44 Prehistoric Birthday Party Ideas

Looking for a fun party theme for a kid's birthday party? Consider throwing your child a prehistoric theme party because what kid doesn’t love traveling back in time? Their friends will be raving about this prehistoric theme party for ages!

There are a lot of options for creating a prehistoric atmosphere. Try some of these prehistoric theme party décor, favors, food, and game ideas to transform your party area into a dinosaur’s paradise. Your prehistoric birthday party will bring the dinosaurs back to life and leave guests roaring with positive reviews! To make the most out of your party planning, be sure to download our helpful budget and essential party checklist. We can also help with ideas on kid's gifts.

Prehistoric Birthday Party Decorations

Regardless of whether you choose to have a virtual or in-person party, you can use these decoration ideas to glam up your space. If you do have a virtual party, you can use these ideas to create the perfect party atmosphere for your child even in the absence of your guests. If you do choose to have an in-person party, it is again essential for you to be extremely safe and careful and you should remember to use gloves as well as sanitizers.

1. Dinosaur Balloons

Having large balloons with your child’s favorite types of dinosaurs will add another fun element to the party. After the party is done the guests could take them home as well.

2. Prehistoric Landscape

Create a DIY dinosaur habitat by decorating with large rocks, which can be made by stuffing brown paper bags with newspapers. Add fake or live ferns to your rock piles to represent prehistoric vegetation.

3. Dinosaur Prints

Welcome your guests with large dinosaur print decals leading to your front door. For a DIY option, you can draw them with chalk or cut them out of large supply pieces of paper.

4. Dinosaur Cardboard Cutouts and Figurines

To transport your guests back in time consider buying cardboard dinosaur cutouts at your party or make your own using some cardboard and paint! Cutouts are sure to stand out at your party and add authenticity to your theme. You can even place dinosaur figurines around your party area as décor and use them as part of your centerpieces.

5. Bonfire Decoration

The introduction of fire is a key element in this prehistoric theme. You can have a fire either inside or outside. If you don’t have a fireplace, create a fake bonfire using fake rocks for the border and fake flames, which you can make using colored construction paper. If you have an outdoor fire pit you can also hold a bonfire outside so guests can enjoy the heat of the fire.

6. Paper Mache Props

You can create paper mache dinosaur eggs, rocks, and animal skulls to make your scene look more authentic. All you need is some newspaper, flour, water, salt, liquid glue, and a paintbrush!

7. Volcano Centerpiece

Mold brown clay or playdough around a plastic bottle to create a volcano. Then, arrange red clay around the top of the volcano so that it looks as if it is spewing lava. This is a staple decoration for prehistoric parties!

Prehistoric Birthday Party Favors

8. Dinosaur Dig and Figurines

To make giving out party favors more fun, bury several dinosaur figurines in a bucket of sand for a game of Dinosaur Dig. Have each guest try their hand at unearthing a dinosaur with a small shovel. Help them identify their fossil finds with a book of dinosaurs and let them take the dinosaur home.

Your guests will love taking home their very own miniature dinosaur! Figurines make great gifts and you can save money by just asking guests to pluck out the dinosaur figurines of their choice from your decorations!

9. Dinosaur Finger Puppets

You have the option of either buying dinosaur finger puppets or sewing your own. To sew your own, cut up two pieces of felt fabric in the desired shape then sew the edges together while leaving the bottom open to create small dinosaurs. Don't forget to glue small googly eyes on each one. Dino finger puppets are a lot of fun for younger guests. They can act out their very own dinosaur story for all to see!

10. Rubber Balls

These trinkets can be personalized to match the theme of your party. Find dinosaur bouncy balls to enliven your prehistoric theme.

11. Caveman Pouches

Burlap bags are wonderful giveaways to hand out at your party for guests to keep their favors in. The rustic feel this adds will have every kid feeling like the coolest caveperson.

12. Caveman Necklaces

This favor can be a fantastic activity for all kids at the party and is fairly easy to make. All you need is some twine and prehistoric theme charms, like faux animal teeth and some pony beads as fillers. You can even get creative and hand out cheerios or hard candies to add to the necklace. It’s the finishing touch to guests’ caveman attires.

13. Tattoos and Stickers

Give your guests a pack of dinosaur theme temporary tattoos or stickers. These are super fun dinosaur gifts!

14. Dinosaur Eggs

Paint Easter eggs to look like dinosaur eggs and fill them with candy and knick-knacks. They can watch their eggs “hatch” on the way home and be reminded of the fun they had.

15. Cookie in a Jar

This gift will be fun for the guests to make after the party. It is cheap and easy to measure out the dry ingredients for cookies and put them into mason jars. Including a cute tag with instructions and a funny dinosaur pun will tie the gift back to the party theme. Feel free to attach a dinosaur cookie cutter as well.

If you decide to give your favors out in person, you must wear gloves while preparing them and handing them out. If you are having a virtual party, you should consider mailing out your party favors.

16. Prehistoric Party Hat

No prehistoric birthday party can be complete with a safari hat! Not only will they be great for games and activities but they'll be great party favors. Have kids decorate their hats with various dinosaur stickers to make the hats come to life!

Prehistoric Birthday Party Food Ideas

Health Advisory – It is absolutely recommended for you to ask your guests to bring their own food to the party. You can use our list of theme menu ideas to guide their creations. If you do choose to cook food for all your guests, laying it all out as a buffet is not advised. Make sure you have disposable plates and cutlery for the use of your guests and prepare the food with the utmost hygiene.

17. Volcano Eruption Cake

Bake a Bundt cake and a 9” square cake and put the Bundt cake on top of the square cake. Frost the cake with chocolate frosting. To simulate lava drizzle orange frosting on the top of the cake. You can write a message on the cake in white icing and place plastic trees and dinosaurs around the cake.

18. Prehistoric Eggs

Put grapes or cherry tomatoes on some shredded lettuce. It’ll look like dinosaur eggs in a nest. Feel free to add dressing or other toppings for flavor.

19. Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets

You can find dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets in almost any frozen food section at the grocery store. They’re quick, easy and kids love them. Your menu isn’t complete without them!

20. Dinosaur Cookies

Make sugar cookies in the shape of dinosaurs and cover them with green frosting and brown sprinkles. You can even let the guests decorate their own dinosaur cookies.

21. Dino Punch

The crowd will be roaring with this fun punch. The punch can be composed of orange juice and pineapple juice along with slices of fruit. Serve with a fun dinosaur spoon!

22. Dinosaur Island Cupcakes

Put a handful of shredded coconut in a bag, add green food coloring and shake the bag to make “grass”. Put the green coconut on top of the cupcakes. Top the cupcakes with a plastic dinosaur. You can also add “sand” to the cupcakes with crushed graham crackers or molasses cookies. Use chopped nuts to look like rocks.

23. Dino in an Egg

Pour out the insides of an egg by cutting off the top and rinsing out the shell. Put an edible dinosaur in the egg and pour already made Jell-O into the eggshell. Let the Jell-O set in the refrigerator. Once ready, your guests get to crack open their eggs and enjoy their dinosaur treat.

24. Dino Pops

Make popsicles with lemonade and add gummy dinosaur candy before you freeze them. You can use popsicle molds or paper cups lined with foil or plastic wrap. Stick craft sticks poked through the homemade molds for handles.

25. Bones and Dirt Dessert

Fill cups with chocolate pudding and hide candy bones in them. Cover the top of the pudding with crushed chocolate cookies and let the guests search for the “dinosaur bones”. Fossil finding is always fun!

Prehistoric Birthday Party: Games & Activities

26. Caveman Baseball

Put a prehistoric twist on the classic American game of baseball by using a club for a bat. Use a Wiffle ball or crumpled-up material instead of a baseball to create a safe fun-filled atmosphere. To prevent contamination, ensure that all your guests are wearing gloves and a mask while handling the baseball equipment. Additionally, you should sanitize the bat and ball after each person’s turn.

27. Cave Painting

Create cave paintings by using sticks, leaves, and hands. This is an activity both kids and adults will enjoy. They can even take their masterpieces home when the party is over. If you’re having an online party, ask all the parents to arrange for some basic household items for the children to create these paintings with prior to the party.

If you are including this activity in your in-person party, you will need to be extremely cautious to maintain cleanliness. You can create several separate stations and assign guests to each to prevent over-crowding on one station. Make sure that all your guests use gloves and a mask and place sanitizers at regular intervals on the station.

28. Prehistoric Bingo

Dinosaur theme bingo cards can either be homemade, printed using templates offered online, or purchased. You can use pieces of rock as markers. You can definitely play this game while safely maintaining social distance. This would also be the perfect game for an online party.

29. Paleolithic Games

Games are a must at any party! These games can easily be played both online and in-person while keeping a safe distance between guests.

30. Match Your Prehistoric Egg

Put dinosaur toys in plastic eggs and hide them. Every guest gets a card or picture that shows what their egg looks like. Let them hunt for their specific egg and retrieve the prize for one of the best prehistoric games ever. This will ensure that too many children do not go about touching the same eggs and that each person will only come into contact with their own toy. While setting up games like these you must wear gloves and sanitize the items carefully.

31. Digging for Fossils

Put plastic dinosaurs in ½ pint cartons and fill the cartons with plaster. Let them harden overnight and then give your guests simple tools to find the “fossil”. Make sure that all the materials you use have been sanitized and that each kid has their own carton and set of tools.

32. Wall Art

You can replicate a prehistoric cave by creating your own art! Use a large sheet of brown butcher paper and create cave paintings by using dark colors (browns, reds, dark greens, tans) as paints and your hands and stick-like objects as utensils for crafting your wall art.

33. Caveman Costumes Parade

Looking for a fun DIY to spice up your theme? Ask your guests to make caveman costumes to wear at your party. You can easily teach them how to do this as they simply have to cut a head hole in the middle of a piece of animal print or faux fur fabric and secure it with a rope belt. Then, have all of your tiny cavemen and women show off!

34. Dinosaur Costumes

Have every guest come as a different kind of dinosaur. These costumes could be found at most party stores, online, or handcrafted from things around the house.

Prehistoric Birthday Party Supplies

35. Dinosaur Cupcake Wrappers

Spark up your cupcakes with some dinosaur cupcake wrappers! Cupcake wrappers are a fun and creative way to jazz up any cupcakes! All you have to do is slip the wrapper onto your cupcakes and you're good to go!

36. Dinosaur-Themed Cups

Getting our little ones to eat at a party isn't always so easy. But these dinosaur-themed cups will sure make sitting down a lot easier!

37. Dinosaur Paper Plates

Not only do paper plates make for easy cleanup, but they're also a fun way to create an amazing setup for hungry guests!

38. Dinosaur Straws

What drink isn't complete without a fun straw? Try pink, green, purple, blue, red or, yellow!

39. Paper Napkins

To complement your prehistoric birthday party, consider some dinosaur napkins! They're a great way to really set the theme for your party!

Prehistoric Birthday Party: Invitations

40. Hatching Dinosaur

Cut out an egg shape from a piece of paper. Cut a jagged line through the middle and use a brad fastener to join the two halves together again on one side. Cut out the top half of a dinosaur shape and glue it to the back of the egg. It will look like the dinosaur is hatching when you open the egg. Write your party information on the dinosaur as unique fossil invites!

41. Dinosaur Eggs

Write your party information on a piece of colored paper and place it inside a plastic “dinosaur” egg. Put the egg in a clear plastic box along with some fake grass and a miniature dinosaur figurine. You can mail these out or hand-deliver your distinctive invitations to your guests while maintaining social distance for a very personal touch.

42. Dinosaur Bones

Write out your invitations on quirky-looking or textured pieces of colored paper then roll out some clay until it is thin and cut it into bone shapes with a bone-shaped cookie cutter. Let your dinosaur bones harden and then glue them to your invitations to get the prehistoric party started!

43. Dinosaur Prints

If you’re not a big fan of complicated DIYs, just cut large dinosaur print-outs on paper and write your party information on them. Then fold them up and mail them in regular envelopes as a quick, inexpensive, and easy way of getting the word out.

44. Dinosaur Bookmarks

Sending a dinosaur-themed bookmark with the party invitations will leave the guests with something to keep and remind them of the upcoming fun. It will also encourage younger guests to read more because they will have something to interest them.

Safety Recommendation – In light of the current COVID-19 situation, we would recommend that you maintain the highest level of safety possible by virtually sending out e-vites to all your guests.

If you do choose to create your own physical invitations and send them out, ensure that you do this while keeping the highest standard of sanitization possible. Wear gloves throughout the process of creating and sending out these invitations to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy.

Prehistoric Birthday Party: Conclusion

Using these ideas, we can assure you that you will be able to throw a prehistoric birthday party that your kid will never forget! Your guests whether children or adults will find themselves immersed and mesmerized by the prehistoric atmosphere of the venue and won’t be able to help but participate in all the fun games and activities. With food, drinks, and party favor options for every age your prehistoric birthday party is sure to be one for the ages

If you love this article, check out other great kid's party theme articles to get you inspired for your next event!

Written by Jessica Bundy, Kaitlyn Malcolm, Tammy Tu, and Aditi Parikh; Contributors: Keren Godwin, Royce Legaspi, Blake Rubenstein, and Nancy Lara