I originally wrote this article back in February of 2021. Never did I think I would be gearing up to celebrate much in the same way again this year. While there are many many negatives to this Covid surge, I hope these ideas can bring some fun and enjoyment to anyone celebrating a birthday - while still celebrating safely!
So your child is having a birthday, but you’re trying to do it in a Covid safe way. Generally, that leaves you with two options: a drive by or a virtual birthday party. Although birthdays right now aren’t ideal, they can still be special.
Both of my boys have winter birthdays, and while I didn’t anticipate still being on lockdown, here we are. My oldest turned 3 in January and we opted for a drive by celebration. My youngest turned 1 in February, and we did a virtual Zoom birthday. Here are my tips for helping each one run smoothly!
DRIVE BY PARTY
1. Make a Facebook event page and send invites
We started by picking a specific date and time for my son’s party and sent out a Facebook invitation. I wanted there to be a parade of cars, rather than people coming at different times, so we set a start time and told everyone where to meet. We asked everyone to park at a specific place and meet 10 minutes before the party was starting. We also asked a neighbor to start the line ahead of time, so people knew which car to park behind.
2. Set up a table with everything you will need
We wanted things to run smoothly, so we set up a table at the bottom of our driveway with all of the cupcakes and goody bags so we could grab, pass, and go. We also had some bins for presents because it was a windy day and we didn’t want tissue paper and ribbon all over the yard.
3. Have fun with decorations and have a theme!
Consider getting some fun outdoor decorations. Getting a Card My Yard sign would take your celebration to the next level, for less than what you would have spent on pizza and games for a traditional birthday party!
Card My Yard Plymouth offers a variety of different styles and types of cards for your yard. No matter your theme, Card My Yard Plymouth has something for everyone. They make it so easy. You rent the sign, so there is no storage or clean up of the sign after your event. The best part? You can simply order online, and Card My Yard will take care of the rest! There are so many different customizations you can really make it perfect for your child. Here are a few examples:
In addition to making your yard look as festive as ever, you will be supporting a local mom when you order from Card My Yard Plymouth. Heidi Howell is the brains behind Card My Yard Plymouth and has been a resident of Plymouth for almost 20 years. She started this business during the initial Covid shutdown when she was searching for a creative way to celebrate her daughter’s 16th birthday in quarantine. Now, she is dedicated to helping you do the same! You can read more about Heidi’s story here.
In addition to carding your yard, you could even use some sidewalk chalk and get creative. We also went with a fun theme (Wild, Young, and THREE) because it made it feel more birthday party-ish.
Also, encourage the participants in the birthday parade to decorate their cars! We had some friends make some super fun signs. Just make sure to remind everyone to take everything off before they head home, so you don’t create unnecessary litter.
4. Give out goody bags!
We had lots of people come that aren’t local to Plymouth, so goody bags were a must. We filled the bags with a cookie (by Kingswood Confectionery), drink, and coloring book with dinosaur shaped crayons. Our hope was that the goody bags would give the kids in the car something to do on the ride home!
5. Make cupcakes!
Cupcakes are a great, portable way to celebrate! We made cupcakes and put them each in a plastic wine cup and voila! Perfectly portable and helpful for those long distance rides with kiddos.
Thomas had SUCH a fun day. While it wasn’t ideal, he still said it was “the best day ever” and I had no house to clean after - WIN!
VIRTUAL/ZOOM PARTY
Since Henry won’t remember his birthday party the way that Thomas would, we opted to do a virtual Zoom party instead of a drive by for his first birthday. I felt ALL THE PRESSURE for this one, because he was turning ONE and that is a big deal.
1. Make a Facebook event page and send invites
We did the same thing for the virtual party that we did for the drive by! I find that having an actual event with reminders helps to make sure everything is organized for your guests. We made a really cute invite on Canva that went perfectly with our “Fun to Bee One” theme and posted it right on the event page with the Zoom link.
2. Decide on a theme and send party packages!
Like I said, we decided on a “Fun to Bee One” theme. We made sure all the posts on Facebook coordinated, bought him an adorable bumblebee outfit and matching shoes, and we got some bumblebee decorations. Although your party is virtual, you can still card your yard! Let everyone know that it is your child’s birthday! Card My Yard Plymouth can help you make your front lawn perfect for your child’s virtual birthday too.
When we bought our party decorations, we also made sure to pick up enough to send to our friends and family so they could decorate their “zoom space” too! We packed our packages with a few balloons, noise makers, party hats, the CUTEST bumblebee cookies (again by Kingswood Confectionery), and some stickers. Everyone was so great about decorating and it made it feel so much more festive!
3. Get a backdrop
Finding a spot in the house that made a good backdrop was HARD. Searching on Amazon for a bumblebee backdrop was turning up empty. Then - it occurred to me! - a shower curtain would make an amazing backdrop. So back to Amazon I went to add this adorable shower curtain to my cart. We put it up behind the birthday boy and it looked SO cute!
4. Play a game
When I actually thought about what to do on the Zoom, I thought just singing Happy Birthday and smashing a cake didn’t sound all that exciting. So, we decided to come up with an interactive game. We played Henry trivia! We created a slideshow on Canva with trivia questions about Henry. We asked them one at a time and the first person to answer correctly won. It was a fun way to get our guests more involved in the party. Here are the questions we asked:
- What time was Henry born?
- How much did Henry weigh?
- How long was Henry?
- What was Henry’s due date?
- What is Henry’s favorite food?
- What is Henry’s favorite toy?
- What does Thomas call Henry?
- What color are Henry’s eyes?
We added a photo for each answer too, since everyone loves to see photos from the first year!
5. Make a cake!
Everyone loves to watch the birthday baby smash their cake, right? A zoom birthday party is no exception! I watched a few tutorials on creating a cake, and came up with this. Although Henry didn’t love the taste of it, it perfectly matched the theme and everyone enjoyed Henry looking less than thrilled. My husband, Thomas, and I thoroughly enjoyed digging in when the party was over.
Keep in mind that these times are unprecedented. While these birthdays are not what we would have ever imagined, they are still special. All your children will remember is how special you made them feel. One way to add to the uniqueness of a quarantine birthday is by carding your yard. Card My Yard Plymouth can help with all of your lawn decorating needs! Book your card TODAY!
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