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Monkeys swing, Zebras will kick up their heels, elephants will stampede to your home for zoo antics!
A Zoo Animal Party is a fun theme for small kids under the age of 5. Even if you are not taking an actual trip to the zoo, you can definitely bring the zoo alive in your own home.
Here are tips on bringing the zoo alive at your home:
Gather pictures of each of your party guests or pictures of the birthday kid. Use bright colored construction paper and fold it into half. On the front half, cut out rectangular shapes, so that it looks like cage bars. You can either place the pictures of the party guests on the inside, so it looks like they are in the cage, or place a picture of the birthday kid in the invitation, and behind the bars. On the front write, “Welcome to ____ Zoo!” Inside the invitation and underneath the picture, provide the party details.
For decorations, use your kid’s favorite colors and purchase streamers and balloons in these colors. Add a few Zoo animal Mylar balloons and attach to the birthday kid’s chair, as well as use them as a centerpiece. Take a zoo stuffed animal and place him in the center of the table with a few Mylar balloons attached. Use the same colors for the table ware.
Decorate the party room with stuffed animals and posters of zoo animals. On the path to the party’s front door, use sidewalk chalk to draw animal footprints. Place a sign at the entrance welcoming the kids to the Zoo. Take large appliance boxes and on one side cut out large rectangular shapes. Paint the boxes and name them for different animal cages. Cut out a back flap for the kids to crawl into and pretend they are zoo animals. This is a great photo opportunity as well!
Games/Activities:
When the kids arrive, have someone on hand to paint their faces like a zoo animal with whiskers, brown noses, stripes, etc.
Have the kids make an animal mask as an opening activity using paper plates. Make sure to cut out the eyes of the mask before the kids decorate them. Have them use crayons, glitter, markers to make the animals face. Attach a stick to the bottom of the mask for the kids to use to hold it up to their faces. Make sure to write the kids’ names on the back of the masks so that they can take them home as a goody.
Play “Elephant Says” like Simon Says
Play “Pin the Tail on the Zebra.”
Put on a puppet show using zoo animal puppets.
Announce a Zoo animal, and have the kids make the noises of that animal and walk like that animal. You can also call the name of an animal out, put on music, and have the kids move like that animal. When the music stops, the kids must freeze. If someone continues to move, they are out!
Place a tail on each kid, and have them play a game where they must pull off the tails of other guests an still protect their own. The kid with the most tails, as well as still has his tail on, wins!
Enjoy an Animal Relay Race. Split the kids into two groups, and have them stand across from one another in a straight line. The first kid who goes, must do an animal movement to reach the kid on the other side, i.e. slithering like a snake, jumping like a Kangaroo, and jumping like an antelope. After each new kid is tagged ask them to move like a new animal. After everyone has a turn the relay is complete…and everyone wins!
For the Party Menu:
Using animal cookie cutters, cut out favorite small sandwiches into different zoo animal shapes.
Serve iced animal crackers. Make a batch of sugar cookies, and cut these out into animal shapes and have the kids decorate with icing and candies.
Check out Recipe Zaar’s Zoo-Pendous Jungle Party Menu for more unique ideas.
Serve popcorn and peanuts in fun paper containers as you would get at your local zoo.
Cut Jell-O Jigglers out into animal shapes.
For the cake, check out Wilton’s Animal Crackers Cakes. Really fun!
FamilyFun.com has a great selection of animal cupcakes to make too! Check out these darling Polar Bear Cubcakes!!
For the Party Favors:
Send the kids home with their animal masks, a zoo animal balloon, little Beanie animal, zoo animal stickers, coloring books, small box of animal crackers. Package it up in a vintage popcorn box for the kids to take home.
