6 Fun ideas for kids' birthdays during social distancing

Birthdays are a big deal to most people, whether you are turning 4 or 40. Kids, especially, tend to make a big deal out of it and most parents like to oblige with gifts such as toys or throwing them a party. However, with COVID-19 and social distancing in place, gatherings, including birthday parties, are  banned. Nonetheless, kids deserve to feel special on their birthdays so here’s how you can make your child’s birthday fun.

Have  a balcony party

Enlist the help of your neighbours who are parents and ask them to inform their children about your child’s birthday. Once you agree on a time, say at 3pm, and get everyone on board, you can all sing ‘happy birthday’ to your child from the safety of your balconies. This ensures that there is minimal contact. If balconies are not  an option you can ask  other parents to have their kids send voice notes wishing your child a happy birthday.

Have a fun family activity

Now that everyone is in the house, you can all do a fun family activity for your child’s birthday. If you have board games in the house, you can have your child pick their favourite and then have everyone else join in.

If board games are not available then spring out your albums and recreate old pictures and take pictures of those for memory’s sake. You can also have your child dress up and do a mini photoshoot in the house with everyone.

Bake a cake

Since you most likely have more time on your hands, you can involve the birthday girl/boy in baking a cake for their birthday. This makes sure that they feel involved and keeps their attention. You can also have them help in decorating the cake and have a party in the house.

Decorate the house

You probably have decorations from Christmas, New Year or a previous birthday. Gather those and ask the rest of the family to help in putting up decorations. If you don’t have decorations already, then get creative and DIY. You can find inspiration online for homemade party decorations.

Photo: stylemotivation.com

Alternatively, the whole family can dress up and take pictures to commemorate your child’s birthday to make them feel special.

Have friends and family make video/ phone calls

Thankfully, due to the digital age, you can communicate with friends and family who are far away. Have them call and celebrate your child’s birthday as it will make him/her feel special. You can also video-call them during the cake-cutting to make it extra special.

Drive-by birthdays

To minimize contact with other people, you can invite family and friends to do a drive-by wishing your child a happy birthday just as Chris Brown did for his daughter Royalty.