If you have a child who is an animal lover, then a petting zoo birthday party will be a hit! Celebrate your little animal lover's birthday with these engaging and entertaining petting zoo birthday party ideas.
Petting Zoo Birthday Party Invites and Decor
Your planning starts long before the fluffy, cuddly fun begins. Whether you're a dedicated DIYer or prefer things a little more ready-made, you're sure to find inspirational and aspirational party invites and decor ideas. Since the animals are the star, you don't need to go overboard with decorating; a few simple ideas will suffice.
Farm Inspired Invitation
Whether you are bringing the petting zoo to your house or hosting your party at a farm, a farm inspired invitation is a sweet way to establish the theme for your event. Include all the information necessary for the party and what guests should expect if they decide to attend your event.
This free, printable invitation is fully editable. Edit the PDF with relevant details, print it on cardstock (or paste it in an email), and send it out to your party guests. If you need help, use this guide for Adobe printables.
Petting Zoo Animal Balloons
Decorate your event with large petting zoo animal balloons. You can either have them filled with helium or use a hand-pump and attach them to the wall to create a fantastic backdrop that doubles as a fun spot for photos.
Petting Zoo Animal Banner
A party banner is always a great idea to spruce up a plain wall. For your petting zoo party, download, print and assemble these fun farm animal pennants. All you need is a hole punch, string, tape to attach it to the wall and your banner is ready to party!
Food and Drink
On party day, continue the theme with kid-friendly food and drink. Whether you make it yourself or order it from a caterer and bakery, these petting zoo bites and sips are a delight.
Day at the Farm Inspired Cake
Make the birthday cake the focal point of your party set up with a day at the farm inspired cake design. Whether you opt for buttercream or fondant, a themed cake is essential to complement your party set up and make the singing happy birthday option a little extra special. Ask the cake decorator to include items like tractors, fences, barns, and petting zoo animals or include cute petting zoo cake toppers.
Petting Zoo Cake/Cupcake Toppers
If you opt to make your own cake or cupcakes, these adorable animal toppers give you instant themed design. Print them on cardstock, cut them out, fold them, tape a wooden skewer or dowel in place, and add a dab of glue to stick both halves together. When they're dried, they're ready to stick into the top of a cake or into cupcakes.
Chicken Food Art
Using grapefruit slices, apples wedges, sliced grapes and blueberries, the kids can create their own chicken fruit plate. Have the fruit slices and wedges ready to go along with a picture for inspiration for a quick and fun edible activity.
Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob is always a crowd pleaser, no matter the age. After removing the husks and silks, brush the corn with butter, wrap it in aluminum foil, and grill, turning, for 10 minutes. You can sprinkle with garlic powder and special herbs for more of an adult version.
Piggy Cupcakes
Take a simple cupcake to the next level with this piggy cupcake idea.
You will need:
- Cupcakes
- Pink buttercream
- Marshmallow
- Red and black icing gel tubes
To decorate the cupcakes:
- Frost your cupcakes with light pink buttercream.
- Cut marshmallow pieces for the ears and nose.
- Add the extra details, such as eyes, nose, mouth using a decorating icing tube.
Ham and Egg Salad Roll Ups
These ham and egg salad roll ups are a great option to serve at your celebration as they are easy to put together and look fun and unique when arranged on a party tray. Serves #10
You will need:
- 20 slices deli ham
- 2.5 cups of your favorite egg salad
- 20 chives
To assemble:
- Place ham slices on a flat clean surface.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite egg salad to each slice.
- Gently roll the ham slice to form a wrap.
- Tie each with a chive
- Arrange them on a festive platter to coordinate with your party decor.
Homemade Seasonal Pie
When planning a farm inspired party, the idea of freshly baked pie instantly comes to mind. Make a delicious homemade pie using seasonal fruit to add to your party menu. If you are hosting a party in the fall, it's only natural to settle for apple or pumpkin. This pumpkin pie recipe and these irresistible apple pie recipes might be what you are looking for.
Farm Animal Decorated Cookies
Themed cookies are a must when planning a birthday party. Bake sugar cookies cut out in animal shapes and decorate with icing and embellishments.
If decorating is not your forte, you can book a cookie artist to bring your theme to life through decorated sugar cookies. Display them in a rustic basket lined with red checkered cloth or create goodies bags for the kids to take home.
Fresh Fruit Platter
Whether your petting zoo party is being held in the summer or fall, a fruit platter is a wonderful option to offer your guests something colorful, fresh, and nutritious using seasonal fruit of your choice. Arrange them on a cutting board or tray to be enjoyed outdoors throughout the party.
Piggy Sandwich
This fantastic piggy sandwich idea will get the kids extra excited about ham and cheese sandwiches again. Use ham, cheese slices and black olives to create too-cute-to-eat piggy sandwiches for a special birthday lunch. If you have mini cookie cutters, use them to create vegetables in fun shapes to add extra cuteness to the kids' plates.
Old Fashioned Milk Bottles
For a party at a farm, jazz up old fashioned milk bottles with rustic milk tags. Create your tags using Kraft cardstock, a hole punch and baker's twine for a fun rustic touch. You can display them in vintage crates or on top of decorative hay bales to reflect the farm style of your event.
Apple Cider
If you are hosting your party in the fall, it makes perfect sense to incorporate apple cider into your party menu. Setting up a drink station can be an exciting addition to your event. For cooler weather, prepare a special apple cider with spiced rum for the adults and make an easy slow cooker warm apple cider for the kids. This recipe yields 16 cups.
Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 15 whole cloves
- 1 gallon apple cider
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Stud the orange with whole cloves and place in a slow cooker.
- Add the apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg. Stir.
- Cover and turn on low. Allow to simmer for four hours before serving. Keep the cider on the keep warm setting, covered, throughout the party and serve with a ladle.
Farm to Table Smoothies
Whether you're hosting your petting zoo themed party at a farm or not, consider using fresh fruit to make delightful farm to table smoothies. It makes the perfect idea if the event is outdoors on a hot summer day and you are looking for something nutritious and refreshing to serve. Adapt this versatile basic fruit smoothie recipe for plenty of fruity goodness.
Lamb Chocolate Party Favors
Plan ahead and create chocolate farm animal chocolate as take-home favors. Investing in themed cookie cutters will help you scratch this task off your list and focus on other aspects of the party. All you need is good quality chocolate, farm animal chocolate molds, goodies bags and ribbon. Instead of creating lamb chocolate only, why not make a variety of cute animals found at a petting zoo? Rabbits, llamas, goats, pigs and cows or any other farm animal cookie cutter you can find.
Jelly Jar Favors
Jelly jar party favors are a sweet and useful idea your guests will cherish. You can opt to make your own jelly or purchase mini jelly jars from a local farm or fresh market. For an adorable presentation, cover the lid with a piece of fabric and secure it with baker's twine.
Pin the Tail on the Petting Zoo Animal
Pin the tail games are popular among kids and adults alike. They make a wonderful activity for giving the guests the opportunity to socialize and play a fun game that doesn't require much planning. Simply submit the printable poster to a local print shop. The tails can be printed on a regular 8.5 x 11 paper. Make sure you have a strong double-sided tape to adhere the poster to the wall and a blindfold.
Llama Craft
Alpacas and llamas are adorable and are frequent furry guests at petting zoo parties. If you are looking for a themed craft idea to keep the kids entertained for a few minutes, try this printable llama craft. Print and cut out the pattern and give kids glue, paper tubes, and craft supplies such as brightly colored paper, pompoms, washable markers, glue, and glitter so they can create their own adorable llama friends. For a sturdier head, cut out the llama head shape on cardstock and cut ears and faces out of colored construction paper.
Day at the Farm Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt game gives the kids an opportunity to go on an outdoor adventure and appreciate what's around them. This game is ideal if you're hosting your party at a farm. Download the file and print as many cards as you need for this fun activity you can do at any time during the party. Whoever checks off the most items wins.
Find the Right Farm
If you are planning to book a farm to host a petting zoo birthday party, do an extensive research online to make sure you are supporting the right farm. Make sure the animals are being treated with respect, living in a comfortable environment, and getting the proper rest they need from interacting with people all day.
