This post contains affiliate links. We may earn money from the products mentioned in this post, but this is at no cost to you
This Dora the Explorer party is long overdue a feature on the blog, because let’s face it, this was for my daughter’s 2nd birthday and she is now…..4. Oops! Better late than never so they say!
I really enjoyed styling this party and it was one of the first that I did, so it still holds a special little place in my heart.
[tweetthis]Have an adventure with a #Dora The Explorer #Party[/tweetthis]
Even though my daughter is now 4, she still loves Dora, the catchy theme tune still rings in my ears on a constant basis. It does at least now get intermingled with Frozen and Peppa Pig but, it’s still there!
Looking back two years, it was clearly evident what party theme she was going to have, as she was absolutely obsessed with Dora the Explorer. She thoroughly enjoyed the party, which always makes it worthwhile doesn’t it!
Dora The Explorer Party Decorations
I have to admit that I was slightly nervous about how I was going to decorate for this party. Dora’s colours are not exactly….well…inviting, and I was reluctant to have Dora and the gang evident everywhere. I decided to run with a bit of the Dora stars theme, and I think it worked really well.
I chose three main colours of yellow, purple and orange and stuck with this for the entire decoration. It ended up being bright, fun and not at all garish like I initially thought it might be.
I decorated the backdrop with easy hanging party streamers which are fantastic for filling in colour but are also incredibly friendly on the budget….that’s always important right! I also created some large Dora stars out of large yellow card and used these to create a pop of colour at the top of the background.
To add a splash more colour on the party table and continue to incorporate the Dora stars, I made several mini Dora Star decorations which stood in mini milk bottles. She still loves to play with these now!
Tissue paper garlands were used around the wine barrels for extra colour and again they were cheap and easy to make.
Dora The Explorer Party Food
The food wasn’t “Dora The Explorer” themed as such, but I tied to incorporate a few cute ideas where I could. I used some cheese sticks to act as ‘map’ and had some adorable star cookies. Otherwise I kept the food simple with some star Vegemite sandwiches, fruit baskets, popcorn, mini quiche, mini donuts and chocolate crackles.
I designed all the printable’s using Dora stars as the main focus and each child had a water bottle with their name on.
Dora The Explorer Party Favors & Activities
Dora the Explorer is always going on adventures, so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to create a treasure trail for the kids. Instead of giving the kids party bags when they left the party, they were all given a ‘backpack bag’ for the treasure hunt which acted as the party favors.
Each child was given a treasure map, and they all followed a route around the garden which was created by the pictures on their map. This worked really well for 2 year old’s who would struggle to answer clues, and they enjoyed running around and burning off some excess energy from the party food!
I also set up a station for colouring if the kids wanted some more quiet time.
And finally, here is a picture of the party girl herself. I can’t believe how much she has changed in two short years. It wasn’t the greatest photo, but she was too excited to stand still for more than 5 seconds!
Vendors and Credits:
Party Styling and Printables: Smart Party Planning
Dora Star Cookies: Piped Dreams
Dora Cake: Delightful Bunch
Planning your own Dora The Explorer Party? Try these supplies to help set the scene…
- Dora The Explorer Scene Setter
- Dora The Explorer & Boots Cupcake Rings
- Dora The Explorer Hanging Swirl Value Pack
- Wilton Dora The Explorer Candle
- Dora Party Supplies, Ultimate 16 Party Pack
I hope you have enjoyed this Dora the Explorer party, even if it was two years later than planned!
Wow this is an amazing Dora birthday party! Everything came out so beautiful I wish this was on Pinterest when I did my daughters! I made the back packs, and the cheese stick maps!
Thanks so much Carmen 🙂 Backpacks make such cute party favors don’t they…..I think they were my favorite part 🙂
What a fab party! My girls love Dora the explorer. xx
Thanks 🙂 I surprised myself at how well a Dora party could actually turn out!!! My daughter and her friends loved it, and it made all the planning worth while 🙂
Too cute! I had a Dora the Explorer Party in March for my daughters second birthday too. Was not nearly as fancy as yours though!
You should come link up at the Bloggers Spotlight, we pin everything to our group board and have two separate link-ups, one for regular blog posts and one for pins.
http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.com/category/bloggers-spotlight/
Hope to see you there!
It’s a really fun party isn’t it Hil. I’m sure your daughter had a blast 🙂 Thanks for the invite to your party too!
This party is adorable! I love those gift bags and all of the decorations.
Thanks Valerie. The Boots gift bags really did look cute sitting on the table, and even cuter when the kids were running around the garden with them…lol
My toddler is a HUGE Dora the Explorer fan and if I had of seen these a month ago {her birthday is in 2wks} then this would have been done for her. Some really great ideas here! Thanks for linking up to the Mad Mid Week Blog Hop!
So if I had actually written the post 2 years ago, like I should have done, it would have been a lot more useful…lol. Hope your daughter has a wonderful birthday 🙂
This is beyond adorable! Thanks so much for sharing at #merrymonday
Thanks so much Lindsay. I loved planning this party and loved how my daughter enjoyed it so much 🙂