Puppy Party Activities for Kids

Need puppy party activities for your next dog-themed birthday party? I've broken down all 6 of the activities we used at our puppy birthday party last month.

Here is the list of favorites for our age group of 6-9 year olds:

• Adopt a Puppy
• Decorate a Dog House
• Collect Donations
• Make a Puppy Pizza
• Puppy craft – Paint a best friends frame
• Doggy dress up photo booth
• Eat like a dog
• Dog Piñata

But if you don't see what you need you can find more Dog-themed activity ideas for all ages here.

Pound Puppy Dog Adoption Activity

All puppy party activities must begin with shelter pets! When you're hosting a puppy party to benefit the Humane Society having guests adopt a plush dog is basically required. I looked all over for affordable {but great looking} pups and keep coming back to the Beanie Boo. I mean, who can resist those HUGE eyes!? Plus they have a fun selection for a reasonable price.

Let guests choose their pup, pick a collar, and award an adoption certificate for each guest to name their new pet. It's fun to see the creative names they come up with!

Decorate a Dog House Activity

After you've completed the adoption process it's very important to have a place for the pup to live. Another fun puppy party activity is decorating a dog house. Give your guests a chance to decorate a white favor box to take their new friend home in.

Organize Your Dog House Decorating Supplies

First, set up a station with all the necessary supplies in each favor box. That'll keep it organized and insure each child has all the pieces they need. Especially if you use the adoption box stickers from the shop. Supply stickers, labels, and markers and let the kids imaginations run wild

TIP: If there's an end product in mind – always show them an example of the finished product and walk them through it before you begin!

Apply the Dog House Stickers

Next, allow them to add their stickers to the boxes. I print all my graphics on full sheet labels and cut them down. To make it easier for little fingers I'll peel off a corner and snip the backing ahead of time for frustration free application.

Add Your Dog's Name

Remember to be patient. This is a sample of the kid applied stickers on the box. They are crooked, creased, and wrinkled. But you better believe this child is super proud of it! If you have perfectionistic tendencies….take a deep breath and let it go. I get it. It's taken me YEARS to get to this point!

Throw in some alphabet stickers so they can personalize the dog house for their new friend.

Create a Puppy Portrait

Then, for an added bonus use some cute “make-a-scene” stickers to create a doggie portrait.  I absolutely LOVE how creative and different each guests dog houses ended up.

Collect donations for a Local Animal Shelter

Now you may be thinking….wait a minute….this isn't a puppy party activity!

And while that may be true, it's something that gets your guests thinking about the theme before they even get there. It gets them thinking about shelter pets and how they can lend a “paw”. Once kids are introduced to bigger picture thinking they're often really excited about the process.

If you're requesting donations, set up a special area for guests to place them. I filled an old hutch with stuffed dogs and some photos so it looked nice as guests arrived, then replaced the decor with donations as they came in.

It's not necessary to arrange contributions nicely, but I would set them all out so you can see how many items are collected as a group. Then make a big deal at the children's generosity and explain to them HOW their donation will be used to help. Take a minute and talk about the mission of the Humane Society and why the animals end up there.

Make a Puppy Pizza

I like to have a few activities going on as guests arrive and once they're settled in we grab a bite to eat. You can't party hard on an empty stomach afterall!

We turned lunch into a puppy party activity with a “make your own puppy pizza bar”. Have each child select their toppings for ready-made naan bread crust. It's such an easy meal! Then top them off with fire hydrant cheese slices. Of course!

Check out this list of Puppy Themed Birthday Party Food Ideas for our whole menu.

Puppy Craft – Paint a Best Friends Frame

Want to get a little crafty with your puppy party activities? If your guests are old enough for an acrylic paint project {I say ages 7  or 8 and up} set up a table with:

• A plastic table cover
• Unfinished frames
• Foam brushes
• Acrylic paint
• Paint palettes
• Dog Stickers
• Jewels
• Best Friends vinyl
• APRONS!*

* Do not forget the aprons. You don't want angry moms from ruined clothing.

Add Puppy Details

As the paint dries, have kids eat lunch, or go to another station. Then invite them back for embellishing. This blue frame was done by my 3 1/2  year old son! I just helped with the vinyl. So even little ones CAN do it. You'll just want some major supervision.

Show it Off!

Here's my favorite frame of the day. This lovely ombre with just the right amount of sparkle! This is a budding 8 year old artist for sure!

Doggy Dress Up Photo Booth

Another party activity favorite is a photo booth! Hand out a pair of puppy ears upon arrival to each guest. Then the only thing missing from a full on photo shoot are stick props and a fun backdrop! We had several sayings, bones, collars, and a tennis ball pro for the kids to choose from.

Then pose each guest in front of a dog house and paw print backdrop on a “grass” rug. The only thing missing is a fire hydrant!

But we were joined by a whole pack of pups. These helium dog balloons hover just enough to appear standing and the kids enjoyed taking them on walks.

Eat Like a Pup

AFTER your photos are done its time to get messy! Save the best for last and serve cake and ice cream the metal dog bowls. Brand new sanitized dog bowls are perfect for dessert. The only trick? You HAVE to eat your cake like a pup!

Or cheat a bit and lick a berry smoothie pupsicles like it's the face of your favorite human!

Not everyone likes getting messy so have a few spoons on hand just in case. But you never know who will go all in and chow down to the very last crumb!

Dog Piñata

Piñatas are a favorite party activity around here. I've made my own in the past but knew I wasn't ready to tackle a pup. So this Dalmatian was the perfect find after a few modifications. I added the bow for a girly touch and we saved her to til the end of the party so she enjoyed a place in the photo booth until then.

Hang it up in a clear area and in true piñata fashion, take turns taking a whack at it.

However, there are some piñatas too strong for their own good! After a full rotation one of the guys took a swing a made a dent. After that the kids could “smell” the prizes and didn't stop until the leg was completely off. We filled the piñata with bouncy balls, temporary tattoos, finger puppets, and a little candy. Check out this post on birthday piñata filler ideas other than candy!

Enjoy Your Puppy Party!

Now that I've broken down our Puppy Party Activities for kids, I hope you go away ready to keep your little guests busy! These are perfect activities for a group of tween girls. If you're looking for activities for younger kids check out our 14+ Puppy Activity Ideas for all ages {coming soon} but with a little tweaking most of these would work for little ones as well.

Need more Puppy Themed Party Ideas?

• Dog-Themed Puppy Birthday Party Ideas for Kids
• Puppy Themed Birthday Party Food Ideas
• 20+ Dog-Themed Puppy Party Activity Ideas for all Ages

Until next time my friend,