When our son turned 6, we had a reptile birthday party for him. It was probably one of the funnest ones we’ve done. I spent most of the budget to hire a professional “reptiler” (I don’t really know what they’re called).
This woman does parties and events. She brings her reptiles with her. It was very professional and very well done. She brought a turtle and various snakes, including a boa constrictor that began to wrap itself around my son’s arm!!
We hosted it in our basement and his kindergarten friends LOVED it! I was amazed at 10+ boys could all be sitting still and listening at the same time. Really, she had hypnotic powers. If you live in the Charlotte, NC area, check her out at A Walk in the Woods.
This is what I did for the rest of the party:
Party Favors
These plastic reptiles were super fun and easy for party favors! I just stuck a few in a burlap sack with some shredded green tissue paper and called it a day. Oh! I also stuck in a few gummy “snakes” as well!
Decorations
Because I spent most of my money on the reptile lady, decorations were simple, but they were still fun. Some of the plastic reptiles on the table, and a little rustic burlap birthday banner hanging up. You can find one similar on Amazon.
There’s not a ton of reptile birthday party decorations, but you can look for “safari” or “jungle” themes to find some cute things like these leaf plates that are also reusable.
Cake
I’m not a huge baker, so this one was easy and turned out super cute! And it’s very budget friendly! It’s pretty self explanatory from the picture. You can use MnMs for the scales or some other candy that works. They eyes are mini marshmallows.
Invitations
Games
We didn’t actually do games because the reptile show took up most of the time and was very engaging. Then after cake and presents, they had time to play a little in the backyard and it was time to go. If you do have time though, here’s some ideas:
*Scavenger Hunt- use the plastic snakes and lizards to do a scavenger hunt or hide them like easter eggs
*Pin the tongue on the snake
*Paint the wooden dancing snakes (or you could use sharpies to color if you don’t want to get into all the paint)
*Snake mobiles– this is a good quiet activity to do in between events that prevents the kids from going crazy! You could also make these yourself from paper plates if you don’t want to buy them.
*Use sticky lizards to hit a target on the window/wall or set up little toys (like lego guys) and use the sticky lizards like a sling shot to knock them over! These can also double as party favors and they are a good price- 24 for $6.99
*Pinata- this alligator piñata is only $10, so cheaper than the ones you find at Walmart, and piñatas are always a hit.
*Lily Pad Jump- technically amphibians, but you could cut out green poster board in the shape of lily pads and set the up down the hallway or across the room. Then have each child try to jump from lily pad to lily pad. You could also set up two lines of lily pads and have a race in a similar way.
Well, I hope this has given you some ideas for a cool reptile party. We sure had fun at ours!
*As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small commission if you do decide to purchase a product, but I only recommend items that I like!
