Planning the perfect party doesn’t have to be exhausting! Choosing a theme is half the battle but once you find inspiration for your theme you’ll find your idea will quickly come together. Safari themed birthdays are a great way to get your child’s and their guest imagination moving.
You can make a big impact in a space with decorations that make your guest feel like they just stepped into a jungle. Many kids love animals which makes this such a fun party theme, not to mention it is extremely gender neutral. We have composed 20 ideas and recipes so that you can plan the perfect safari themed party. So grab your binoculars, put on your safari vest and let’s go on this adventure together.
These balloon centerpieces were initially designed for a pineapple themed party but their tropical themed arrangement would work perfectly for a safari theme too. This step by step tutorial is super easy you’ll have a big impact arrangement in no time at all.
Balloon centerpieces are a great way to fill up space while keeping it interesting and entertaining for the kids. If you don’t have a table big enough to host the arrangement you could consider attaching it to your wall for decor.
https://www.blog.birdsparty.com/2016/07/diy-balloon-fronds-tropical-party-table-centerpiece-garland.html PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: BIRDS PARTY
It seems like slime is the latest craze with the kids these days. Glitter slime, neon slime, you name it and there is probably a slime variation of it. The texture alone is probably the most fun part of slime, you can stretch it, pull it, twist it and form it into anything you want.
Why not impress all the kids at your party with sand slime. You could consider making this sand slime to use as an activity in a sensory box depending on the age group or you could make this slime to send home as part of thank you gift to your guests.
https://frugalfun4boys.com/2015/04/07/how-to-make-sand-slime/ PHOTOS AND TUTORIAL HERE: FRUGAL FUN FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
These do it yourself binocular favors will definitely get all the kids excited at your safari themed party. They’re easy to make and require minimal tools and resources. They’re super simple that you can have the whole family jump in on the craft making.
Fill these binoculars with treats and trinkets to send home with your guests. If you already have party favor plans you could consider making these binoculars for the kids to wear while at the party or make a fun eye spy game out them too.
https://www.handmadecharlotte.com/diy-jumanji-movie-night/ PHOTOS AND TUTORIAL HERE: HAND MADE CHARLOTTE
These treasure stones are a fun and easy do it yourself project that you can do for your safari themed party. They’re super adaptable for many different themed parties because you could call them dinosaur eggs, stones or cannon balls. These treasure stones are made out of coffee grinds, flour, sand, and water. It has a playdough-like texture that can harden.
Place a secret treasure in the middle and let the kids go on a safari hunt to find the treasure stones in your yard. You could even have them use the binoculars you made in the previous tutorial to scout for their treasures. The rocks are hard enough to keep the trinket inside but are easy enough for younger kids to break open.
http://www.makelifelovely.com/2014/01/how-to-make-diy-treasure-stones.html PHOTOS AND TUTORIAL HERE: MAKE LIFE LOVELY
This blog shows you how you can take an animal themed party and modernize it. You can find animal figurines at many places like Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and even many dollar stores. Consider using them as decor for an inexpensive way to decorate your space.
You could use the animal figurines as cake toppers to fill up space as well as dress up a simple cake. You can even use them as centerpieces on your table. If you place them on candle holders you can create dimension within your centerpiece.
http://www.hellotinylove.com/emerys-2nd-birthday-party/ PHOTOS AND IDEAS HERE: HELLO TINY LOVE
This rainforest in a jar is a very fun project that you could use for decorations at your safari themed party. However, if you have older kids you could consider making this a fun craft for everyone to do at the party.
It will keep the kids busy and they’ll have something fun they can take home with them. You can get a lot of the materials at your local dollar store or craft store at an inexpensive price. Make sure to purchase a variety of safari animals and let their imaginations run wild.
http://thecraftingchicks.com/rainforest-in-a-jar-kid-craft/ PHOTOS AND TUTORIAL HERE: THE CRAFTING CHICKS
Foil balloons seem to be all the rage as of late. For good reason because, hello, they’re super fun! Foil balloons come in all sizes, colors, letters, and numbers. A phrase like “wild one” is very fitting for a safari themed party.
You could consider complimenting the foil balloon arrangement with a statement wall piece like this backdrop. It is made from brown paper twisted to look like vines. Add some leaf cutouts and you’ll have a jungle wall in no time.
http://www.carefreeblondeblog.com/2016/08/diy-wild-one-birthday-party.html#.Wumw79PwZTZ PHOTOS AND IDEAS HERE: CAREFREE BLONDE
Following animal figurine decorations, try using them for cupcake toppers too. This tutorial walks you through how to spray paint the figurines right up to how to make their adorable little party hats.
Spray painting animals is an awesome way to modernize a juvenile theme while still making it fun for the kids. This is always an easy way to make party favors for your guests too. Let them eat their delicious cupcake and then take their cupcake topper home too.
https://projectnursery.com/2015/08/diy-animal-cupcake-toppers/#_a5y_p=4216698 PHOTOS AND TUTORIAL HERE: PROJECT NURSERY
Party food doesn’t have to be difficult and tiresome and let’s face it the decorations alone can take all our time and energy. Instead of making fancy foods to serve at your party you could consider using accessible packaged foods you can buy at the grocery store and labelling it with animal themes.
Cheezies can be used cheetah food, spinach dip for hippos, and if you don’t need to keep your party nut-free you could serve peanuts for elephants. Use labels to print your phrases onto and then you’ll have this animal food ready in a hurry!
http://www.roxyskitchen.com/safari-jungle-themed-first-birthday-party-part-ii-appetizers-finger-foods-snack-ideas.html PHOTOS AND IDEAS HERE: ROXYS KITCHEN
Bear paws are easy snacks that can be suitable for kids of all ages, and the adults will love these too. They are soft and chocolatey and will be snatched up quickly.
The claws are made out of almond slivers which makes the whole dessert edible and fun. Your animal lovers will love these tasty treats.
https://family.disney.com/recipe/chocolate-bear-paws/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: DISNEY FAMILY
Involving your guests in interactive crafts that can keep the kids busy at your party is always a good idea. These fun hippo themed paper plates are very cute and will keep them entertained.
Depending on the duration of your party you can have them make this craft from painting all the way to gluing. If you’re crunched for time with you could consider doing all the painting work pre-party and just have the kids assemble their hippo instead.
https://iheartcraftythings.com/paper-plate-hippopotamus.html PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: I HEART CRAFTY THINGS
Dirt cups may have been around for a while but they definitely make a great animal themed food. It is an easy way to make a delicious dessert that stays in line with your theme all the while pleasing all your little guests too.
It has chocolatey layers of creamy pudding and oreo crumbs and then buried gummies worms within. Their imaginations will be booming with this dessert.
http://shariblogs.com/oreo-dirt-cups/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: SHARI BLOGS
Instead of tossing your bubble wrap in the trash the next time you get an online order make sure to save it for this fun craft. This is another easy craft that all your little party guests can partake.
Using a rolling pin and bubble wrap you can achieve a textured painted snake very quickly. If you don’t have a rolling pin you could even use a slender cup so each child can paint their own. Once the plates are dry simply cut the snake in a swirl shape, glue on eyes and tongue and voila, it’s done!
https://www.craftymorning.com/paper-plate-snake-craft-using-rolling-pin/ PHOTOS AND TUTORIAL HERE: CRAFTY MORNING
Interactive activities are a great way to keep your guests busy as well as keep them moving around. Afterall, a lot of kids love to run around a play. How else are they going to burn off all that sugar? This print out was originally designed for a preschool classroom but it can make a great party activity too.
If you’re having an outdoor party you could place stuffed animals around the yard, if you don’t have enough or all the animals called for on the sheet you could simply print off a picture of the animals instead. Have the kids go on a scavenger hunt and check off once they find all the animals. You could even make it a contest and have there be a prize for the guest who finds all the animals first! If you’re having the party indoors you can do the same just hide the animals throughout your house instead.
https://playtolearnpreschool.us/classroom-safari/ PHOTOS AND PRINTOUT HERE: PLAY TO LEARN PRESCHOOL
Once you have decided on your theme the next step is to usually get the invitations ready to send out. Having the invitations themed to match the party is a great way to let your guest know what to expect as well keeps things creative and fun.
These safari passport invitations are a great idea and very customizable. This tutorial walks you through how you can make your own. The original design includes a photo of the birthday child but you could always leave the photo blank so your guests can draw a picture of themselves and bring their passport to the party.
http://prettypaperprettyribbons.blogspot.ca/2011/04/28-candles-blog-hop.html PHOTOS AND IDEAS HERE: PRETTY PAPER PRETTY RIBBONS
Party favors are a great way to give a thank you to your guests for coming to your party. After the kids have enjoyed their safari themed party you could set up a pet adoption center. Fill the pet station with safari stuffed animals and let each kid pick their own.
If you’re worried about disagreements of who get’s what animal you could always assign the adoptions yourself. Your guests will remember this fun safari themed party for a long time.
http://blog.wantsandwishesdesign.com/2016/12/pet-adoption-birthday-party.html PHOTOS AND IDEAS HERE: WANTS AND WISHES
Animal crackers are one of the easiest ways to get animal themed food at your party. This delicious snack resembles a kid-favorite snack, Dunkaroos.
This recipe only requires 4 ingredients and only takes 10 minutes to make. Serve this dip with delicious animal crackers and your guest will be dipping into this savory snack the whole time.
http://www.farmwifecooks.com/animal-cracker-dip/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes# PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: FARM WIFE COOKS
If you have a hard time getting your kids to eat healthy foods then you’ll definitely want to serve this platter at your safari party. Make healthy food fun by creating animal shapes.
Kids have big imaginations and if you can make healthy food look well, not healthy and more fun then they’re bound to eat it. This recipe is super easy because it uses store-bought hummus. The hardest job you’ll have with this recipe is cutting all the vegetables.
https://eatingrichly.com/lion-vegetable-tray/ PHOTOS AND RECIPE HERE: EATING RICHLY
Another great way to decorate your safari themed party would be to make your own leaf garland. You can transform your space into a jungle with this easy do it yourself project.
Making fringe garland is an easy alternative to cutting out individual leaves. You get the same colors and effect but it is a whole lot easier and stays within your theme. As an added bonus this garland is super inexpensive and creates a big impact in a room.
https://jennybatt.com/blog/quick-and-easy-tunnel-fringe-garland PHOTOS AND TUTORIAL HERE: JENNY BATT
If you’re looking for a safari themed party that can cover ideas from head to toe then this is it. This post has inspirations from the food table to a lush photo backdrop and everything in between.
This post also offers free printables like the adorable animal footprints that you can place all over your floors. You can even turn an ordinary fruit drink into an “explorer energy drink” that your guests will love.
https://www.americangreetings.com/inspiration/celebration/jungle-birthday-party-theme?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=seer-birthday-2018&utm_term=keyword&utm_content=device&pp=0 PHOTOS AND IDEAS HERE: AMERICAN GREETINGS
