Birthday Party Ideas During a Pandemic

10 Birthday party ideas during a pandemic that will keep their heart smiling even during these difficult times.

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Our daughter’s 7th birthday is a month away and we had planned to celebrate in the biggest way we know how…Walt Disney World. This trip had been planned for years and she felt very special that we chose to do it on her Birthday. We are not going to risk going to Disney right now so I have been researching ‘birthday party ideas during a pandemic’ like crazy. Here’s what I’ve found:

Virtual Birthday Party Ideas

By this time, some people are tired of using virtual technology to see their friends. They’re using virtual meetings at work, virtual happy hours with friends, Zoom meetings for school, and even virtual bingo with the grandparents. But, that may be the only way you’re able to see friends and family, so let’s make it fun!

Dessert Party:

Set up a Zoom call with all your friends and family to share a treat together. Throw in some kind of challenge like ‘best dressed’ or ‘craziest Zoom background’ to help get your guests in the party spirit.

Movie Night:

Host a virtual movie night with Kast. Using Kast, you can have everyone pop some popcorn and snuggle in to watch a movie and have a live chat during the film. This free service streams movies from third-party providers. Find out more info on how it works here.

Game Night:

Games are one of the things we’re missing most right now. Thankfully there are a few different ways you can play games virtually. We’ve enjoyed playing Jackbox with friends for years at our home but did you know you can play it virtually too? Another fun one is MURAL where you can play different drawing games like Win, Lose or Draw, Hangman, and Pictionary.

At Home Birthday Party Ideas

There are lots of fun ways to make a birthday celebration extra special while you’re unable to have friends and family visit. A good theme can make a party great!

Disney Theme Night:

Knowing that we were going to miss our Disney vacation this year, I wrote Magic Kingdom Movie Marathon with Themed Treats. Having worked my college program in Fantasyland, I have a special place in my heart for the Magic Kingdom. I rounded up a list of the ride attractions that have a corresponding movie and found a treat that you can make with your family. Add in even more fun by bringing the mattress down and all the pillows and watching movies until you fall asleep.

Mystery Box:

If you have older kids of reading age you could get a mystery box sent. We played a game from Dispatch where you had to solve a mystery using the clues they sent you. It took a couple hours and we were really entertained the whole time. I haven’t played this board game version yet but it has good reviews on Amazon.

Quaren-Tea Party

Have everyone dress up in your finest attire, jewels, and makeup. Break out the fine China you have been saving for a special occasion. Make little finger foods (or pick up from the grocery pick up). Enjoy some high tea with British accents and all! We love doing this. Getting ready is just as fun as the actual tea party! If you want to make a full day of the event, you could start with a special invitation waiting outside their door when they wake up. You can have a crown crafting sesh and practice walking with books on your head. Learn how to set a proper table for tea from a YouTube video or play Lookabout (a Victorian tea party game).

Art Party

There is so much you can do with an art-themed party. One of my favorites is having a Canvas and Cookies event. All you need is some paper, brushes, paint, and cookies. Find a painting tutorial (similar to this one) and have everyone paint a picture together.

Adventure Birthday Party Ideas

During a pandemic, it’s not a good idea to congregate in large crowds, but there are still places we can go safely to celebrate a loved one.

Camping

Most private campsites are too congested for me. The proximity of the RVs always seemed too close pre-RV. Fortunately, there are a few other options.

HipCamp:

HipCamp is a website similar to Airbnb where you can find more secluded camping. The sites are often on somebody’s farmland. With this site, you can see how many other sites are at their location and how many acres they’re spread over. Hipcamp also makes it easy to directly talk to the host so you can double-check to make sure your site is not going to be anywhere near another person.

Having a toddler, I wanted to be sure we weren’t constantly worried about her trying to make friends with our neighbor campers so we’ve booked a few places within 2 hours from our home.

A friend or relative’s property:

Think about some of the people you know. Maybe you have a friend that has a lot of land that wouldn’t mind you setting up primitive camp for a weekend. The key to camping is to get away from all the distractions of home. You may be used to having a pool and paid activities for the kids when you camp but there are lots of ways to camp with kids. Camping without all the amenities maybe your favorite!

Backyard Campout

Set up your tent or popup at your house! Get all the typical camp foods and s’mores to roast over the campfire (or grill if that’s what you have)! A change of scenery is the goal here, so make it as elaborate of a campout as you want. Don’t have a spot in your yard? Set it up inside or even build an indoor fort. There are tons of ways to camp!

Having a birthday during a pandemic isn’t what we’re used to. We can’t have our friends over for a sleepover or meet up at the roller rink. We can still make it special and have fun though! I’d love to know what you’ve done to celebrate with a loved one!

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