A jungle and safari themed party is perfect for boys and girls with a sense of adventure and love of the outdoors. Here’s some sensational suggestions.

Wild party games and activities

Enjoy African drumming.

If you can borrow some djembes or small drums from friends and family, then a good drumming session is great fun for children of all ages. Or why not make your own drums, as a brilliant activity session, then play some African music for everyone to drum along to? You will need terracotta plant pots, markers, sheets of thick paper and elastic bands. Draw funky patterns with the markers on the pots. Cut out large circles of paper and fasten over the pots with elastic bands, pulling them tight. They’re now ready to play.

Make your own binoculars with a strap.

Every adventurer needs a good pair of binoculars to keep an eye out for stampeding animals! All you need are sheets of yellow cellophane, cardboard tubes, scissors, tape, white glue/glue dots, string, paper and decorating supplies like jungle/safari themed stickers, crayons and markers. Firstly cut out circles of yellow cellophane that are big enough to cover one end of the cardboard tubes. Tape these on. Next, glue together two tubes to make binoculars (you can use white glue or use glue dots if you want them ready faster as with white glue you’ll need to wait for it to dry). Wrap the main section of the binoculars in paper, which you’ll secure with white glue or glue dots. Decorate with stickers or drawings. Next, make the strap. Use the scissors (get an adult to do this step!) to make a hole on the outside edge of each roll, about half an inch from the top. Measure and cut the string long enough to make a strap. Take one end and thread it through the hole on one side, tie a secure knot, then repeat on the other side.

Lucky monkey game.

Cut banana shapes out of yellow card (make sure there’s one for each party guest). Write the names of safari animals on all the bananas except one, write monkey on this. Place them in a bag. Get the kids to gather around and each pull out a banana. The player who gets the monkey banana is the winner, and gets a prize. All the other kids have to run around in a circle imitating the animal written on their banana. Put all the bananas back in the bag, and keep playing until everyone has had a turn to be the lucky monkey.

Catch the snake’s tail.

Get the kids to line up and each hold the waist of the person in front of them. This is to make a snake formation. The object of the game is for the snake to catch its tail. The first player in the link leads the rest of the snake dashing around the jungle as he/she tries to touch the last player in the line. If the snake chain gets broken they have to go back to the starting line and start over. If the snake’s tail is caught, this person is out and the head goes to the tail position - you can continue playing for a timed period or until just a few kids are left, who can then win some prizes (with consolation prizes for all the others!).

Turn the room into an explorer’s paradise

Create a party room that feels wild. Use animal themed decorations, including wooden and soft toy animals (raid your children’s toy cupboard!), pictures, balloons (check out our fabulous shiny crocodile balloons) and garlands (like our Go Wild Garland). Place lots of leaves and plants (real and/or fake), and animal print blankets or rugs to add atmosphere. Present your guests with animal masks to wear, and play animal sounds for extra effect. Compile a party play list with songs about animals, nature and being wild. Check out our Meri Meri Wild Party Playlist.

You might also want to place a couple of tents, or homemade tipis (simply string up some fabric or use sticks to hold it up) in the room for little people to hide away.

Wild party foods.

Eating insects is becoming very trendy, but we personally think that’s a step too far for a children’s party! Settle for fun foods that look like wild beasties instead! Why not try?:

  • Animal crackers with a Greek yoghurt dip covered in colorful sprinkles.

  • Lion hummus. Fill a bowl with hummus and place on sliced black olives for the eyes and mouth and a sliced red bell pepper for the nose. Place the bowl in a middle of a plate, and arrange slices of yellow and orange bell peppers and carrots in a swirl on the plate, around the bowl, to create the lion’s ‘mane’.

  • Sausage roll snake. Place mini sausage rolls in a snake formation on a large platter, on a bed of lettuce. Make a ‘snake tongue’ out of thin slices of red bell pepper and place this, along with raisins for ‘eyes’, on the first sausage roll, to make a snake face.

  • Animal cupcakes. Decorate cupcakes with animals (so each guest gets an animal toy to take home), and/or use paper toppers of animals that will look amazing, like our go wild cupcake kit.

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