9 Easy Steps to Plan the Perfect Dinosaur Birthday Party for Kids
Planning a dinosaur birthday party doesn’t have to be complicated and stressful. With a few easy steps and smart planning you can create a fun and unforgettable dinosaur themed birthday party for your little one.
Here’s an overview of the step by step guide of how to successfully execute a dino themed party:
Step 1: Pick your dinosaur themed party style and color theme
Step 2: Send out dinosaur invitations
Step 3: Decorate according to chosen theme
Step 4: Serve dinosaur themed party food
Step 5: Plan dinosaur games and activities
Step 6: Create simple party favors
Step 7: Sample party timeline
Step 8: Create photo moments
Step 9: Prep ahead for a stress-free party
Now let’s explore each of the steps so you know exactly what to do minus all the stress.
Step 1: Choose Your Dinosaur Party Style and Color Theme
This is the first most important step if you want a party that looks cohesive, themed and super-fun. Decide what kind of style and color tones you're after. By doing that, you’ll have a party aesthetic that will look harmonious and instantly professional as opposed to tacky and all over the place.
Jurassic Adventure - realistic dinosaurs, jungle leaves and earthy tones
Cute Dino Party - bright colors and cartoon dinos
Modern Neutral Dino - beige and green tones, minimal aesthetic
Once you pick the right style, remember to make everything from the invitations to the decor reflect your dinosaur style and color tones. It's time to move on to the next step.
Step 2: Send Out the Dino Invitations
There are so many invitations out there so finding one that perfectly complements your chosen style should be relatively easy. Just make sure it includes details like:
- Party time and date
- Location
- RSVP details
- A fun line like: “Get ready for a ROAR-some adventure!”
I personally love digital templates. They are super easy to edit, personalize and download. The way you distribute the invitations is totally your call. You can print them out and give them out personally to your guests or send them electronically. Check out this cute Dino Birthday Party Invitation.
Now that you have the invitations out of the way, let’s move on to the next step.
Step 3: Decorate!
When it comes to decorating for a party parents can feel rather overwhelmed because it seems to be an expensive affair. However, that really doesn’t have to be the case. Which is why the first step is so important because if you pick a style and color theme and stick to it even a little goes a long way with the right elements.
For example, if you’ve chosen to go with the Jurassic style birthday theme. Choose a green and brown balloon garland which can be sourced from Amazon for quite cheaply. Add matching dinosaur figurines and jungle leaves for the table decor. Hang a dinosaur themed “Happy Birthday” banner above the table. To add a little more excitement and impact, stick dinosaur footprint decal stickers leading to the party. Another great way to add meaningful decor is by investing in a dinosaur themed party stationery bundle. You can get a bundle that usually costs between $15 - $30. These bundles include invitations, favor tags, cupcake toppers, birthday banners and party signs. They literally have everything you need to make your party go from average to professional instantly. I like printing out the “Welcome Sign” and putting it on an easel or display stand at the entrance. Here is a super cute Printable Dinosaur Party Bundle!
Step 4: Serve Dinosaur-Themed Party Food!
Kids love dino-themed food. You really don’t need to do anything fancy but just rename the food and maybe change some colors and shapes here and there. Here are some creative ideas to add to the table for a dino-inspired menu. Don’t forget to label the food table or add a banner with a fun name like ‘Dino Feast Station”. I also suggest printing food labels with dino-themed names and placing them in front of each dish. It’s easy to do but will completely change the game. Both parents and children will be in love with this added detail plus it’s sure to create excellent photo moments.
Main Course: T-Rex Bites (buy dino-shaped nuggets), Lava Mac & Cheese, Jurassic Cheese Pies (pizza)
Party Snacks: Dino Pop Rocks (Popcorn), Dino Eggs (Kinder Eggs), Fossil Cookies (Use dino shaped cookie cutters), Herbivore Snack Cups (fruit or veggie cups)
Cake: Dino Dig Cake (Dino-themed cake), or Baby Dino Bites (if you’re doing cupcakes instead)
Drink: Swamp Juice (any drink of choice- green would be ideal)
Step 5: Games and Activities
Kids love to play. There’s no better way to make a party more memorable than to add games. So here are some easy yet fun to do dino-themed games.
Dino Egg Hunt: This is both an indoor and outdoor friendly game and requires minimal prep. All you’ll need to do is hide dino eggs filled with treats or stickers.
Dino Fossil Dig: Hide small toys in sand or soil and let the kids excavate. This is such a winner because kids love to dig and when there’s hidden treasure it only gets better. Hide things like mini dinosaur figurines and dino fossils.
Pin the Tail on the Dinosaur: This is an incredibly fun game to include at a birthday party. Print a large dino poster and hang at kid’s eye level. Give each child a ribbon or tape and make children stand in line. The child that pins the tail must be blind-folded as they pin the tail. Label the tail with the child’s name. The child who gets closest to the correct spot wins.
Optional: To make things even more fun, I recommend filling a bag with small prizes. Each time a child wins a game they win a prize.
Step 6: Dinosaur Party Favors
Party favors don’t have to be expensive. Just make sure they aren’t filled with random things that feel messy and meaningless. They are easy to buy off of amazon but parents hate having to deal with those. Instead fill goodie bags with fewer but more meaningful things like mini dino coloring booklets with a small pack of crayons, another fantastic option is to get dino hatching egg toys, or even simpler mini dino toys and dino stickers. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just make it meaningful and useful. Make it look extra special by tying it off with a dino themed favor tag. Check these super cute Dino Favor Tags!
Step 7: Party Timeline
When it comes to party hosting a lot of parents neglect having a structure to the party. I disagree. I find that having a schedule reduces stress and minimizes chaos. It also makes sure everything is sufficiently timed so that everyone gets to experience the party to its fullest. Too often some kids are picked up before the cake is even served. To ensure that doesn’t happen, here’s how I structure my kid’s birthday.
0–20 min: Arrival + free play (dino coloring)
20–40 min: Activity (dino dig or egg hunt)
40–60 min: Food + play (pin the tail on the dino)
60–75 min: Cake time
End: Hand out favors
Step 8: Photo Booth & Props
Option 1: Create a jungle dino backdrop by adding a greenery wall or use hanging vines with jungle leaves. Decorate with dinosaur cutouts or balloons.
Option 2: A photobooth is never complete without themed props. The props are what bring all the dino excitement into action.
Must-have photo props:
- Dinosaur felt masks
- Dinosaur party hats
- Dino claws (felt or foam)
- “ROAR!”, “Party Like a Dinosaur”, “I’m a Party-Sauraus”, Roaring into [Age]” speech bubbles
Step 9: Prep Ahead
If you truly want to be stress-free on the day of the party I highly recommend planning ahead and doing tasks ahead of time and in an orderly sequence. That way you get everything done in time and there’s no room for chaos and error.
- 2-3 months before: set a budget, decide on a venue, make a guest list and choose dino style.
- 1 month before: Book any vendors, send out invitations, order party decor and cake, plan games and menu, and follow up-on RSVPs.
- 1 week before: Buy non-perishable food and drinks, serving-ware and tableware, finalize party outfits and clean house (indoors & outdoors).
- Day before: Prep or cook food, chill drinks, assemble party favors, set up tables and chairs and hang decorations.
- Day of: Pick up cake, charge phones and cameras, and set up food and drinks!
If you want the full list of actionable items to prepare ahead for a successful party, check out this FREE party planner.
And that’s it from me. I hope this detailed post helps you plan the most ROAR-some birthday party of the year.
What’s the one party detail your kids always get the most excited about—food, games, or favors?