Kids birthday in lockdown?

[goldpendant]

Hello,

Hoping for some inspiration for DS's birthday which falls during the new lockdown. We had planned to take him to his favourite museum with a friend but now that will be closed and he can't see any friends.

Would be so grateful for any ideas from anyone whose celebrated their DC's birthday in lockdown and how you made it special?

TIA

He will be 7!

Immediate family party at home- movie night, rent a new movie online. Camping in the lounge. Treasure hunt for his presents round the house - you could have family/ friends read clues out via a zoom call.

We’ve hired a bouncy castle for DS. With a rain cover.

DS was 10 in May

We made up little party bags which we delivered round to his friends' houses and then they then all arranged to meet on Minecraft and played together.

Our family tradition is cake and presents in the front room so that was fine. We made a cake together because he loves to bake, and had his favourite dinner.

He was really happy with it but he's the sort that finds big parties overwhelming. At the last minute I tried to get a bouncy castle for just us, but they weren't operating at the time.

DC was ten in April. I ordered loads of balloons and banners and hanging things from Amazon and went to town on the house while he was asleep so he would wake up to it looking special. We had pancakes for breakfast. We also had a meal of his favourite foods even if they didn’t really go together! Made a big Oreo cake. Bought him more small presents than usual so he had lots to unwrap. We also played party games, like the chocolate game (you know the one with the dice and the hat scarf gloves). I think we watched a film as well.

Ds was 10 in April I'll be honest it was shit, we had a takeaway of his choice and that was about it. His Grandparents left presents on the doorstep and waved through the window. I did promise him he could have a sleepover when all this is over at this rate he might be a teenager before that happens!

Think I was more upset at the lack of celebration than him though, he was happy with his presents he ate his favourite food he was loved and was safe

Hire a bouncy castle for him!

let him pick each meal even if its cake for breakfast. Make lounge like cinema with tickets, popcorn etc. Treasure hunt. It wont be great but you just have to make the most of it and let him know next year will be better.

DD is turning 10 on Thursday , we have promised her a trio to Harry Potter studios and a night in a hotel next year and she is choosing a takeaway and DH is attempting a Knight bus cake, I expect she will minecraft will all of her mates. During lockdown they were making surprise worlds to have a party in for anyone who had a birthday

Camping in the living room, his favourite food, film and popcorn.

We also dropped party bags on the would have been attendees doorsteps and waved through windows on our daily walk. Probably not the most sensible thing and people will tell me that but it made DDs birthday, We had a little party for the people in our house and zoomed everyone else.

I can’t say it was amazing but it was ok and she understood. We had a distanced picnic in the park birthday a few months later in the summer hols then.

My ds is 10 tomorrow and I am currently in isolation as I came into contact with someone last week so I’m hiding in and won’t even be able to hang out with him! Feel like I have properly ruined his birthday. So planning a weekend filled with Halloween, bonfire night and birthday celebrations but o just feel sad for him.

Chocolate fountain

I have a DS turning 6 this Lockdown, we won't be going to any bonfire night things either because of Covid but he loves fireworks so we've bought a box of them, we'll surprise him on his birthday night, along with some cake and sparklers.
Just hope it doesn't rain!

@CeramicGuineaPig

DC was ten in April. I ordered loads of balloons and banners and hanging things from Amazon and went to town on the house while he was asleep so he would wake up to it looking special. We had pancakes for breakfast. We also had a meal of his favourite foods even if they didn’t really go together! Made a big Oreo cake. Bought him more small presents than usual so he had lots to unwrap. We also played party games, like the chocolate game (you know the one with the dice and the hat scarf gloves). I think we watched a film as well.

The what game? The chocolate game with hat, scarf and gloves? What is this game?!

We have had all of our family birthdays in lockdown this year.
The younger ones, one we sent pizzas and ice cream round to the boys' houses and they met on a gaming server. The other chose to do a "virtual sleepover" - we delivered party bags with hot choc sachets, face cream, nail varnish and sweets and they "met" on zoom from 9-11 pm, already in their jamas. Best sleepover ever from my pov!

We also did posh bought-in birthday cakes just as a one-off to make it more special.

These are amazing ideas thank you all, it's crap isn't it! Definitely party bags, might even do a scavenger/fake fossil hunt around the neighbourhood with clues for his closest pals so they feel they've been involved in something? Could that work?

My DS was 8 in April, I had been worried that he would have a miserable day but he declared it the “best birthday ever!” Couple of things we did, Zoom call to my parents and sister while he blew out the candles on his cake and they sang ‘happy birthday’ to him.
I’d also bought a load of cheap little gifts, think blind bags, sweets, Superzings etc and put them in a biggish wrapped box with a hand-sized hole cut out and a sign saying ‘lucky dip’. He was allowed to dip every 30 mins throughout the day - this was a huge hit and he wants to do it again next year!

I made a chocolate cake (from an M and S box mix) with DC's little sister, sprayed it pink, and wrote Happee Birthdae DC on it with a green writing tube (like the birthday cake that Hagrid makes for Harry).

We had been planning to go to Harry Potter studios for his birthday, but he loved his cake. (he is 12).

He also got a couple of games for his switch and a couple of cheapish controller handsets for it.

I think he got some Lego and books as well and we also watched the first Harry Potter film again.

He was extremely happy. The Switch was a sort of extra present, I got it to cheer him up in lockdown and he was thrilled with the games.

Love the lucky dip box, I'm stealing that!!

I’m in the same position as is my friend. She suggested a piñata 🤣 so I might do that. Will keep checking for other ideas. My middle DC was in the last lockdown and youngest didn’t really care but had the most ‘freedom’. For my middle child 3 of her friends came and sang happy birthday from several metres away and dropped a little gift but they all live really close by. It did make it special.

My youngest was 6 a couple of days into the first lockdown. Her big sister's made a fuss of her and the weather was nice so that's all she really needed.

Much worse for my other two. Middle child was 13 in April and my oldest will be 18 on 28th November. Really sad for them that they miss/ed those milestone celebrations but at least they're healthy I guess.

13 year old - family tea party (some extended family joined on zoom) and a karaoke zoom party and 'sleepover' with her friends (finally turned devices off after 3am 😫).

18 year old - we're doing 'ball dresses and Broadway' at home - champagne zoom 'reception' with friends and family, then a dinner 'party' and watching online version of a musical or two. She will have a proper celebration if possible the week after but we'll see.

@badabingbadabum You don’t know the chocolate game?!
Sit in a circle. In middle of circle hat, gloves, scarf, plate with big bar of choc still in wrapper (eg large Dairy Milk), knife and fork. First person rolls die. If get 1 to 5, next person rolls. If they get a six, they go into middle of circle, put on scarf, hat, gloves, and start to cut up and eat chocolate with knife and fork. No hands. Meanwhile everyone still rolling die, the minute someone gets a six they replace person in middle, whether they have just put on hat or have got to cutting up choc and everyone carries on rolling. Now I come to think of it not hugely Covid friendly...

Sorry, when I say no hands I mean you have to use knife and fork, not that you can’t use hands at all!

@CeramicGuineaPig I used to play that at my parties growing up. It was such a laugh!