Even if you can’t host a big birthday party for your kids this year, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the fun too. There are plenty of ways to make a child’s birthday just as entertaining and special – with a little ingenuity (something that we here at Lottie Dolls know a whole lot about!). Beat the quarantine blues on your child’s special day with these creative birthday lockdown ideas.

Decorate, Decorate, Decorate!

A birthday during lockdown is the perfect time to pull out all stops when it comes to décor. You’re your own special posters, hang extra banners, blow up as many balloons as you can – let the whole neighborhood know that it’s time for a birthday!

Borrow decorations from your holiday stash, or take your decorating skills outside and add props to the lawn. If you want to take it a step further, look for a local company to make balloon sculptures, yard signs, custom banners, or other large-scale décor designs that’ll make a huge impact on making your child feel special on their birthday.

Mail Train

A few weeks before their birthday, ask your child’s friends and relatives to send extra-special birthday mail in the form of letters, cards, or packages. Everybody loves getting fun mail, especially for their birthday!

Birthday Parade

Organize a specific meetup time and place for friends and family to create a festive birthday parade with their cars. Or, designate a certain window of time when the birthday kid will be outside and ready to receive birthday joy. Encourage participants to decorate their vehicles, too!

Scavenger Hunt

There are a few ways to create a fun birthday scavenger hunt. You can ask friends and neighbors to put up a special celebratory symbol in their windows (such as a teddy bear or picture of a birthday cake). Drive or walk around and see if your child can find all of the clues!

If you don’t want to leave the house, you can set up a scavenger hunt inside too. Create clues for the birthday kid to find their presents, or just strategically hide the gifts around the house or yard.

Cook or Bake Together

Let the birthday child decide what special meal they’d like to eat and spend the afternoon preparing it – together! Come up with a creative appetizer, main course, and dessert – all chosen by the guest of honor, of course.

Memorable Photoshoot

While plenty of people have big photoshoots for a milestone birthday, if your child loves to be in front of the camera – why not have a photoshoot to celebrate? Set up a backdrop, some props, and have them select some favorite outfits. As a bonus, you can ask friends and family to do something similar at home with a special birthday message – and ask them to send in the results! 

Celebrate Virtually

If you still want to get together with loved ones, there are many different online hosting platforms to take your birthday party virtual. It can be hard not seeing friends and family on your special day, but seeing them all together in a virtual meeting can be the next best thing.

Go Camping

Outdoor activities are often allowed and safe during quarantine or lockdown situations. If you can’t make it to an official campground, pitch a tent in the backyard – or your living room! Build a fire, roast s’mores, and sleep under the stars for some refreshing outdoor birthday fun.

Slumber Party

Even if party guests can’t sleep over in person, they can still do all the same fun slumber-party activities. Watch a movie, make popcorn, and camp out in the living room all night long. Host a late-night viewing party of your favorite flick, or simply tell stories in the dark. As a bonus, you probably won’t have to scold anyone for staying up too late.

Birthday Egg Hunt

While egg hunts are usually reserved for spring holidays, there’s no rule that says you can’t have one with a birthday twist! Fill the eggs with fun surprises like candy, spare change, or small trinkets. Have the birthday child scour the house and yard for a fun-filled birthday adventure.

Take an Online Class

As businesses have moved online, many of them are hosting online versions of popular classes for cooking, dance, or art. Your library may even host some of these types of events – for free! If not, reach out to businesses near you and someone may be willing to teach a lesson just for the birthday kid.

Hire a Party Princess or Character

Your child’s favorite princess or storybook character may be available for a virtual meet and greet. You’ll get all of the charm and whimsy of a real-life princess, but from the safety and comfort of your own home.  

Old-Fashioned Party Games

Even if there isn’t a large crowd of children at your party, that doesn’t mean they won’t have fun playing good old-fashioned party games (plus there will be less competition for prizes). Enlist family members or play pretend with some favorite stuffed toys for pin the tail on the donkey, eating a donut off a string, or bucket ring toss.

Obstacle Course

Set up an innovative obstacle course for your child to race through. Start the stopwatch and see if they can beat their previous time in a birthday record.

Focus on the Fun

No matter what activities you choose for your child’s birthday party, as long as you have a positive attitude and focus on the fun – they’ll have a good time no matter what you’re doing. Some kids are perfectly happy reading a new book or playing a gifted game all day long if you let them. Figure out what your child would have the most fun doing, and take it from there!