This is a collaborative post: In two days my oldest turns 7, which is a very important birthday (because EVERY birthday when you’re a kid is important).
2020 has been rubbish for birthdays in general but unfortunately for her, her birthday is come slap bang in the middle of Lockdown 2 which means that the idea of a party, seeing relatives or even a nice family trip somewhere are all out of the window; we can’t even go for a meal as a family as hospitality is shut down.
Here are some suggestions of things we can do to make a birthday in lockdown special:
Order everything well in advance
Non-essential shops are shut so browsing for gifts is very hard this year. Fortunately supermarkets and places like B&M are still open, and if you’re isolating or unable to get to the shops then Amazon is there to make sure you can still get everything from wrapping paper to balloons.
We made sure to get the presents she asked for ordered in plenty of time, because let’s face it, it would be VERY disappointing otherwise, and they’re already wrapped and hiding!
Choose a theme
A theme is an excellent idea for a lockdown birthday.
Whether your child like science or pirates, princesses or Pokémon, choosing decorations, wrapping paper, activities, cake, party food etc to fit a theme makes the day extra special, particularly if you can bring in fancy dress – kids love that!
You might be able to DIY a lot of it if you’re the organised type. Pinterest is a great resource for ideas and inspiration.
Decorate the house
We always put up the Pimty Tare banner as tradition dictates, but this year we’re going all out and we’ll have balloons, decorations and banners throughout the house to make it a special day; we might even paper an entire wall with happy birthday wrapping paper (although we’ll be careful to make sure we can use it again once it’s removed).
Plan games and activities
Traditional party games like pass the parcel and musical statues may be out with only two children to play, but a treasure hunt around the house to find presents is something that they will be able to do on their own.
Other games we’ve got planned include pin the tail on the donkey (unicorn version) and a lucky dip for small gifts and sweets.
Hold a virtual party
Unlike when my son’s lockdown birthday happened in the summer months, family and friends are no longer permitted to visit and there will definitely be no sitting in the garden one week before it is officially winter!
There are lots of ways you can make a virtual party fun; from hiring professionals to entertain and run the party, to doing an activity over Zoom like pottery painting, an escape room or murder mystery party. You can save money and DIY it by preparing a birthday quiz.
It might not be exactly the same, but you can post party bags prior to the online party if you’re feeling particularly organised!
Create a slideshow
Your child can’t be with their loved ones, but you can make them happy birthday slideshow with messages from their family and friends to treasure.
Ask relatives and school friends to send in pictures of themselves with banners saying ‘happy birthday’, and create a slideshow from their messages which the birthday girl or boy can then watch again and again.
Make a birthday playlist
Music is essential to a good birthday celebrations so put all of their favourite soundtracks and songs onto one playlist which you can put on in the background and run all day!
Cake!
Cake is ESSENTIAL to a birthday party. I am rubbish at DIY cakes so I won’t be attempting it and will probably go with a supermarket cake, but if need to order one, make sure you do it in plenty of time because a lot of self employed people are having a hard time keeping up with les time on their hands than usual, thanks to isolation, school clubs closing etc etc.
Let them set the menu
We have requests for croissants for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch and then a takeaway for tea and so with no chance to get out for a special birthday meal, we’ll be going with whatever she fancies.
An alternative is to put on a big traditional birthday buffet with sausage rolls, a cheese and pineapple hedgehog and paper plates!