The various lockdowns, self-quarantines, and general social distancing guidelines make regular adult activities challenging. Those same things make traditional birthday parties for kids a non-starter since so many activities party activities require close interaction.
With traditional parties out, many parents now consider virtual kids birthday parties as an alternative. While not the same, it is a way for your kids to celebrate with their friends. Of course, that poses the challenge of coming up with kids virtual birthday party ideas.
If you’re stumbling a little on this part of the planning process, keep reading for seven ideas that will help you get started.
1. Themed Party
For many parents, a themed party often proves the easiest option. You know what your kids obsess over better than most people, so that’s the place to start with a themed party.
Is your daughter obsessed with pirates at the moment? Break out the eye patches and track down some sea shanties on youtube.
Is your son all about sports? Sports decorations and a coach whistle it is.
Other possible theme options include:
- Superheroes
- Mermaids
- Nautical
- Science
- Space
You will need activities for Zoom birthday party that match the theme? For a pirate theme, you can hold a best “Arghhh” contest. For a sports theme, you can try out a recent sports history quiz.
2. Party Games – Remote Edition
No party is complete without some party games, but some of the basics are simply out of the running. Fortunately, you can adapt some traditional games for virtual parties.
One common game at parties is the scavenger hunt. This one takes a little coordination, but it can work if you keep the list simple.
Ahead of time, assemble bags that include the scavenger hunt items and drop off bags with other kids’ parents. The day before the party, contact those parents and ask them to scatter the items around their homes.
Another game that is relatively easy to set up is bingo. Again, you need to drop off the bingo cards and some kind of chips to track numbers with the other kids’ parents. You can also print off disposable cards so the kids can just cross off any numbers they get.
3. Crafts
On the list of virtual birthday party ideas for tweens, crafts often make for a good choice. The catch here is that crafting items can get pricey, and you’ll need individual supplies for every attendee. So, make sure that everyone attending is interested in that kind of crafting.
Depending on the group, you might want to keep it simple with something like coffee filter butterflies. These only take a few low-cost supplies and you can make it more interesting by encouraging the kids to make the silliest looking butterflies. Friendship or bead bracelets are another easy-to-manage option that probably won’t take much adult supervision.
For older girls and with their parent’s permission, you can even do a makeup party where one of the girl’s mothers offers some basic instruction on applying makeup.
4. Escape Room
Another option that can keep the kids busy is a virtual escape room. You can find a wide range of online escape rooms that cater to almost any age group. Many virtual escape room providers build the puzzles around a theme, so you can coordinate your party theme with a game theme.
Some virtual escape rooms cost nothing, while others charge per head. You should investigate the options ahead of time so you can plan accordingly.
While most people find these games fun, you’ll definitely want sign-off from the other parents. They likely won’t want their kids signing into any game site before they review the site first. For younger kids, their parents may need to help them get signed into the game itself.
You don’t want to spring any of that on unsuspecting parents.
5. Video Game Party
Multiplayer video games are something of a godsend for parents trying to figure out virtual birthday party entertainment for older kids. Right now, Fortnite still enjoys a popular following and allows for multiplayer action with dozens of participants. That makes it an excellent choice if your child and friends play the game.
Other popular games that can support a lot of players at the same time include:
- Minecraft
- World of Warcraft
- Realm Royale
- Overwatch (6 player teams)
As with the escape room game, you’ll want to touch base with the other parents ahead of time. Since some of the game options require purchase or subscriptions, you can unintentionally exclude some of the kids who don’t already play those games. You also don’t want the kids putting their parents on the spot to buy a game or subscription.
6. Watch Party
Another option for virtual birthday party entertainment is a watch party. The most obvious choice for this activity is Netflix since so many homes already maintain a subscription. The kids can watch a show while on the video call and talk about it with their friends.
It’s important to note that many video conference call services put time limits on large group calls. So, if you want to do this option, make sure you use a service that offers generous time limits.
Again, run the shows or movies your kid picks by the other parents before you commit to this idea. That way you can avoid an ugly conversation or potentially embarrassing moment when a parent orders one of the other kids to turn off some show.
Running a Successful Virtual Kids Birthday Party
A virtual kids birthday party might read like an idea that can’t work at first blush, but that’s not the case. You can run a successful virtual party for your kid with some advance planning and prep.
You can pick out a theme you know your child is interested in for a start. Once you know the theme, you build activities and games around the theme. You can also lean on digital options like escape rooms, video games, and streaming services for entertainment.
Looking for more tips for virtual parties or events? Head over to our Lifestyle section for more articles.
