Birthdays are a special moment in any person’s life. They are especially significant during child or adolescent development. We know that the pressure to make their special day one to remember falls on you as a parent. However, there’s no need to be nervous when planning your next celebration. We have created the ultimate guide to navigating your child’s birthday during a pandemic!
Making a Plan
It can be pretty disappointing when birthday plans don’t play out the way we expect them to. Having a talk with your child about the current circumstances surrounding the pandemic can be helpful in preparing them for what to expect. Be sure to promote the idea that you are working together with your kiddo on planning their birthday. This works especially well with older children or teens, but you can certainly have the same talk with small children too! Simply ask what they are looking forward to most about their birthday, then move forward from there.
For older children (elementary school age and up), you can begin to plan their birthday plans early in advance. This age group has a more matured concept of time. They will anticipate their upcoming birthday and most likely begin to question what the celebration will look like. Speaking with your child at least two months in advance allows for you to have a necessary amount of time to work through details and planning. Small children have less of a concept of time, so a couple of weeks in advance will suffice when planning their celebrations.
As always, be sure to frame the conversation in a positive way that does not discourage your child. For children with special needs, it may be a great idea to ask pediatric occupational therapists for insight. Practitioners are able to provide expert advice that can contribute to the overall success of your plans!
Creative Ideas for a Pandemic Birthday Celebration
You have the option to host virtually or in-person. In-person celebrations can be tricky, but certainly not impossible! The ideas below are separated into virtual possibilities and in-person possibilities. We wish you the best of luck planning a memorable birthday celebration using one of the ideas below!
Virtual Celebrations
- Host a Zoom Party: Allow your child to lead the zoom party and engage with the guests on the call. Planning games that can be played virtually with other children will be important for making the celebration fun, interesting, and exciting! Charades, trivia, and picture-card games work really well for zoom parties.
- Cake Cutting Ceremony via Zoom: Plan for each guest to have some sort of cake to cut and enjoy with your kiddo for their special day. Cupcakes are an affordable treat, and you could even coordinate for families to pick up their cupcakes at a local bakery, so they resemble the same cupcakes as your child’s.
- Craft Party: You can safely drop of all of the materials needed for the pandemic birthday party craft to local guests before the day of the party. This is an exciting way to keep the children engaged with one another. When they are finished, they can have a “Show and Tell” about their completed crafts.
For more virtual birthday party ideas, visit this reference: https://riseandshine.childrensnational.org/navigating-pandemic-birthdays/
In-Person Celebrations
- Scavenger Hunt: This is perfect to keep guests socially distanced! Scavenger Hunts are exciting, engaging, and can even be done in separate locations for local and long-distance guests!
- Socially distanced picnic: Picnics are a great opportunity to space out your guests. Fun outdoor activities for children to do such as roast marshmallows or fly a kite pair well to keep them engaged and having fun.
- Birthday Parade: Guests can decorate their cars with posters, balloons, and streamers to drive past your home. For a bonus treat, you can coordinate with guests to surprise your kiddo!
For more in-person birthday party ideas, visit this reference: https://riseandshine.childrensnational.org/navigating-pandemic-birthdays/
Each of our ideas can be adapted to fit the needs of any child including children with special needs, disabilities, and sensory needs. For more ideas on how to adapt your child’s birthday celebration, please reach out to your child’s team of therapists for their professional feedback.