How to Host a Dino-Mite Dinosaur Birthday Party

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Are you hosting a Dinosaur birthday party?

Dinosaurs might be extinct, but their appeal is timeless.

So you have a little dinosaur lover on your hands then read on, because this is a fun theme that’s easy to decorate for.

All you need are the key ingredients – decorations, food, drink, entertainment and favors.

I’ve broken them down into sections for you, and collected some of the most rawr-some dino party ideas for each section.

All you need to do is pick two or three of your favorites from each section and have fun.

So let’s dig in for some fun party ideas, including dinosaur party decorations and prehistoric party food!

Dinosaur Party Decorations

I always like to start the party planning with the decorations.

Keep things simple and create a dino-forest vibe with a core color scheme. Think earthy shades of green with brown, tan and orange accents and burlap or hessian fabric.

The decor is the first thing your party guests will see when they walk through the door, so let’s bring the prehistoric age back to life with these fun decoration ideas.

Party Dinosaurs from Ice Cream off Paper Plates

Let’s ease our way into the party decor with something nice and simple.

You can’t get much simpler than these fun party dinosaurs from Ice Cream Off Paper Plates.

Just grab some toy dinosaurs (these would be great), and cover in spray paint to create these modern dinosaur decorations. Stick to two or three colors that work well with your color scheme to keep everything looking cohesive.

I also love tiny silver party hats that Louisa made!

These colorful dinos look perfect dotted around the table, and they’re small enough to slot into any empty spaces that could do with being dino-fied.

To be honest, these toy dinosaurs would probably look just as great without the paint, but I love how adding that pop of color gives them a cool, modern vibe.

They could also do double duty as party prizes or favors for your guests to take home. I love a multitasking party decoration!

Dinosaur Party Balloons from Brit & Co

No party is complete without party balloons!

These floating dinosaur party balloons from Brit & Co are so cute, and they bring the balloon decor straight into the dino theme. Plus, they are so simple to make!

You don’t need any fancy equipment needed to whip these up, just some construction paper, scissors and tape, and a bit of fishing line to get the floaty dinosaur effect.

DIY Dinosaur Backdrop from American Greetings

A backdrop makes a great focal point for your party.

It can be a great way to liven up your food table, but it also makes a perfect photo backdrop for those essential party snaps.

Luckily, this dinosaur backdrop from American Greetings is simple to make.

Just get some paper streamers in your theme colors (something like this would be perfect!) and tissue paper pompoms. Add a few more balloons and some inflatable dinosaurs and you’ll have a dino-mite backdrop in no time, ready and waiting to capture those party memories!

Paper leaf Garland from Oh Oh Deco

Leaves and ferns are another great way to add some dino-atmosphere to your party decor.

This paper leaf garland tutorial from Oh Oh Deco shows you how to make a garland in just 30 minutes.

A garland is perfect for perking up any empty spaces, but it would also be a great addition to a streamer backdrop.

Even if you don’t feel like making a whole leaf garland it’s still worth making up a few of these simple paper leaves. You can add a few to a balloon garland or scatter them around the tables to bring that fun forest vibe to life.

Balloon Garland from Project Nursery

Balloons are a classic party decoration for a good reason. They’re cheap, they take up a lot of space, and they look great.

This balloon garland from Project Nursery is perfect for a dinosaur party and is pretty easy to DIY. You could even add a few leaves from the leaf garland tutorial to weave in amongst the balloons.

Volcano Mural from Jordan’s Easy Entertaining

If you want to add some drama to your decor then this three dimensional volcano mural from Jordan’s Easy Entertaining is for you.

It’ll definitely make an impression, but you won’t need any complicated supplies. Can you believe it’s made from a shower curtain, brown packing paper and red foil wrapping paper? Such a clever idea!

Dinosaur Footprints from Learn with Play at Home

These dinosaur footprint decorations from Learn With Play At Home will definitely drum up some excitement. The best part is how easy they are to make. You can lead your guests all the way into the party.

Just print out a template and use some masking tape on the back to stick them to your floor. (I have a free template you can use – just click here!)

You could even laminate the footprints for a bit more durability, or cut them out from some vinyl.

DIY Geometric Dinosaur Wall Decoration from Merriment Design

This DIY geometric dinosaur wall decoration from Merriment Design is my absolute favorite.

I love the geometric look of this wall decoration. There are quite a few pieces to cut out and put together, but if you have time this would be a great focal point in your party room.

I really think that this is way too good to have it on display for just one day! Probably not in my living room, but it’d be perfect to repurpose in a kids bedroom or playroom.

Dinosaur Party Food

There’s a lot of fun to be had with dinosaur themed party food.

Finger foods are always a hit with kids, and helps to keep things simple and budget friendly. Which is always a good thing when it comes to the party prep. After all, you don’t want to feel like you’re tied to the kitchen for the whole party!

A lot of regular foods can masquerade as dinosaur themed food by using cute food labels. Such a simple thing can really thrill kids and get their imaginations going.

Herbivore Cups from Learn with Play at Home

Learn With Play At Home cleverly transforms hummus and veggie sticks into these fun herbivore cups.

I really like how Debs has made these all in single serving cups using plastic shot glasses, but if you’re short on time then this would still be cute if you served it up on a single platter for guests to help themselves.

Dino Bones and Scales from Julie’s Eats and Treats

Labels are a genius trick that lets you turn pretty much any food in dino food.

Check out these dino bones and dino scales from Julie’s Eats And Treats. The kids will have a riot with these snacks!

Dinowiches from Catch my Party

These dinowiches from Catch My Party are another cute and quick party food ideas. All you need is a cookie cutter (this one would be perfect!) and you’re good to go!

Dinosaur watermelon from Not Your Normal Steam

Can we just pause for a moment to admire how awesome this is?

If you’re looking for a centerpiece for your table, this carved dinosaur watermelon from Not Your Normal Steam is it.

Because let’s be honest, who wouldn’t be excited by a T-Rex watermelon masterpiece? The kids will definitely be excited, and it might even tempt them away from some of the sugary treats!

You can find out how to make it in this great video by Florentino Art by Ivan Ramirez:

Dino Eggs from Parties with a Cause

If you need a healthier option that’s a little less time consuming, check out these dino eggs from Parties With A Cause.

Thanks to food labels, you can pull this together in minutes. I especially like how Bri added a spray painted dinosaur to guard the eggs. It really fires up the imagination!

Dino Track Cookies from Buggie and Jellybean

These dinosaur fossil cookies from Buggie And Jellybean are pretty high in the running for the best dinosaur cookies ever.

They’re definitely one of the easiest to make! Take your favourite sugar cookie recipe, add footprints from a (clean!) toy dino and bake.

You could even get the kids involved with making these. Making those cute dino footprints in the cookie dough is a perfect activity for little hands, and is something they’ll have a blast with.

You could make this with ready made cookie dough to make it even easier. It can be our secret.

Dinosaur Egg Rice Krispie Treats from Pineapple Paper Co

Is there anyone who doesn’t love Rice Krispie treats?

They definitely seem to be a kid crowd pleaser, so if you’re looking for a sweet treat for your dessert table then check out this cute idea for dinosaur egg Rice Krispie treats from Pineapple Paper Co.

Chocolate Dinosaur Nests from The Crazy Kitchen

This no bake chocolate dinosaur nest cake recipe from The Crazy Kitchen is another one that’s perfect for kids to get involved with.

If you’ve never tasted the joy of a nest cake then you have to make these. They’re so easy, there’s no excuse not to!

Dinosaur Dirt Cups from Made to Be a Momma

This 4 ingredient recipe dinosaur dirt cup recipe from Made To Be A Momma is sure to be a hit with your guests. Because what’s not to love about crushed Oreos and chocolate pudding?

The little dinky dinos on top are adoarable, and could do double duty as little party favors so that’s another thing you can scratch off your list!

Dinosaur Dig Cake from Sprinkle Bakes

No party is really complete without a birthday cake, and this dinosaur dig cake from Sprinkle Bakes is PERFECT for your dino themed party!

It’s such a simple make, but the creativity of it will really wow your guests!

All you need is a chocolate sheet cake topped with chocolate ganache, crushed up Oreos and white chocolate dinosaur bones. You’ve got to love sheet cakes for being low maintenance crowd pleasers.

You can use a mold like this for the giant dinosaur, but I also love Heather’s idea to use smaller fossil molds like these so that you can decorate with a bunch of different dinosaurs. Either way, it looks awesome!

Easy Dinosaur Cake from Made to Be a Momma

If you would rather stick with a more traditional birthday cake, this easy dinosaur cake from Made To Be A Momma will be the one for you.

It looks delicious, and I really like the rustic minimalism of this. Perfection is not the name of the game with this cake, so you don’t need to have any mad baking and decorating skills to pull it off.

Dinosaur Cupcakes from Two Sisters Crafting

Sometimes I prefer cupcakes for birthday parties.

I’m pretty terrible at slicing cakes so I like the fact that they’re already in the perfect single serving size. All I need to do is hand them out!

If that’s you as well then these dinosaur cupcakes from Two Sisters Crafting are worth checking out.

They’re so cute, and you could easily customise them to match your party colors.

And I love Nancy’s ingenious idea for making those amazing stegosaurus spikes from a Wilton star mold. So clever!

Dinosaur Party Drinks

By now you’ve got some great ideas for food and decorations. But don’t forget about the drinks! Here are a few fun ideas for your dino party watering hole.

Watering Hole Jug from Mom it Forward

Cute labels work really well for drinks as well as food, like this “watering hole” water jug from Mom It Forward.

I love how simple and straight forward this one is. Just fill up a big jug with water and ice, add a label and you’re done! If you’re feeling fancy then you can add some mint and fruit for some extra flavor.

Swamp Juice from Learn with Play at Home

If you feel like serving something a bit sweeter then this chocolate milk swamp juice from Learn With Play At Home is another cute label that idea will fire up the imagination.

Dinosaur Party Games And Activities

The games and activities are one of the most fun parts of the party.

Luckily, there are tons of fun ideas for dinosaur activities and party games that will get your little dinos excited and ready for action!

Dinosaur Dig from Parties with a Cause

A dinosaur dig is a must at a dino birthday party!

Bri from Parties With A Cause knocked this one out of the park with this huge sandpit in her backyard, but you could just as easily fill a paddling pool or a large container with sand.

Throw in some dino toys, dino fossils (these ones from , bones or any other fun prizes you can think of! I love the cute tool kit as well. The little brushes are such a great detail that the kids will love.

I’d recommend keeping this activity outdoors, but if you have to move it inside you could always try filling a container with rice like Britni at Play Party Plan. It’s not going to be completely mess free, but it’s possibly less maddening than finding sand in your furniture for the next 8 months…

Dinosaur Scavenger Hunt from Play Party Plan

Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt? Kids definitely do, and this dinosaur hunt from Play Party Plan is the perfect activity for your dino birthday party.

Kids love finding things, and this is a great way to get them to run around for a bit and burn off some of that party energy. It might even buy you a few minutes to put your feet up.

Just head on over to Play Party Plan to grab the free printable clues.

Hatching Frozen Dinosaur Eggs from Little Bins For Little Hands

These frozen dinosaur eggs from Little Bins For Little Hands is part science activity, part party fun.

It’s just tiny toy dinosaurs frozen in some water, but kids still find it super exciting to free them from the icy eggs using a little warm water!

I saw another version of this game where the water was tinted amber like the mosquitos in the Jurassic Park movie. It’s a super cool idea, but this works pretty great with regular ice too. And it’s probably less messy to clean up…

Little Bins uses balloons to get the egg shape, which looks awesome, but I’m gonna be honest here.

I don’t think I have the patience to squeeze lots of little dinos into balloons, and then peel the frozen eggs out of the darn things.

I would probably take the easy road and use a silicone muffin pan like this so that I could easily pop everything out.

It doesn’t look quite as cool as the eggs, but I don’t think the kids would mind and my sanity would be intact.

Feed the T-Rex from Family Chatter

This feed the T-Rex game from Family Chatter is a fun dino twist on bean bag toss.

It’s a fun game for any age group, but if propping it vertically is too hard for the kiddos you can always lay it on the ground.

I like the idea of using plywood to make this so that you can paint over it for different themes.

You don’t need to be particularly artistic to pull this one off, but if you’d rather not get the paint bushes out you can get a pretty cute bean bag toss banners like this one. I actually quite like that it’s made from fabric because it seems like it would be way easier to store!

Tricerotoss from Mom Trends

I can’t get over how adorable this tricerotoss game from Mom Trends is!

Just the name on its own makes me giggle, but it’s also a really fun game for the little kids.

It’s simple to put together too. Just party hats glued onto some poster board, and some glow in the dark necklaces for the hoops. See, I told you it was simple!

Paleontologist Hats From Mom Trends

Another awesome idea from Mom Trends is this paleontologist hat decorating station.

These hats would be perfect. They’re technically safari hats, but once the kids decorate them with some dino stickers they’d be perfect paleontologist hats for the kids to wear for their dino dig!

Dino Egg Piñata from Parties With A Cause

Kids have a blast with pinatas, and this Yoshi dinosaur egg piñata from Parties With A Cause is so cute!

A big part of why I love it so much is probably down to my childhood Nintendo obsession, but even with that aside, this is a super cute piñata.

You can still have some piñata fun without making one from scratch! There are a ton of cute, ready made ones that you can pick from the store, like this one.

Dinosaur Party Favors And Goodie Bags

You don’t want to blow your budget on the party favors, but you still need something dino-mite to send home with your little guests.

Luckily, there are loads of creative DIY ideas that are simple to put together, and won’t break the bank. Check out some of my favorites below!

Homemade Dinosaur Bones from Kitchen Floor Crafts

These homemade dinosaur bones from Kitchen Floor Crafts would be a perfect addition to a dinosaur dig pit.

They’re made from salt dough so they’re super sturdy. It’s also a great craft that you can make with your kids before the party! They take a while to dry, so it’s not an ideal party day craft, but with a bit of advance planning it’d be a great way to spend an afternoon with your kids before the big party day!

If your kid is a budding paleontologist you can reuse them over and over if you keep them dry. But they’re so easy to make that you could let the kids take them home as a party favor, and then whip up another batch later!

Dino Excavation Kits from Rad and the Rest

These dino excavation kits From Rad And The Rest are such a fun idea!

They’re just dollar store containers filled with crushed up cookies and chocolate pebbles for the “dirt”. Bury mini dinosaurs and toys inside and get the kids to excavate them.

I do love an edible activity. You could always use real dirt, but edible cookie dirt just seems easier to clean up. Plus, there’s always that one kid that likes to put things in their mouth, and if it’s all edible then you don’t need to watch them quite so closely!

When you think about it, this is really a 3 in 1 activity, snack and party favor! It’s a no brainer. Just be sure to visit Kari’s page for those awesome printables.

Dinosaur Fossil Eggs from Make Life Lovely

Everyone loves a surprise, which makes these dinosaur eggs from Make Life Lovely such a cool party favor.

The fossil bag topper is so cute, but if you don’t have a Cricut you could use some regular dinosaur stickers like these instead.

Adopt a Dinosaur from Rhiannon Bosse

This Adopt A Dinosaur idea from Rhiannon Bosse is a lot of fun.

It’s super low maintenance and budget friendly. All you need to do is fill up a basket with toy dinosaurs and add a label.

The kids will love “adopting” them to take home. It fires their imagination up way more than just digging out a toy from the bottom of their party bag.

And as an added bonus, it saves you from the monotony of filling umpteen party bags!

Dinosaur Egg Jar from Evermine

These dinosaur egg jar favors from Evermine are a great party favor idea!

All you need is some hot glue to attach the mini dinos to the lid of the jar, and then you can fill them with little candy eggs.

It’d be really fun to customise the candy colors to match the party theme, or you could make them in a whole spectrum to add a pop of color to the party.

The personalized label is an adorable addition too!

I also like that the kids can use the jars for other little bits when they’ve finished their candy. Cute and practical.

Dino Crayons from Fab Every Day

These dino crayons from Fab Every Day make a brilliant addition to party goodie bag.

Getting the wrappers off the crayons looks a bit fiddly, but once you’re over that hurdle it’s pretty smooth sailing.

You’ll just need a silicone dino mold like this one, and some little bags to package them up in. I’m trying to use less plastic these days, so I’d opt for these little cotton drawstring bags instead of cello bags. They can be a little pricey though, so these plant starch based treat bags would be another great option!

BONUS! FREE DINOSAUR PARTY PRINTABLES

If you’re looking for some party printables then I’ve got just the thing for you! I’ve made these super cute party printables, and they’re absolutely free to download!

I’ve included a “happy birthday” banner with some spacer flags, cupcake wrappers, cupcake toppers and straw flags.

Just click here to find out more and download your free dinosaur party printables.

Let’s Party!

Feeling ready to tackle that dinosaur party now? It really doesn’t have to be hard to throw a dino-mite dinosaur party on a budget.

You’ve got a ton of great, creative ideas here so the only question left is which ones are you going to choose?

You have everything you need. Just pick a few of your favorite party ideas and get planning that rawr-some dinosaur party!

PIN IT FOR LATER

Planning a birthday party for your dinosaur loving kid? If you want simple party ideas that are easy to plan, budget friendly, and fun for kids and parents then take a look at these rawr-some ideas for party food, birthday cake, decorations, activities and more

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