandbox or a scavenger hunt quest.
- Your little one will also love a basic dino theme with no clever puns or movie tie-ins! Just put up some dinosaur balloons, buy a set of dinosaur tableware, and focus on creating fun games and activities. You can hang a “Happy Dino-Birthday” banner up if you want, too!
Dinosaur Birthday Party Invitation Ideas
You can create your own free, printable dinosaur party invites in just a few minutes. Or you can design a digital invite and email it out to save on the postage!
- On PosterMyWall, you can select from thousands of dinosaur themes, including a Jurassic World option.
- GreetingIsland offers a good variety of cute dino invites.
- On PaperlessPost you can use ready-made dino templates, or get creative by uploading photos and your own images.
Dinosaur Birthday Party Decoration Ideas
Dinosaur decorations give you a lot of scope for the imagination. You could go crazy and transport your home back to the Cretaceous period by adding lots of potted ferns and some vibrant backdrops if you want, or you can stick with a few dinosaur balloons and call it a day.
- You can’t go wrong keeping it basic. If you don’t have a lot of time, get yourself all set up with a party decor kit like this dinosaur balloon extravaganza or this practical set of tablecloths, napkins, and tableware, all on theme!
- To make the easiest dino headgear imaginable, cut out headbands of construction paper to fit your child’s head. Next, tape a long strip of paper up and over, so that it will form a dome over the top of the head and then hang partway down the child’s back. Finally, tape on triangles down the length of that long strip, like the spikes on a dino’s back! If you do not have time for tape and construction paper, you can also buy a cute set here.
- For centerpieces, fill bowls with sand or pebbles. Place authentic-looking dino eggs in the bowl, and then stick a plastic mommy dino in to watch over the eggs!
- Create a “rawr-some” photo booth by drawing a dino head with a big open mouth on a piece of cardboard. Kids can stick their heads in the open mouth for a photo op! You can also buy much more realistic-looking models like this one if you prefer.
- Buy a bunch of cheap plastic dinosaurs at the Dollar Store and spray paint them a fun color, like neon pink or bright green. Then march them in a row down the middle of your dining room table or through the food table.
- For an easy, creative dinosaur party backdrop, buy an armful of those long ivy or greenery strands you can get in the fake flower aisle of a craft store. Use painter’s tape to hang them to a wall like an ivy curtain. Then add a cutout dino head, or cut out some three-toed dino footprints from black paper to disappear into the curtain!
Dinosaur Birthday Party Food Ideas
No dinosaur birthday party is complete without some tasty dino-themed snacks!
- If you want something a little extra to wow both your kid and grown-up guests, carve a watermelon into a dinosaur head! Watch this short tutorial from MyKindaArt to learn how.
- Keep it low-key by giving every guest a chocolate pudding cup with an awesome edible topping like these Haribo gummies or these realistic-looking sugar dinos.
- Use dinosaur-shaped cookie cutters to cut out adorable finger sandwiches. Of course, you could also make dino-shaped cookies with the cutters!
- Give ordinary food cute labels, like “dino eggs” for a grape platter, “dinosaur claws” for a bowl of Bugles, “dino bones” for small cupfuls of yogurt-covered pretzels, or “dino scales” for a bowl of potato chips.
- You could also theme the food table with a sign on each platter for a certain type of dinosaur. For example, put a picture of an herbivore-type dino like a stegosaurus in front of the veggie platter, and a picture of a t-rex behind a plate of chicken nuggets.
Dinosaur Birthday Party Cake Ideas
Whether you like the simplicity of cupcakes or you live for decorating massive three-layer cakes, you can find all kinds of cute dinosaur cake ideas to finish off the festivities!
- You can make a Pinterest-worthy dinosaur cake in just a few minutes by baking a flat rectangular cake, covering it in chocolate icing, and sticking some plastic dinosaurs on top! For bonus points, add an edible volcano by sticking an upside-down ice cream cone on top of the cake, snapping off its point, and covering it in strings of red icing.
- For a layer cake, cover the whole thing in a smooth coat of icing in a fun color. Then use dino cookie cutters to cut out fondant dino shapes to stick onto the sides of the cake.
- If you want to go all-in, you can buy a dinosaur cake pan like this one from Wilton. To decorate the cake, you follow the paint-by-numbers-like guide using different colors of icing in a piping bag.
- If you love cake decorating, you can whip together a jungle scene on top of a cake by adding ferns, leaves, and flowers with fancy piping tips. Complete the scene by adding a few plastic dinosaurs.
- Of course, you can also bake or buy cupcakes and make them “dino-licious” by adding simple cake toppers like these!
- Here are 14 additional ideas that might just be the perfect dinosaur cake for your dino-loving kiddo’s big day.
Dinosaur Birthday Party Games and Activities Ideas
Kids love birthday cake, but they will remember fun activities way longer than a fancy cupcake! Make sure all your young guests have a memorable and fun experience by providing fun dinosaur games and activities.
- Classic party games like pin the tail on the donkey can easily become pin the tooth on the T-Rex, or the spike on the stegosaurus. Of course, you can also pin the tail on the dinosaur, like this handy premade game kit!
- Thrill guests of all ages with a baking soda and vinegar volcano explosion. You can help every guest make their own volcano or just set up a demo for everyone to watch. If you don’t remember making one of these for your fourth-grade science project, you can get some pointers by watching this tutorial from Science Fun for Everyone.
- Set up a “cave painting” space by saving large cardboard boxes. Let every child crawl inside their own box, and then give them some finger paints to decorate the inside of their own “cave”!
- For an outdoor party, have a “dinosaur egg” egg and spoon race, a hot lava tug of war, or mix up the old-fashioned “duck duck goose” game by using dinosaur names instead
- For a great activity for older kids, bury fossils or fake dino bones in the sandbox. Then set a timer and have the kids excavate the bones! You can even use paintbrushes and tiny shovels to make the experience more authentic. If you don’t have a sandbox or an outdoor space, why not buy one of these amazing sand and water tables? As a side benefit, it would make a great birthday gift for your special person!
- Or, for an outdoor party in the summer, freeze tiny model dinos inside ice cubes. Then have a race to see who can chip away the ice to excavate the dinosaur most quickly!
Dinosaur Birthday Party Outfit Ideas
If dino decor and treats don’t seem like enough, you can add a dinosaur outfit for your birthday person!
For little guys or girls, you can actually buy head-to-toe dino costumes or even dino onesies for babies. For older kids, you may want to settle for a fun dino t-shirt or hoodie.
If you have a Cricut, you can also make tees for all your guests by cutting out a dinosaur shape from heat transfer vinyl and using your iron to attach the dino to the tees.
Dinosaur Birthday Party Gift Ideas
Your family and friends will love the awesome dinosaur birthday party you put together, but one of the best ways to make the birthday person feel special is to pick out just the right dinosaur-themed gift for him or her.
Check out this list of seven perfect dinosaur gifts!
- Both boys and girls will geek out over this set of dino eggs to excavate.
- Looking for a small, affordable dino gift? This dinosaur fidgeting toy will keep little fingers occupied for a while! For another affordable option for older kids, check out this small Lego dinosaur set.
- Older kids will love the science of creating their own dinosaur-shaped soaps in this cool kit.
- This adorable dinosaur night light makes the perfect gift for a very young dinosaur lover!
- Little guys and girls will also love this complete dino world with a rug, jungle trees, and dinos to roam around!
- For a cute and cuddly gift, check out this set of plush dinos!
- If your little one has more energy than a hungry T-rex, try gifting them this dino pogo stick to bounce off some of the excitement!
Dinosaur Birthday Party Favors and Thank You Notes
After the cake crumbs have been scattered and the gifts have been opened, you will want to send all your guests off with a sugar high and a special party favor.
- Kids love little trinkets, so there is no shame in buying a set of dinosaur party favors and stuffing party bags with the loot!
- If you want a more DIY favor, use hot glue to attach a small plastic dino to the top of a small jar. Once the dino lids have all dried, spray paint them in a fun color. Then fill each jar with candy.
- Or you can spray paint a few dozen old plastic easter eggs mottled grey, brown, or black. Then stuff the “dino” eggs with a tasty treat.
While Emily Post may still recommend having your child handwrite thank-you notes after a birthday party, not everyone sticks to this tradition in this day and time. If you do want to send thank yous, though, why not make the process easy by using a cute set of dino cards like this one?
Conclusion
The key to having a roaring good time at a dinosaur birthday party is to choose a fun theme like a movie-based Jurassic World adventure or a cute dinosaur egg hunt. Then add dino decor like dinosaur-shaped balloons, dino pawprints, or a dinosaur photo op. You can keep all your guests entertained with engaging activities like a dinosaur egg hunt, a fossil dig, or a volcano explosion.
Of course, no party would feel complete without dino-themed treats and a cake, too! Try simple tricks like cutting out dinosaur-shaped sandwiches using cookie cutters, or advanced techniques like carving a watermelon into a dinosaur head.
What does your future paleontologist want the most at their dinosaur birthday party? Leave a comment to let us know!