13 Quarantine Birthday Ideas

For the last 3 years we threw a joint birthday party for our kids who are both born in March. We rented a giant bounce house, ordered breakfast tacos, and ate cake with bajillions of kids in our backyard. It was awesome! This year, we recently moved into a new house and our backyard wasn’t set up to hold a big bounce house, so we made the decision to let the kids have each have their own birthday party. Needless to say, the March birthday parties were cancelled and the kids were sad. We made the most of our extra time together and brainstormed some fun quarantine birthday ideas.

13 Quarantine Birthday Ideas

I hope this post is not relevant for much longer, but if you had to cancel a birthday party, here are some fun ideas to ensure the guest of honor has an extra special day.

1. Decorate the house

If decorating the whole house is too much, consider going all out in one area of the house– the mantle, the kitchen table, or even the birthday kiddos door. (Here’s a fun balloon idea for the bedroom door.)  I like to decorate after bedtime the night before so when the birthday child wakes up, it’s a fun surprise to start the day. As you can see below, I used Magna Tiles as the centerpeice of the table and Max loved that I built him a “castle”! You have all the fancy party decorations you need in yoru home right now, promise! Consider making DIY party hats out of scrapbook paper!

2. Decorate a front window

Decorate a window that faces the front of the house with a Happy Birthday sign, construction paper balloons, and streamers so the neighbors can enjoy the festivities too!

3. Make a giant to do list

I painted an extra large sign with all of the activities we had planned for the birthday. Add “secret”, “surprise”, and “fancy” to any normal activity! For instance, fancy waffles, are way better than the normal waffles and all we did was add tiny marshmallows and sprinkles. Our secret lunch consisted of Chick-fil-A drive through eaten in a tent set up inside the house. Make any activity special with sprinkles, glow sticks, or doing it outside or in an unusual location. The key is different than normal. 

4. Drive bys

I texted a few parents who live nearby and asked if their kiddo would make Max a card and leave it on the porch by 11am. We all got in the car, turned up the music, and did 5 birthday porch pick ups before lunch time! Everyone left a handmade card, and some friends left other special treats like printed Pokemon coloring sheets, glow sticks, stickers, chocolate coins, and one friend even left a little goodie bag out for Mila. It was a sweet way to make the birthday boy feel special and get out of the house while practicing social distancing.

5. Organize a birthday parade

Consider brining the party to your house! Have friends drive by your house at a set time and sing happy birthday out of the windows and sun roof!

6. Birthday scavenger hunts

Scavenger hunts are always a part of our birthday festivities. My kids love to hunt! I draw picture clues to things inside and outside of our home. Then, I hide the clues and lead the birthday child on a hunt around the house to find his or her gifts!

7. Costume dance parties

Make a birthday play list on Spotify, dress up in costumes, and dance! The last song on the play list should be “Happy Birthday to You!”

8. Bake something special

Take this opportunity to make an extra special homemade something and let the birthday kiddo decorate it.

9. Schedule face time dates

Schedule FaceTime dates throughout the day so that friends and family can sing the birthday boy happy birthday. The birthday has never heard the Happy Birthday song so many times in one day!

10. Special delivery

My friend, Annie, is super sweet and came over on the morning of Max’s birthday to decorate our porch. Her son crafted and hung up a handmade birthday sign, they delivered rice krispie treats, a fun game, and water beads! They rang the doorbell and then went down to the street and sang Max happy birthday when he came out. It was adorable and made Max feel extra special!

11. Decorate a bike

Use streamers and craft supplies to decorate a bike or scooter and then take a family walk. Make sure the decorations include a “Happy Birthday” sign so the birthday boy gets a few extra honks and acknowledgments!

12. Balloon pop

Fill balloons with small toys, sweet notes, coins, or dollar bills and let birthday kid pop them all!

13. Zoom birthday with friends

We recently participated in a zoom birthday for a 6 year old where the parents hired a magician to lead the call. It was way more fun than I was expecting and the kids were engaged. The magician did a few tricks honoring the birthday kiddo, then we took a short break to sing happy birthday to the birthday boy. But, the best part was learning the magic tricks!

I’d love to hear how others made the most of a cancelled party, and created a unique social distancing birthday experience for the guest of honor.