Have you had to cancel plans for a birthday gathering with friends and family because of social distancing? No worries! Creativity is one of our strengths here at Lottie Dolls, so we’ve got you covered. Here are 18 ways you can celebrate a child’s birthday in quarantine.

1. Organize a birthday parade

During a birthday parade, people are simply asked to drive by and honk at the birthday girl or boy, who can sit outside on their step if the weather is nice, or observe from the front door or a garage.

Visitors can wave out their car windows, kids can go by on their bikes to wave at their friend, and some people even roll down their windows to play “Happy Birthday” from their car stereos. We’ve even seen people wearing birthday party hats and funny glasses, waving pom poms, and otherwise making it fun for the birthday child.

Send out a specific date and time to friends and family via email, text message, or any way you choose. You can also create an event for it on Facebook.

Check local community pages to see if there is a special group set up by parents in the community for birthday parades. Many communities group them together each day, so that people can drive to a few houses to cheer multiple children who are celebrating that day.

2.  Host a “donation drive” for your child’s birth hospital

During these times, it’s so important to remember our health care workers who are on the front lines. Why not celebrate your child’s birthday while sharing a lesson of giving back? If your child’s birth hospital is nearby, consider collecting donations of cash or items that your health care workers might appreciate. 

You and your child can then visit the birth hospital on the special day to drop them off and help them understand how important and meaningful it can be to celebrate others even on your own special day. Just make sure you call the facility in advance to ask how best to deliver the items while maintaining social distancing rules and safety.

3. Have a virtual birthday meet-up

You can create a Zoom meeting or a Skype call at a specific date and time for your child. Let parents know what you’ll be doing in advance. You can ask people to wear a favorite color or to bring a stuffed animal or a favorite toy or a pet, if you know this will make your child happy. 

You can also use a Zoom meeting to surprise your child. Invite everyone to sing happy birthday or a favorite song, or to do a funny birthday dance at a specific time. 

4. Create a gallery of video messages on Flipgrid

Ask your child’s friend’ parents to upload videos to wish him or her a happy birthday or sing happy birthday or send a simple message using Flipgrid. It’s a very simple way to enable your child to connect. This is a great way to surprise them and make them feel loved! 

5. Make a special birthday book

If your child has some friends who love to color or draw, you could ask some parents if they would like to have their kids submit a simple coloring page. Have them take a picture of the art piece and send to you. Print them out, staple them together, and wrap them up for a fun surprise for them they can open in person, while still maintaining social distance. 

6. Decorate cupcakes virtually with friends

If your child has friends that live nearby, one fun idea is to call a local bakery and ask them to assemble cupcake “kits” that you could drop off to a few friends. Then, have a video call later where the kids can decorate their cupcakes together and share with each other on-screen. This is fun even for younger kids, and for siblings!

7. Virtual pizza party

Another fun idea is to ask a local pizza place to create “mini pizzas” that each child can decorate at home. Drop them off to a few friends, and decorate them on a call together. Or, simply ask the parents to make them at a specific time, so the kids can enjoy them together on a video call. 

8. Bedtime story with a favorite character

Have an adult dress up as a favorite character and arrange for a video call from someone special to read a bedtime story on a video call via FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom. Could be a princess, or Santa, or even just a grown-up dressed up in a funny wig and costume pretending to be someone else!

9. Set up a birthday scavenger hunt

All kids love scavenger hunts, and birthdays are a great time to do them. If your kids would normally receive birthday gifts from family and friends, ask anyone who is planning to give a gift to drop them off a few days prior. Then, on the day of, hide the birthday presents around the house (and outside, weather permitting), with clues! 

10. Schedule a fun virtual class or lesson 

Does your child have a favorite ballet teacher or soccer coach? See if you can enlist them to run a virtual class for your child and some friends. Many are currently out of work with classes cancelled and need sources of income, so you might ask if they could do so for a set fee. Even if it’s just a 1:1 lesson with a beloved teacher, this could be a way to make your child feel special and connected to others.

Put on a performance at home with our latest Ballerina Doll! 

11. Go camping inside or outdoors

Can’t have a sleepover? Let your child “camp out” indoors or outside. It’s fun to sleep somewhere new, and you can temporarily repurpose a room in the house. Under the dining room table can make a great “tent” when a sheet is hung over it. Bring a flashlight, throw in some pillows, make some snacks, and have fun!

12. Bake something together 

It doesn’t have to be a birthday cake, but it’s fun if so. To make a simple but fun birthday cake, just bake any cake in a circular or square mold. Then, cut it in half using dental floss and remove the top half. Then, using a drinking glass, cut a hole in the center of the bottom half. Fill it with candies or a filling, then cover with frosting. Replace the top half and frost. Your child will have so much fun making the cake with you.

Lottie lends a hand with baking at home!

13. Have a birthday dance party

Make a playlist of your child’s favorite songs, along with some birthday-themed songs. Move the furniture to the edges of a room, and declare it dance party time! Turn up the music and make way for some silly dancing! 

14. Decorate their bedroom door

For a fun surprise, decorate the outside of your child’s bedroom door with wrapping paper, streamers, and balloons. When they wake up, they will smile with delight!

Check out Lottie & Friends Door Hangers!

15. Put up a front door or lawn sign

You can also put a sign on your front door or lawn that says “Honk for Kylie’s birthday!” to encourage people to honk as they go by. This is especially good if you can’t do a birthday parade but your child loves to hear cars honking!

16. Write a silly song

Make up a silly song for your child’s birthday. The goofier, the better! It’s OK to sing out of tune when it’s just for fun.  

17. Decorate with photos 

Print out photos of your child over the years and put them everywhere to commemorate their day. You can tape a bunch of them onto a door, perhaps ones of past birthdays or special moments, or pictures of them with family and friends. 

18. Tell them how you feel

More important than any present is to tell your child that you love them. Hug them, reassure them, and make sure they know how much you love them, unconditionally. This matters more than any gift you can buy. You can write them a letter, and even if they can’t read yet, read it out loud to them, and save it for them for when they are older. There is no other gift that will matter as much in the long run!

We’d love to hear your creative ideas too! Know of any other ideas for celebrating birthdays during difficult times like these? Leave them in the comments!