This post is long overdue, but it’s still hard to believe that my baby boy is one! It always seems like that first year just flies by. His birthday came right after our move from Fairbanks, Alaska down to the Emerald Coast in Florida. We had just closed on our first home and his daddy returned after finishing up work duties in Alaska. It was a chaotic time to say the least. Because of that, I didn’t want a huge party and our budget wouldn’t allow for it. So a cute and simple dinosaur birthday party was the perfect fit for Rory, our Ror-a-saur. Read on for some pretty awesome dinosaur birthday party ideas!
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Dinosaur Decorations
If you’ve seen my post for my daughter’s Unicorn Birthday Party, then you know Amazon is my go-to place for all things birthday party decorations. It’s fast, easy, and there are so many cute options to choose from. For this rocking dinosaur birthday party, I spent around $50 total for all of the party supplies used and setting up and tearing down just took a few minutes.
Here are the details on party supplies we used for Rory’s dinosaur birthday party:
- Jurassic T-Rex Happy Birthday Garland
- Green Chevron, Strips, & Polka Dot Paper Straws
- Lime Green Circle Garland
- Mini Green Lollipops
- T-Rex Mylar Birthday Balloon
- Lime Green Disposable Dinnerware Set
A few light green, dark green, and white balloons from Publix scattered around the table and house and that is as far as the decorating went.
Dinosaur Cake
This cake was as delicious as it was cute. I wanted to continue with the simple look and the cake itself, with Rory’s name and age outlined in dinosaur bones, did just that. The cake was topped with a toy T-Rex that also became one of his most beloved toys. The party hat was easily made out of construction paper, because, hey, dinos obviously know how to party too.
Dinosaur Party Games
This was one of the first times either of my kids had the luxury of family coming to a birthday party. (Thanks, military lifestyle). This meant lots of little cousins running around and I knew I wanted it to be a fun and memorable party. For this, we added a few fun dinosaur party games.
Dinosaur Egg Hunt
The first game was a dinosaur egg hunt. With a few kid-sized galvanized buckets, I sent everyone outside searching for their dinosaur eggs, which were hidden around the deck and yard. Once all of the eggs had been collected, they were sent over to the excavation site, aka our sand and water table.
Here, I had added a few fun digging tools for excavating and hidden some cool dinosaur bones around the sand.
Tip: Party guests can keep these skeletons, dinosaur eggs, and the buckets as fun party favors.
While they were busy digging for dinosaur bones, we added the dinosaur eggs they had collected into the water part of the sand and water table. After a while, the eggs will hatch into different dinosaurs!
It takes at least a few hours for the eggs to hatch, so plan accordingly. If you’re going to use these eggs and the party may not last that long, it may be better to have party guests take their eggs home and hatch them on their own.
Afterwards, we let each guest pick out their own dinosaur temporary tattoo as they had earned a badge of honor after their successful hunt and dig. We had enough of these left over that each little party guest could take a few home with them as well.
Dinosaur Bingo
Sadly, I did not have enough time before his birthday to create the dinosaur bingo game. However, in honor of my baby turning one and a successful and fun dinosaur birthday party, I am sharing this with all of you in the hopes that your own littles will love to play.
Each downloadable dinosaur bingo game includes 25 bingo images to call out, 6 ready made game cards, and 1 empty bingo card for those who would rather cut out and create their own boards, or if there are more than 6 who will be playing.
To download your free copy of Dinosaur Bingo, click here!
I had so much fun planning this party and am already looking forward to the next one. For me, creating these memories is one of the best things about being a parent. After the party, we spent some time at the beach. Because every little dinosaur needs some space to stomp.
What did you think about Rory’s 1st Dinosaur Birthday Party? Any ideas we may have forgotten? Leave a comment letting us know below!
ciamama says
This looks amazing – what a fun idea and I absolutely love that dino garland.
Christina says
Thank you! The dino garland was so cute and inexpensive!
tanyatravels says
Now that is a Pinterest-perfect party! I bet it was a hit! One of my boys’ friends was obsessed with dinosaurs and would have loved this!
Christina says
That is so sweet, thank you! My son is still obsessed as well, I love it!
Justine Y @ Little Dove says
Everything looks so cute!! But also simple, which I love. That Happy Birthday T-Rex banner is so cool!
Christina says
Thank you so much! The banner was probably my favorite! So simple and inexpensive too!
Elizabeth O says
What a wonderful way to celebrate your son’s first birthday. Even though most kids don’t remember any of it, the photos and memories are the best. I love that cake… it looks amazing!
Christina says
Thank you, and I absolutely agree! I wish I had taken more pictures, but we were having so much fun. Even though he may not remember it, I know I always will!
kikidavies says
oh my gosh! This is beyond cute! You are so creative! My boys would love a bday party with this theme.
Christina says
Thank you so much! They sound like they would get along with mine! 🙂
I'm Busy Being Awesome says
You are so creative! What a fantastic way to celebrate 🙂
Christina says
Thank you so much, we had a blast! I am already counting down until the next one!