10+ Alternative Birthday Party Ideas

Birthdays are special and should be celebrated. During these times it is a little harder to make sure your kids have an awesome day so we have come up with some ideas that might help.

Alternative birthday party ideas (1)

Birthdays are meant to be celebrated and just because you can’t throw a party doesn’t mean that you can’t have a fun day and make it a birthday to remember for you and the kids. We have put together a list of alternative birthday ideas that will help make the day the best it can be. 

Currently trending: kids still want their birthdays to be recognized and parents want to provide them with some fun on their special day. These ideas are either free or inexpensive. Do one or do multiple to make your child’s birthday special!

1) A Birthday Car Parade – Let your friends and neighbors know a time you will be loading up the car and driving around so they can wave and birthday parade cheer from a safe distance. This is great for quarantine birthdays. Decorate the windows of the car, hang a banner from the windows, and play the birthday kid’s favorite songs.

2) Get a cookie decoration kit from a local bakery. Many of the bakers are offering different packages and cookie designs. 

3) Get a cake delivered to your door. Our friends at Jersey Family Fun have put together a great list of national bakeries that are delivering cakes. Here are a few local places you can order from for delivery, Nothing bundt Cakes, Annie May’s Sweet Cafe, and Sweet Surrender Dessert Cafe

4a) Schedule hangout calls with friends and family. Ask Grandma and Grandpa, aunt and uncles, and friends to put on birthday hats and join a video call for a little bit. Have them all say their favorite memory of the birthday kid from the last year. 

4b) Have family send you memories beforehand, wither them on some strips of paper and make a paper chain to hang out the house. When the birthday kid wakes up they can read them and feel special.   

5) Have lots of people mail cards to say happy birthday. A friend of mine from high school put an all-call on her Facebook page to send her daughter cards and she got an amazing response. Real mail is fun to get to make quarantine birthdays special and make people smile. 

6) Order a Virtual Birthday Party!

  • Mesa Kids has options! Mesa Kids will build out a webpage dedicated to your kid. They are offering different themes and kits to mail to you. 
  • Virtual ‘Ville started during this pandemic to provide fun for your kids on their birthday. From princess karaoke to a virtual escape room, there’s something for every kid. Prices range from $40-$100. See descriptions here

7) Have a YES day for kids with quarantine birthdays. Cookies for breakfast? Why not? Sleep in a little bit? Sure. Pancakes with sprinkles for dinner? Sounds good to me. You get the idea. 

8) A favorite day. Ask the birthday kid to list all their favorite things. Food, dessert, games, movie, TV shows, Youtube channels and more. Then, make it happen. 

9) Make a birthday memory book. Tell them the story of their birth, their first birthday, ask them the best birthday present they have been given, and other fun birthday themed things. Make a book and leave pages to add more year after year. 

10) Have a dance party. Create a playlist on Amazon, Pandora, Spotify or another streaming service and blast it out. Use a spoon or a whisk as a mic and just belt out the music. Don’t afraid to be silly, dance around, and celebrate another year of life with the ones you love.   

Special day plate BONUS for alternative birthday ideas: Order or make a Today’s Your Special Day plate. I had one growing up and still get to eat off of it on my birthday.

11) Surprise the birthday girl/boy with a visit from the Turners Circus performers. They will organize a parade through your neighborhood with stilt walkers, inflatable animated characters, poi, unicyclist, and more.

12) Send the birthday person personalized gift from Jughead and Bean’s. They have a variety of different things you can send ranging in price from $25-$50. They are delivering contact-free to the Louisville, KY area.

13) Get a super awesome yard sculpture of balloons for the birthday boy or girl from Ah, Whatta ‘Bout Mimi!

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