Go, Dog. Go! 2nd Birthday Party
Dean has been a fan of P.D. Eastman’s “Go, Dog. Go!” since he could walk to his bookshelf and pick his own book, so I knew I wanted it to be his birthday party theme this year. I started planning months ago, designing textable Save the Dates and Go Dog Go invitations, making up a list of food and DIY decor ideas, and outsourcing a few items where I could (dog party playlist and birthday cupcakes!). This theme is recognizable for toddlers, great for book-loving families, and a good time for family and friends coming to celebrate your little pup!
Easy DIY Go, Dog. Go! Party Decorations
Color Palette & Inspiration
One of the first things to consider when beginning your Go Dog Go party planning is color scheme. That will dictate your decorations, tableware, linens, accessories, and more. Decide if you want solid colors, patterns, or the characters themselves if that’s part of your theme. For this Go Dog Go party, I wanted to use the soft primary colors from the book — red, yellow, and blue. Really, the colors depend on which edition you have at home. The cover of my copy growing up was green and orange, and so is the boys’. But I’ve seen red and blue, too. The inside illustrations seem to be consistent, with maybe slight changes in the vibrancy of the colors. I then incorporated the dogs, cars, balloons, and hats from the story illustrations. My save-the-date exactly matched the colors and fonts of the book cover I was most familiar with, and the ribbons I purchased to create a “tent” over the craft table were similar shades of orange and green.
DIY Party Decor
- DIY paper bunting with cutouts from a damaged copy of the book that I picked up at a vintage market. This was the hardest for me to do because it felt traitorous to cut up a book! But the copy I had found was written in and already pretty banged up, so that eased some of my guilt. Look at it as giving a book a second (or third or fourth) life!
- Ribbon installation that created a tent over the craft table and a centerpiece for guests to gather around.
- Balloon garland in storybook colors. It’s not a birthday party without a good balloon arch!
- Party Tree entryway. I planned to use the brown packing paper that I had been saving from packages to create a bark-like texture around our front door for guests to walk through, but the day-of I couldn’t get the paper to stick and so abandoned this idea. Check out this blog post at The Sensible Home to see a successful party tree out of craft paper.
Want to make your own ribbon installation? I’ve added the materials you’ll need below (affiliate links):
Go, Dog. Go! Themed Snacks
Punny Go Dog Go Party Savory Snacks & Sweet Treats
My mom had the best idea of serving all the “dog treats” for the party in those basic metal dog bowls (unused and clean, of course!) but this was after we had already set up everything we had with what was already on-hand in my kitchen.
- “Snuggle Pups” mini hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls, or pigs-in-a-blanket, rebranded to fit the theme
- “Pup-corn” in paper cups. These with paw prints are so cute, but the stripe ones I had worked too.
- “Dog Bone” pretzels with white chocolate drizzle.
- “Pupcakes”
- “Puppy Chow” snack mix
- Cars made from apple slices and halved grapes
Activities & Games for Go Dog Go Party
I’m putting these Go Dog Go party game ideas in order of least to most parent involvement, so you can pick which would be best for your guests.
- Red Light, Green Light. An easy one for kiddos to play because it’s just running and then freezing. I pulled out red and green magna-tiles so that there would be a visual cue in addition to kids shouting “red light!” and “green light!”
- “Find the Bone” scavenger hunt. If your kiddos can’t read yet, you’ll want to print this Go Dog Go scavenger hunt list with pictures instead of just a list of items. Age-dependent, but you can either have kids find items you’ve hidden Easter-egg style around the house or yard, or have them go door-to-door with your neighbors to ask for items. I’d prep your neighbors in advance (and maybe bring over some birthday cake or pupcakes as a thank you for their participation.)
- Doggy relay races. Requires a little more organization and sometimes parent intervention. But it gets the kids moving and ready for that post-party nap.
- “Do you like my hat?” Hat-Decorating station. Having a mix of materials makes this friendly for all ages! Stickers are easy for little hands to place and puff balls with glue require just a little more dexterity and patience. Adding pipe cleaners allows your guests to fashion their own dog party hats, headbands, ears, feathers, and even eyeglasses.
Go Dog Go Party Craft Table Setup: “Do You Like My Hat?”
There are so many different hats you can make out of newspapers! I followed this post to make a few “Peter Pan” style newspaper hats, and that crazy sunhat was calling my name.
- Printable “Do you like my hat?” sign.
- Materials: pipe cleaners, pom poms, stickers, markers, craft glue, hot glue (for use with supervision, of course), and lots of newspaper.
Favors & Thank-You Gifts
- Sticker sheets – I created my own vinyl sticker sheets using Sticker App. There are several sizes, materials, and of course, quantity discounts to choose from. Look how cute! I was able to upload my own images and designs, and choose from their preloaded options like the pawprints.
- A copy of “Go, Dog. Go!” by P.D. Eastman
(there are Kindle ebook versions that exist as well!) - Goodie bags for guests to load up on any remaining treats – like the puppy chow or popcorn.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Use free printables for decor, browse Etsy for some inexpensive options, or create your own from your copy of “Go, Dog Go.”
- Borrow props from friends. Facebook Marketplace has been a winner for several party decorations and even entire kits in the past. It’s where I found my door hanging for G’s EncanTWO birthday party and I’ve even resold some decor items like the balloon garland for my sister’s baby shower or cowboy accessories from Dean’s 1st Rodeo party.
- Repurpose toys, figurines, and books as decorations.
