It’s hard enough to come up with ideas for birthday parties when things are normal. It’s even more tough to figure out how to celebrate a kid’s birthday during quarantine! 

We have two children and it just so happens that both of their birthdays will happen while we’re in our house doing shelter-in-place thanks to the pandemic. 

There’s no way I would let the day go by without doing all I can to make sure they know how much we love and celebrate them being here on this earth.

Besides, my family loves a good party, so they are going to be expecting some fun!

Over the years we’ve done everything from craft parties to backyard picnics. Our friends and family usually join us. 

This year will be different. But it will still be awesome.

How do you celebrate a kid’s birthday during quarantine?

If you’re looking for ideas of ways to celebrate a kid’s birthday during quarantine, I got you covered! Here are 50+ ideas for having fun on your kiddo’s very special day. 

Involve family and friends

1. Ask your kid’s friends to send birthday cards via snail mail.

2. Have friends and family send short birthday messages on video. 

3. Schedule a video call with all of your loved ones on your kid’s birthday. You can even make it a surprise party!

4. Coordinate with your kid’s friends and their parents to have them drive past your house in a birthday caravan.

5. Take your kid on a ride around to all of their friend’s houses. Ask the friends to have birthday messages in their window. 

6. Put a birthday treat table in front of your house and have friends stop by to pick one up in celebration of your kid.

7. If your kid is on social media, have friends and family create videos for them and tag them using a special birthday hashtag.

8. Ask your child’s teacher to shout them out in their virtual class. Even better, give her a clue to read to your kid that kicks off the at-home scavenger hunt (more on that below)!

9. Have family and friends share a picture of them together with your child and a birthday message. Print them out and decorate the house for your kid to discover when they wake up on their birthday. 

10. Plan to have all of your friends and family text your kid a pic of them holding up a birthday message.

turn your home into a party zone

11. Decorate their front door with streamers and balloons so that they have to walk through them when they wake up. Lizz from More Than Tuesdays did this for her son and it was a hit! 

12. Turn your living room or family room into a club! Push the tables back, hang up a disco ball (made of aluminum foil) and turn the music up!

13. Set up the backyard with all sorts of games for a fun Birthday Olympics celebration.

14. Create a fun birthday picnic in the middle of your kid’s bedroom. 

15. Set up a buffet of all of your kid’s favorite food for their birthday dinner. 

16. Have an ice cream social! Put out sprinkles, whipped cream, cookies, and candy to make a big spread!

17. Plan an at-home scavenger hunt that leads them all through the house. Extra points for clues that have them looking through old baby books and family photo albums!

18. Put together an over-the-top game night with prizes. You can even have friends and family join via video call.

19. Instead of a regular movie night, make it extra special by setting up a red carpet (to show off pajama couture!), movie treats related to the film, and trivia games before the movie starts just like at the theater. 

20. Recreate your kid’s favorite active television show like Top Chef Jr., LegoMasters, or Nailed It. Make signs, have prizes, and compete for the best of whatever it is you’re making. Don’t forget to record confessionals just like in the real show!

Bring The Outside In

21. Sign up for a free virtual birthday party from Sky Zone. A Sky Zone employee will lead your kiddo and friends through 15 minutes of virtual games and fun.

22. Order a Chuck E. Cheese Party Pack! It comes with pizza plus everything else you’ll need for a party. Delivery is available in some areas, or you can pick it up!

Other posts you might enjoy:

Sweet Ways to Surprise Your Daughter
100 ways to connect with your tween daughter
5 fun birthday party ideas for tween girls at your favorite stores