Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

Social-distancing birthday party ideas for kids

By

Celebrating one more year of your child’s life is always an important event that deserves a party. While social distancing can make this extra challenging, it’s no reason to skip the celebration altogether. Kids have had a tough time recently, and a birthday party is the perfect opportunity to help them release stress and regain a sense of normalcy. With these creative birthday party ideas for toddlers, your child is sure to enjoy an unforgettable birthday celebration with memories that’ll last a lifetime.

Virtual activity party

Virtual hangouts are very popular these days. Chances are your child has as many Zoom meetings as you do on a daily basis. Why not use the software that kids already know and use to host a fun gathering with family and friends?

family video chat
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Take it to the next level and hire an entertainer to provide structure to the party and keep the kids engaged. Consider enlisting a DJ, dance instructor or other themed performer, and let the birthday fun begin!

Recommended Videos

Keep in mind that if your child chooses an activity like arts and crafts, cooking or science experiments, you’ll want to mail party supplies ahead of time to your guests. That way, the kids can follow along in their own homes and make great memories together.

Related

Netflix slumber party

If your child is old enough for sleepovers, give this year’s celebration a spin and make it a Netflix slumber party. Using a delivery service, send your child’s BFFs a kit of beauty masks, microwave popcorn and ice cream. Once everyone is ready to go, start the virtual gathering and then enjoy a movie together. Just because everyone needs to stay in their own home doesn’t mean your child and their friends can’t share snacks, stay up late chatting and have fun watching a good movie.

Drive-by parade

If you prefer to keep the social distancing party IRL, a drive-by parade is the perfect compromise for you and your child. Contact the other parents ahead of time and ask them to meet nearby your home at a specified time. Once everyone is there, you can trick your child into going outside with you and surprise them as all their friends drive by wishing them a happy birthday.

Friends can make signs and decorate their cars with balloons or even throw your child candy from their cars. Your child will feel very special, and seeing all of their friends will be quite a treat. Each car can even stop in front of your house for a few minutes to say hello and spend a bit of time with the birthday child, even if from 6 feet away.

Share a meal

family dinner
cottonbro/Pexels

If your child is too young for friends, chances are you still have family members who want to celebrate your baby. When getting together is challenging or impossible, restaurant delivery can come to the rescue. Choose a meal that you all enjoy and send grandparents, aunts or cousins food to their homes. You can then get together on a video call to eat at the same time and sing “Happy Birthday” to your little one. This will give close relatives the sense of a family celebration, so they don’t miss out on these important days even during the crisis.

Live princess chat

If you have a little aristocrat at home, there’s no better way to celebrate them on their special day than with a one-on-one chat with their favorite princess. Your child won’t believe their eyes when they see their most beloved character on the other side of the screen.

Princesses can read stories, have an engaging conversation with your child, sign happy birthday and make your little one feel more special than ever on this virtual hangout that will certainly make this year a birthday to remember.

Karaoke Party

If your child is a performer who adores being the center of attention, give them the virtual stage to shine with an online karaoke party. Your kid and their friends can all join in, watch the same videos with the song lyrics and take turns to show off their musical talents – or lack thereof! Either way, it’s sure to be an incredibly fun time for everyone who joins. Even parents may want to take over the mic for a bit and dedicate a song to the birthday kid.

Video card

If you have friends and family spread across the country and they all want to wish your child a happy birthday, why not gather them all on a video card? There are several apps out there that provide a shareable link where your loved ones can upload their individual videos and send loving messages to the birthday child. The videos are then seamlessly edited together by the website for your child to enjoy and feel the virtual love. Once the video is live, you can even download it as a keepsake.

While we all hope that next year’s birthdays can be celebrated with big parties and group celebrations, this year’s birthdays are still special. Let your child know how much you care by planning a social distancing party that brings all of your loved ones together. Even while apart, friends and families can stay united in celebration of the children who make our lives so extraordinary.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
NewFolks
NewFolks
10 outdoor chores that help teach kids responsibility
The earliest kids learn through chores the better
Young kid watering the garden outdoors

Every parent can agree that chores are an important part of a child's responsibility. Having kids do assigned chores helps ensure that everyone is contributing around the house. Doing chores also teaches school-age kids important life skills. You may not want to think about it now, but those tweens and teens will be heading off to college or the real world soon enough, so they need to know how to look after themselves as well as their dorm room or apartment. Having children do chores, even outdoor chores, at a young age, teaches teamwork and helps instill a strong work ethic while introducing kids to time management.

Tying chores to earning a weekly allowance has its bonuses, as well. Earning an allowance is a teaching tool in itself, introducing kids to the relationship between work and pay. Having an allowance also showcases another vital life skill — the difference between want and need. When kids spend their own hard-earned money, they learn to stop and think before making a purchase.

Read more
The right age for kids to stop napping: What you need to know
How to tell when your child is ready to quit napping
Young boy lying in bed with Teddy bear

Anyone who has ever been around an overtired toddler knows the importance of napping. Napping is important for younger children who need to rest so they can not only recharge their batteries but so they can grow and develop. But napping too much can cause problems sleeping at night. What is the right age for kids to stop napping? And what happens if they nap too much or too little? We have all the answers here.
What is the right age for kids to stop napping? Do older children benefit from naps?

Although there isn’t a hard and fast rule, as toddlers turn to preschoolers and beyond, they’ll only need one nap a day instead of two. There are a few telltale signs to look for that signal your child is outgrowing naps. If your child takes a long time to fall asleep before a nap or at night, or if they are interested in skipping naps, they are probably ready to take fewer naps. If they aren’t tired, don’t try to force them to sleep. Note that even if a nap is skipped, the total number of hours a child needs to sleep in a day is not changed, and they may need to go to bed earlier or wake up later.

Read more
How to make money as a 12-year-old: Creative ideas for earning
Here's how your almost teen can make money, so your child can start learning how the outside world works
A tween cleaning by remaking the bed

Kids hit an age where they want to make a little extra money. They want to be able to buy a video game, get that toy you always say no to, or want to start saving for big purchases in the future. While most states won't let kids work until they are around 16 years old (some states do go as young as 13), there are plenty of ways children as young as 12 can figure out a way to make money legally and ethically. Here is how to make money as a 12-year-old so your child can become more independent, gain confidence — and buy their own hot chocolate on occasion.
Why your 12-year-old should have a job

A job can teach life skills
Your child will have extra money for those "want" items
Your child will feel more independent and confident

Read more