In this post you can find a variety of DIY dinosaur birthday party ideas that are great for young children!
Welp, It happened. Lennox rawr’d into twohood this past Saturday. Reality has finally set in that my baby is now a little boy who can speak in sentences, count to twelve, and throw a tantrum like it’s his day job. Well, hello there, terrible-twos. I cannot wait to see what this year has in store.
If you have read some of my other celebration posts such as my DIY Gender Reveal Party, you know I love a reason for crafts and DIY; therefore, I was so excited to start planning for his dinosaur birthday party back in April! I always make sure I give myself a good two months to plan, and craft, however; I still find myself rushing to wrap up my never-ending list of ideas.
Anyways, here are my DIY, as well as not DIY, ideas for a dinosaur-themed birthday party. Enjoy!
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1. The Invitation-
First things first, whenever I plan a party, my theme goes around the invitation. The color scheme, the saying, and most importantly, the theme.
Since I raise my son, Lennox, speaking Spanish, I made the invitation in Spanish.
If you want to save yourself the money of buying a dinosaur invitation, all you have to do is create an account with Canva. It’s free and there are tons of templates and graphics from which to choose!
2. Decoration Inspiration
Once I had my invitation, I started going crazy planning my decorations.
On one of my trips to Target, it was as if they knew exactly what I needed because right smack in the center of the store I found these adorable dinosaur decorations. I also bought other items such as table clothes and plates and a banner, but used this theme as my inspiration for my DIY crafts.
Dinosaur Birthday Party Supplies Kit For Boys, Dinosaur Party Decorations-20 Guest-Include Dino Plates Cups Napkins Banner Cutlery Balloon Tablecloth Straws Toppers
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Here are the links for the exceptionally economic dinosaur birthday party decorations that I purchased from Target.
3. DIY Dinosaur Birthday Party Decor
Thanks to the help of my friend, and her Cricut , we spent two nights creating our decorations.
a. Dinosaur signs
These dinosaur signs were super fun to make. Lennox got to participate with some sensory fun as he painted the dinosaurs.
First, We took blank sheets of white cardstock, and let him go at them with Crayola Washable Paint. Then, we let them dry. Once they were dry, we used the Cricut to cut the cardstock into dinosaur shapes.
Lastly, I attached the dinosaur cut-outs to skewers and used them as signs for the party. Below are some pictures, but some of the cute sayings I gathered together from Pinterest are:
Sign sayings for the favors:
- “ Thank you for stomping by.”
- “ Grab one before they go extinct.”
Sign sayings for the food:
- “ Carnivores.”
- “Herbivores”
- “ Sweetivores”
- “ Dinosaur eggs” (with grapes)
- “ Dinosaur poop” (we used Maltballs)
- “ Dig in” for utensils
Sign sayings for beverages
- “Swamp water” for the kiddies.
- “ Watering hole” adult juice. I made a Rosé Sangria yum.
b. Leaf banner
We also found the perfect tropical leaves and made a banner and leaves for random decor around the house.
c. Confetti
With the same leaf template, we cut many smaller sizes and sprinkled them on the table like confetti. Super cute touch. I hope someone noticed!
d. Goody bags
With a medium-sized version of the leaf template, I designed a simple, but adorable goody bag on plain brown paper bags.
The goody bags were a hit. I will be posting soon on what was inside our dinosaur goody bags!
4. Dinosaur Photo Booth
I am a camera mama, and what better than to have a photo booth! At Lennox’s first soccer-themed birthday party the guests had so much fun with the photo props that I just had to do it again. That said, I had to get these adorable dinosaur photo booth props from Amazon!
5. Centerpieces
This party was a lot smaller than our past parties, so I didn’t want to go all out making centerpieces. Therefore, I recycled our DIY mason jar centerpieces from Lennox’s baby shower. They were perfect for holding straws, utensils and our photo booth props.
6. Beverages
To keep going with the theme, I prepared a pitcher of “swamp water” for the kiddies. I used Sour Apple cool aid. For the adults, I created a “watering hole” out of Rosé Sangria. It was quite the hit if I must say so myself.
For another fun adult beverage, try out this sensational cranberry and sage gin co*cktail!
7. DIY Dinosaur Egg Piñata
Using Parties With a Cause’s genius blog post, Prehistoric Party-saurus DIY Dino Egg Piñata, I attempted to make my first piñata. It did not turn out half bad.
I did start a little later than I should have, (two days before the party) so I didn’t get the last coat of green on the dots of the egg; however, the piñata held up very well for the number of kids that gave it a whack. See for yourself below!
8. Food
Carlos (the hubby) is a chef, so I let him handle the food portion of the party. He made a typical Salvadoran dish called Pollo con Papas (potatoes and rice). As for side dishes, I provided a “carnivore’ section with hotdogs and hamburgers, a “herbivore section, with veggies and fruits, and a “sweetivore” section with homemade baked goods.
Looking for a great party recipe? Try these delicious carne asada street tacos.
My homemade baked goods included cupcakes, because who doesn’t love cupcakes? I made Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing and sprinkles, and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing and crushed Oreos. On top, I place these adorable Dinosaur toppers from Amazon!
I also made Dirt, a classic and simple recipe of chocolate pudding, whipped cooler, layers of crushed Oreos, and worms. Nom Nom!
9. The Dinosaur Cake
Last, but not least, the cake. This one I was not going to make myself because it is traditional in our Salvadoran household to have a tres leches cake. I have made one before, many years ago, but all I remember is that it took me forever, and it didn’t taste nearly as good as the Latin bakery where we got our cake.
They did a fantastic job, and the cake was to die for. I am so glad mad there was cake left over for me to eat the following days. =)
I hope you enjoyed Lennox’s second dinosaur birthday party. Thank you again for reading and for all of our close friends and family for attending!
More Party Posts Ideas:
- DIY Dinosaur Crayons. The Perfect Goody Bag Treat
- Soccer-Themed Birthday Party Ideas for Your One-Year-Old Boy
- DIY Mason Jar Centerpieces
- Color by Number Dinosaur Printable Worksheets in Spanish
