MAKING THE MOST OF A LOCKDOWN BIRTHDAY
“It’s my COVID party and I’ll cry if I want to”. We totally hear you, COVID has a lot to answer for, and taking away celebrations like birthday parties has to be one of those. We have so much sympathy for kids who are going to celebrate birthdays in lockdown, as it’s already tough on them being away from their friends and school and having to be stuck at home 24/7, and then they have to cancel their party too!
It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom though, we’ve come up with some great ideas to help make the birthday kid feel super special, so that the day can be remembered for all of the right reasons.
A day in lockdown can definitely drag on, so you will want to spread out the celebrations through-out the day, so all the presents haven’t been unwrapped by 7am.
DO IN ADVANCE
Make a playlist of all of the birthday kid’s favourite songs that you can pump out through the day – or just dedicate 30 mins to turning the lounge into a disco and having a fun time!
Organise zoom calls with your kids nearest and dearest through-out the day so they can still hear from their friends and family, or pre-record messages from them if they’re unable to zoom in on the day.
If you’ve got friends and family who live nearby and who aren’t in your bubble, try and arrange a time for them to walk by your house and wish a happy birthday – or you could do the walking and have their friends write chalk messages for the birthday kid on the footpath.
Plan a birthday cake and start making this together (or do it as a surprise). If you cannot get flour (hard to come by these days!) find a recipe for a flourless cake – you’d be amazed how delicious these still taste!
Remember to plan the birthday meal too – either favourite party treats or the birthday kid’s favourite meal.
ON THE DAY
Have a sleepover for the whole family in the lounge with popcorn and movies – or if the weather is warm enough and you have a tent, head outside for the night to make it feel like you’re having a bit of an adventure.
If you’re kids are a bit younger, set up a teddy bears picnic by either setting up a rug outside, or if the weather isn’t so great, set something up in the lounge – make sure you include a few treats in the picnic!
Remember to decorate the house – you’ll still be able to buy balloons from the supermarket, so grab a few packets and blow or pump them up the night before, and either quietly place them all over the floor in their bedroom so they’ll be surprised when they wake, or pop them all into a cupboard that you can ask them to get something out of in the morning. Some bunting or a home-made happy birthday sign would be great too!
Try and spread the present giving out through the day. You could even hide some presents around the house and create a scavenger hunt along the way.
You can still setup all your favourite party treats to have throughout the day, and for the chosen favourite birthday meal, make it special with a table cloth or hand made place mats. You could pretend it’s a restaurant and the family is the waiting staff for the birthday kid!
For something extra fun set up a DIY pizza making bar, or DIY ice cream sundae bar. Yum! Remember, you can all still dress up in your birthday outfits to add some extra wow.
Remember to take photos – try downloading a photobooth app for some extra laughs - as although it might not have been the birthday anyone had wished for, it will definitely be one that will be remembered for years to come.
