Your little one’s first birthday is a huge milestone – and one that should be celebrated in style. While there are tons of themes out there, the wild one birthday theme is one of the cutest. There are so many creative things you can do with this theme. In fact, I have a ton of ideas that I’m going to share with you.
Wild One Birthday Theme Ideas
1. Safari Cake
You can’t have a birthday party without cake. And this idea is adorable. You’ll need to call on the pros to bring this cake idea to life, but you can also find toppers and cute animal characters to add to your cake.
With a three-layer cake, you can choose different flavors and add fun animal prints. Go wild with your design ideas here. After all, your little one only turns one once.
2. Jungle Themed Dip Platter
How fun is this platter of food? It’s healthy, too, so you don’t have to feel guilty about serving it. To make a lion, you’ll need to:
- Start with a large serving platter
- Add a container of hummus to the middle
- Slice bell peppers and cucumbers into stick shapes
- Arrange your pepper and cucumber strips around the hummus container to create the lion’s mane
- To make the lion’s face in the hummus, use stuffed olives for the eyes and sliced black olives for the eyebrows and mouth
You can get as creative as you want with the design of the lion.
3. Wild One Decor
The wild one birthday theme is so fun for decor. I love the colors this Pinner chose for the decorations: earthy browns (and golds), calming greens and shades of blue.
To make the balloon arch, you can buy a kit on Amazon to attach the balloons to. Then, get some metallic balloons to create your display. They come in so many different colors, including the ones in this Pin.
Grab some big stuffed animals – like this monkey, giraffe and lion. Use these plates for place settings at the table and this table runner to complete the look.
Related: 21+ Fun Dinosaur Party Food Ideas Kids Will Go Crazy For
4. Jungle Juice
Get creative with the drinks you serve at your party. While jungle juice is normally associated with adult drinks, you can make a kid’s version. Green Gatorade would work well for this. You can also serve jungle punch (fruit punch).
Add cute labels and serve them in glass dispensers.
5. Safari Snake Sandwich
What a cute way to serve food at your party. It’s really a simple idea, too. If you have a local sandwich shop, they likely do catering. Or you can purchase multiple subs if there’s no catering option.
But to make the snake, you’ll need two “end” pieces. One side will be the head, where you attach stuffed olives and a slice of pepperoni made to look like the snake’s tongue. The other side will be the end of the snake, but you don’t have to do anything special with this side.
If you want to serve different types of sandwiches, you can make smaller snakes with each type (like in this Pin
6. Wild Welcome Sign
How cute is this entryway for a wild one birthday theme party? You don’t have to get crazy with expensive decor either.
If you have a flower pot, you can fill it with some soil (if it’s empty) to hold the signpost. You can easily make your own signpost with a 1×2 piece of lumber and small wood scraps. Use outdoor paint to add the words “Welcome Party Animals” to each piece of scrap.
Attach balloons to the post. Arrange some large stuffed safari animals (like this lion and elephant) by your sign.
The kids will love it!
7. DIY Jungle Leaf Decorations
These jungle leaf decorations are so simple to make, and they’re a great way to really bring the jungle or wild theme to life at your party.
All you need is some green construction paper, a sharp pair of scissors and a tutorial (like the one above) to follow.
You can hang or place your leaves anywhere you want. Create a banner, or just decorate tables and walls with them.
8. Alligator Cupcakes
How cute is this for a wild one birthday theme? And it’s so easy to bring this idea to life.
You can have a local bakery make your cupcakes, or you can bake your own. The most important thing is to make sure the icing is green. I recommend offering a mix of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes.
Once you have them ready, you can arrange the cupcakes to make the shape of an alligator. For the teeth and claws, you can add Dots candies. For the eyes, you’ll need Oreos (split in half). The pupils can be made with chocolate wafers.
Oreo halves can be added to the tops of your cupcakes to create the scales of the alligator.
9. Watering Hole Bucket
It’s important to keep your guests hydrated at the party, especially if it’s summer and you’re having an outdoor gathering.
Why not have fun with how you serve water?
Grab a big galvanized bucket and fill it with water bottles. You can even include a cute sign that says “Watering Hole.”
I love that this Pinner has swapped out the usual water bottle labels for animal prints. You can find labels on Amazon to save you time.
Related: 25 Boho Birthday Party Ideas For The Perfect Outdoor Celebration
10. One Wild Year Calendar
Here’s a display that’s perfect for a wild one birthday theme and a great way to celebrate your little one’s growth over the last 12 months.
Hopefully, you’ve taken at least one photo every month over the last year. Gather your best shots to put on display for each month.
Print out labels for months 1-12. Attach twine to a poster board in a zig-zag fashion. This is where you’ll attach your photos.
You can decorate the top of the display with jungle leaves, a banner that says “One Wild Year” and little cutouts of animals or cute monsters.
Want to save time? Grab this kit from Amazon to make your display in no time.
11. Adopt a Safari Animal
Instead of the usual goody bags, why not give all of your guests adorable stuffed safari animals? You can buy a pack of 24 animals from Amazon.
Display them in a crate with a sign that says “Adopt a Safari Animal. Please Take One Home.”
If you have older kids attending the party, you can set up an adoption center with certificates they or their parents can fill out. Each certificate can include the child’s name, the type of animal they adopted and the animal’s name. It’s a fun way to make the whole thing feel official for the kids.
You can even buy certificates to make this step even easier.
12. Elephant Watermelon
Are you having a summer party? If you’re serving watermelon, you can transform this fruit into a cute elephant to match the theme of your party.
Use one end of the watermelon to create the head of the elephant. Use half-moon slices of watermelon to make the ears. Then carve out part of the top of the melon to make the trunk. Use toothpicks to attach blueberries to the head for its eyes.
Fill the rest of the platter with cubed melon for serving.
This is a cute and simple way to make your party even more special. You don’t need any fancy tools. Just a little time and creativity.
13. Build Your Own Trail Mix
Here’s a fun addition to your party that adults and older kids will love. Set up a little “Build Your Own Trail Mix” station where everyone can gather the ingredients they want for their mix.
You can add whatever you want to your bar:
- M&Ms
- Banana chips
- Cashews and almond mix
- Pretzels
- Cheezits
- Cereal
- Popcorn
Be sure to have little paper bags available or cups to hold everyone’s trail mix.
Related: The Best 40th Birthday Gift Ideas for Men
14. Balloon Photo Spot
Encourage your guests to make lasting memories by setting up a cute photo spot at the party. You can create a pretty arch with balloons.
Amazon sells a 60-piece kit of Safari balloons that include animal prints. You can even find balloons in fun animal shapes.
Don’t forget to include some stuffed animals, a “Wild One” banner and a number 1 balloon.
15. Jungle Throne
No first birthday is complete without a little cake smashing. Why not make it a spectacle and something everyone will remember?
Create a jungle throne for your little one with ribbons and a “Wild One” banner. Make sure there’s plenty of space for them to smash and devour the cake.
Try this high chair banner if you want something more elaborate, or this one for a more neutral option.
You’ll find plenty of options online for boys and girls.
Planning a wild one birthday is so much fun, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed as a parent. Use these ideas as inspiration to make your planning a little easier and the party more enjoyable.
