Wild and Wooly Animal Birthday Party Theme for Kids
There's not a kid alive that doesn't love animals—from Mickey Mouse and Daffy Duck to Stuart Little and Lion King.
Delight your youngster (age 6 or younger) with an animal-themed birthday party. Set the stage by printing your own
invitations that include playful animal images or one animal character. Include a poem or verse and drop in a map to
your house. Finish the invitations with a special animal stamp from the Post Office and you're all set.
You've set expectations high with your invitations, and you need a plan to deliver. Beg, borrow, steal or rent huge
stuffed animals and scatter them around the guest areas, but not the eating area.
During the party, have someone snap candid pictures of each child with a digital camera. Print them on your inkjet
printer, and cut them to fit the space inside a birthday party invitation in place of the party information. Assemble the
finished "photo card" while the kids watch the movie (see below), and present one to each child as a take-home favor
and keepsake.
Start with a Game
Games are a great way to involve even the shyest kids. Play an animal variation of musical chairs. To prepare, write
the name of some popular animal characters on individual pieces of paper, and place them in a big, floppy hat. Select
music from a popular animal television show or movie. Setup a room with one fewer chairs than children.
To play the game, start the music and have the children walk around the room. When the music stops, each child attempts
to sit in a chair. The child without a chair selects an animal from the hat and acts out the animal while the other children
try to guess the animal. Remove one chair after each round, and continue playing until you run out of animals.
Time for Cake and Gifts
 Order a cake from your grocery's deli. They're less expensive for the very same quality as those from a bakery. Talk over
several animal-theme suggestions with them and select the one you like best. You can match the cake to the invitations
and the movie below, planning the entire party around one animal character or movie.
Serve the cake and open the presents. Remember to thank each child for his or her gift.
The next activity is the perfect way to create a little time for you to assemble the party favors.
Kids LOVE Movies, Especially when They Watch Them Together
Select an animal movie to "babysit" the children while you clean up and prepare the party favors. Good bets include:
- 102 Dalmatians
- Garfield
- Benji
- Stuart Little
Say Goodbye with a Personalized Favor
Present the children with their personalized party favor on his or her way out the door. Each guest will have a
personal keepsake to remember the fond memories from your child's birthday party and to look forward to next
year's party.
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