How to Entertain Kids at a Jungle Safari Theme Birthday Party

If your child is wild about animals, then a backyard jungle safari is a great way to celebrate a birthday. This versatile theme appeals to boys and girls of all ages, and it's easy to turn classic birthday party games into safari-themed activities.

Things You'll Need

• Portable stereo
• Poster board
• Construction paper
• Clear tape
• Pictures of jungle animals
• Plastic jungle animals
• Large inflatable jungle animals
• Toy bow and arrow
• Small backpacks
• Toy binoculars
• Candy

Instructions

1. Have guests join in a Jungle Safari Walk as they arrive to keep them entertained until everyone arrives. Late guests can jump right in, and any number can play. Tape pictures of animals on the floor and while music is playing, have kids walk in a circle over top of the animals. When the music stops everyone must move to an animal space. Randomly draw the name of an animal and say it out loud. Whoever is standing on that animal is out. Play continues until only one child is left.

2. Adapt the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey game to Pin the Monkey on the Tree. Glue a picture of a tree on a large piece of poster board. Then cut bananas out of construction paper and put a piece of tape on the back of each one. Blindfold the kids one at a time, and have them place their banana on the board. Whoever gets their banana on the tree wins a prize.

3. Place folded up pictures of jungle animals in a safari hat, and have kids take turns drawing one at a time. Without speaking or making noise, they have to imitate the animal in front of the group to try to get everyone to guess what animal they are. If you don't want to act the animal out, you can have kids try to draw the animal.

4. Send the kids on a safari to look for wild animals. Hide a variety of small plastic jungle animals around the yard or in a large room, and keep the kids away from the area until you're ready for the game. Then let them search for animals, and tell them to get one of each species. If they find one they already have, they can either put it back or hide it in a new place. Let the kids keep their safari animals as party favors.

5. Set up several inflatable jungle animals, like elephants, giraffes and lions, and have kids take turns shooting the animals with a toy bow and arrow. Use the type with the round suction cup on the end of the arrow so no one gets hurt. The inflatable animals should fall over with a good blow in the right place.

6. Arrange chairs in a circle and place two in the middle. Have the birthday child sit in the middle of the circle with all the guests around them. As they choose a gift to open, the gift giver joins them in the center. When the birthday child is done opening the gift, give the guest a small backpack filled toy binoculars and candy as a party favor bag.