Looking for quarantine birthday ideas to make someone feel special without a traditional party? Here are a few of our faves!
Quarantine Birthday Party Ideas for Kids
How do you Celebrate A Birthday During Quarantine?
What happens when your child can't have the party or the outing they'd been looking forward to? It's already so hard on many of us, being secluded from our friends and family… but marking a birthday without the normal celebrations can be extra hard. Here's how to make the best of a quarantine birthday with a little creativity! Most of these ideas are focused on kids – but can be equally fun for adults.
1 . Drive-By Birthday Visit
NOTE: In some states that aren't under shelter-at-home orders this would be okay still – while in others this should be avoided.
While you can't invite people over to party, you can invite them to drive by! Invite friends and family to show up in the driveway with a fun birthday poster or banner to hang out their car window and brighten up your child's special day. You can chat from a safe distance and even sing Happy Birthday together 
If you have a child with a birthday – you can call around or put it out on facebook that they could use some cheering up!
2 . Order Birthday Gifts Online
Being quarantined doesn't mean no gifts! Invite friends and family to send gifts that will both delight and deliver some quarantine boredom relief – and lysol them or wipe them down before wrapping in party paper.
Some boredom busting things to help get your kids through the quarantine are:
- Art Supplies
- Lego Sets
- Pocket Microscope
- Kinetic Sand
- New Games
- Science Experiment
- Nintendo Switch or other Video Games
- Razor Scooter
3 . Have a Netflix Party
This is a neat feature Netflix offers – you can start watching a movie WITH friends and chat along with them while you watch. You'll just go to Netflix Party to get started. Once you pick a movie you'll receive a link you can send out to others to invite them to join you.
**Note: Only available on Chrome browsers, laptops or desktops.
4 . Set Up A Virtual Birthday Party To Hang Out
You can use video conferencing tools like Zoom, Jitsi and Google Hangouts to invite friends to do a face-to-face virtual party. This is great if people sent gifts – because they can be present while you open them!
Readers are writing in these fun Virtual party ideas they're doing on Zoom:
- Name that tune game
- Dance Contest
- Invite people to wear a fun “party” hat
- Decorate and dress festively
- Play Charades
- Do a Talent Show
- UseZoom's Whiteboard function to play pictionary together
GO HERE to see how to use zoom for video hangouts!
5 . Pick Up Drive-Thru Treats
While restaurants are closed – most of their drive thrus are open! Swing by the Starbucks for a favorite drink, or pick up their favorite meal via takeout for a special family dinner. It's also something to do to get out of the house on their special day.
See our list of all the restaurant freebies and deals going on right now for drive-thru and pickup orders!
6 . Play Family Games Together
This is something lots of us are doing during quarantine times – but make sure to let the birthday girl or boy pick their favorite game and everyone join in.
One of our recent favorites is Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza – it's a crazy and silly slapping game that is super fast to learn and quick to play!
Make it feel like a real party event by popping popcorn, setting out snacks, playing music and creating an atmosphere of fun.
7 . Have Some Outdoorsy Fun
If you have somewhere pretty near you – like a waterfall you can visit, a river walk or some pretty woods – take the family on a little trip. Make a picnic lunch if the weather's nice!
It's also a great time to go for a little camping trip, spend a day fishing, and doing all the things that are far away from other people.
Of course – you don't have to head out into the woods to do a family campout…. Backyard camp-outs are super fun too! Make a campfire using thesehomemade fire starters, cook hotdogs and s'mores, and even project a movie onto a sheet or a wall. Don't have a tent? No worries – you can snag a tent for the kids for under $18 right now
8 . Bake A Cake Together
If your child likes baking or crafty things, let them have a hand in their own birthday cake. Instead of ordering a cake, take the time to bake one and decorate it together. Whether it's a little bit of a hot mess or an impressive masterpiece – it'll be a fun birthday-ish way to spend some of the day!
Here are a few fun cake ideas:
9 . Rent a Movie Online
Lots of kids plan on going to a movie on their birthday – but the quarantine has really changed that. Instead – let them pick a movie to rent and have a family movie night. If your kids are littler – watching a movie in a blanket fort is an extra fun touch.
*See some of our tips for having an extra fun family movie night!
- Amazon Prime Video | FREE Trials for Channels
- 25 Best Amazon Prime Movies for Kids
- FREE Streaming Services Roundup
10 . Glamour Shots Photo Shoot
Girls might get a kick out of doing a photo shoot and posting it on social media – think glamour shots! Let them get dressed up and be their photographer – make them feel pretty and special on their special day (plus it gives family and friends the opportunity to say lots of sweet things too) 
You could even head out of the house to take photos at a few different locations – as long as they're relatively unpopulated.
11 . Video Game Party
If your kiddo loves video games – they can have lots of fun playing with their friends online and talking with them through their headset. Fortnite, Minecraft and many other games are set up perfectly for this type of fun interaction! If you have a teen at home – you might also want to check out these teenager birthday party ideas. (Although the treat bags we mae for friends will be just for family members in this case!)
Submit YOUR Quarantine Birthday Party Ideas!
What kinds of things make your kids feel special on their birthday? Do you make their favorite dinner or snacks? (Walking tacos is a super fun one if you plan to hang out and watch a movie or be outdoors!)
Do you have any quarantine birthday party ideas? I'd love to add to this list – please share your celebration idea in the comments below!
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