This year birthdays are going to be different to say the least. A lot of kids birthday parties are being canceled and I know that there are many disappointed kids in the USA this spring. My own daughter is one of them. Her birthday is in April and I’m pretty sure it will be canceled, just as many other things in the coming months have been. Here in New York, it’s all about social distancing right now and we are very limited on what we can do and where we can go. It’s time for Mom to do some brainstorming to make sure her party will still go on, even if no one can come over to celebrate with us.
Luckily, we have technology and social media on our side. Even though we are not together it is very easy to stay in touch. With Facetime, Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom and other video conferencing tools we can easily plan a virtual birthday party with all the elements of a traditional birthday party.
Invitations - It helps to actually schedule a time and date for the party so that everyone can be online together. This is where you can get creative and even make the party a surprise. You can make a cute video or graphic and create a Facebook invite or use evite to share your invitations with your friends and family.
Decorations – Just because you will have no guests in the house doesn’t mean you can’t decorate. You can decorate with balloons, streamers or even break out the Christmas lights to turn your living room into party central. If you don’t have party supplies on hand, you can easily make some at home using paper and crayons. Get the kids involved in this fun craft project. It will be a great way to break up the day.
Have a parade – If your guests are local to you, have them drive pass your house and honk the horn and blast the radio to get your attention. Just imagine how excited your child will be to see their friends waving at the from their car windows. I bet the whole neighborhood will appreciate seeing some friendly faces as well.
Birthday Cards – Even if your guests can’t get to the store to buy a birthday card, they can always make one at home and either deliver it to your house or mail it for a special surprise for your child. Think outside of the box and invite your guests to come over (at different times of course) and draw a picture in sidewalk chalk in your driveway. Just leave a bucket of chalk out there and ask them to write a birthday message or draw a picture for your child. How fun would it be for your child to go outside to see the pictures.
Get dressed up – Have your guests get dressed up just for the party. You can have a party theme where everyone dresses up like a favorite princess or superhero. Maybe everyone wears a funny hat or maybe even face paint. Anything fun or out of the ordinary to make this video call different from any other will make it more of a party.
Have a photo booth – Have your guests take a picture of themselves at your “party” and send it to you or post it on social media like Instagram, Facebook or Tik Tok. Use a fun birthday hashtag for your child to make it extra special. Later, you can print that pictures and make a collage of your child’s virtual birthday bash.
Party Games – This doesn’t have to be a video game. With video conferencing it is easy to play a game like Charades, Hangman or Pictionary with your guests.
Birthday Cake – No birthday party is complete without a birthday cake and a birthday song. While your guests will not be able to share a cake with you, they can each have their own cake at home and still sing to your child on a video call. Share a favorite recipe with your guests and they can bake a special treat to eat at your party time. This will give your guests something fun to do while they are at home practicing social distancing as well. All guests are encouraged to sing loud and cheer for your child when he or she blows out the candles.
It may not be ideal but current conditions are forcing us to think outside of the box to make your child’s birthday extra special. While this time is boring and we can’t go anywhere ore be with our friends, we can still make memories that will last a lifetime.
I’d love to hear your ideas on how to make parties extra special during social distancing and I would love to see your virtual birthday parties. Feel free to invite Cathy’s Creations to your virtual parties, I’d love to be there to make your day a little sweeter.