Everything You Need to Know About Virtual Birthday Parties for Kids
Getting ready to throw a virtual birthday party for kids? You’re in luck because we’re going to help you perfectly plan your virtual birthday party. Why? Because we care. And hey, we covered Pandemic Birthday Parties for Kids, so we want to cover all angles.
One of the biggest surprises of physical distancing has been the discovery that virtual birthday parties for kids are a lot of fun and that there are all kinds of upsides when it comes to throwing virtual birthday celebrations.
To begin with, it’s not like you have to drive anywhere and you won’t be cleaning up after a house full of little guests, who, while always delightful, have been known to be a bit messy.
You can also include others who otherwise couldn’t join, like cousins, grandparents or friends who live far away.
Even better? Throwing a virtual birthday party for kids is a lot easier than you think. Let’s break out the checklist and go through what you’ll need to plan your virtual party and make sure it’s a roaring success.
Invitations
You can’t have a virtual birthday party for kids without guests and there are lots of fun ways to invite the little (and big) guests to your party. You can write up your own one and go with a traditional email blast, and if you have artistic abilities splash it up with a colorful design.
Or you can download virtual cards from sites like Greeting Island, they have a wide selection of virtual birthday cards for kids and a lot of freebies as well. I put this together in less than a minute. And for under 10 dollars, I can have the watermark removed. That said, the watermark isn’t obtrusive.
If the virtual birthday party you are planning isn’t for a few weeks, you can go old school and snail mail out the invites. Experts say it’s unlikely that the virus is travelling through the mail, and there’s something extra special about receiving a physical invitation. Your call.
Whatever route you choose, there are some details that have to be included: You’ll want to let your guests know when to log on, provide the meeting ID/link for the party, the date and time, and any additional details on activities you want people to participate in.
With very young kids it’s a good idea to dedicate a certain amount of time with each of the child’s friends. Video chats with several split screens are difficult for kids. Some direct attention helps them avoid sensory overload.
How To Plan A Virtual Birthday Party – The Tech
We’re big fans of Zoom. The free forever current plan allows you to:
Host up to 100 participants
40-minute maximum group meetings
Unlimited 1:1 Meetings
That said, a paid account guarantees you won’t have to rush your party because Zoom’s free call is about to cut out (that said, for younger kids you do want to keep these parties short, 30 minutes for the younger ones, but older kids won;t mind if your virtual party takes a bit longer.
Quick tip: Add a password to your Zoom party to prevent unwanted guests.
If you’re a little unsure how to use Zoom, check our this video primer on how to work Zoom.
If Zoom isn’t your thing Other options include:
Google Hangouts, Google’s longest-running messaging and video chat service. Heads’ up: As of June 2020 this service will only be offered to consumer accounts, which is basically anyone with a @gmail.com or @googlemail.com email address.
Messenger Kids a kid-friendly video chat platform with a group chat option that includes parental controls and fun face filters.
Skype allows free video calls for up to 50 people on most every mobile device, tablet or computer.
For Apple fans, FaceTime is free for up to 32 people.
One thing all of these applications have in common: you’ll need a good internet connection.
And don’t forget that you’ll need a webcam (some laptops have them built-in). Your video quality will depend on your camera. We use the Logitech Brio (it’s pricey, but we want to have the best video quality available). Then there are the extras for more professional lighting such as a webcam ring light that clips onto your webcam.
One last thing: We highly recommend that your camera has a privacy cover. It is possible that someone could snoop on you when you’re not using your camera without you knowing, and so a cover prevents anyone from seeing what you’re doing.
How To Plan A Virtual Birthday Party – The Test Run
You can’t go wrong with a test run. A day or two before (preferably two in case you encounter real problems) get some friends to call in, and make sure that your setup is working. Test out any music, video or virtual backgrounds, make sure your lighting is right, and troubleshoot any issues that occur. Once that’s done you can rest assured that you are tech ready for you the party.
Atmosphere
In all likelihood your webcam is capturing you from the waist up. So, you can probably get away with the sweatpants but a festive top and/or fun hat will certainly add to the virtual birthday party fun.
Including party decor in the background will also add to the festive feel. And nothing says Birthday Party quite like colourful balloons and banners. Theme parties are tons of fun. If you don’t have the time or creativity to do it all yourself, help can be found online from companies like Party City. You can also source creative printable party supplies at Etsy.
Hiring Online Party Entertainers
There is a wide variety of entertainers offering up their services from Princess Parties to Science Parties to Magic Parties to Adventure Parties to… well, you get the point.
Games and Activities
Virtual party games for kids are a big part of the virtual birthday party experience. Who doesn’t love a fun game?
And even though we are living in “interesting times” there are still lots of enjoyable virtual birthday party games for kids as well as many ways to celebrate with friends and family. Added bonus? You don’t have to be an experienced party-planner and tech geek to make the good times happen. Here are 5 fun virtual birthday party games for kids to help them celebrate another spin around the sun.
Musical Dance Freeze
Musical Dance FreezeThis virtual birthday party game for kids is a big winner and it gets them up and moving. Plus it allows you to talk to every one of your little guests and add in some personalized touches so each boy and girls get to feel special. The rules are pretty simple. Let the kids know you are going to play some music and that once it starts that they should start dancing to it. Then let them know that once you stop playing the music and shout out “Freeze” they are to freeze in their fun dance positions.
Once the rules have been set, turn on some music with a great beat for dancing and ask your guests to start grooving and bopping. When you stop the music and shout “freeze” you then tell the kids what kind of dancing statues they look like. For our space show, we use space-themed examples, “You look like an action-packed astronaut!” “You look like a totally Funky alien!” “You look like a super-duper sky dancer!” It’s a really fun game, easy to stretch out, and the kids get some exercise and have a blast.
Pro Tip: Sharing your speakers on Zoom is easy peasy, just have to make sure you do it with each set-up. Just click the green arrow on Screen Share and a pop-up box appears. In the bottom left corner, click on “Share computer sound” and you’re good to go.
Simon Says
It’s an oldie but a classic. There are also therapeutic benefits from playing the game. They include: Developing Body Awareness and Motor Development, Developing Sportsmanship, Following and Giving Directions, Developing Sequencing Skills and Learning to Use Past Tense Verbs.
Book Readings
There are, of course, so many books to read. You may want the books to match up for the event. Or not. It’s all good. One thing is for certain, there’s nothing like a good book to capture a kid’s attention and imagination. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can scan the book’s pages, put it into PowerPoint and share your screen for an even more visually sumptuous experience.
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Yup, another variation on a classic. Think up a list of household items for kids to hunt for throughout their home. Set a timer to make it a race. Once the game is done, award everyone some kind of “Prize Title” for playing.
Pro Tip: Be sure to check with other parents that there are no safety hazards that may get in the way of this activity and ensure all objects are safe and easily accessible for the kids.
Snack and Paint Party
This one is pretty straightforward. The key is coordinating with other parents. You provide the kids with the same snacks to enjoy. Up next, you all watch the same YouTube video that walks them through a drawing or painting project. Watch the video in advance to make sure you and the other parents have all the art supplies needed.
Movie Party
So many apps so many possibilities. It’s never been easier to have a movie party with friends while social distancing. There’s Netflix Party, Kast, and TwoSeven, and many more. Don’t forget to bring movie snacks!
Craft Party
This is one that you can DIY or use a company like The Lanyard Ladies who mail out craft kits and set up online meetings for kids to do it together.
Pictionary
Pictionary is a fun and simple game that can be played at any virtual birthday party.
You can theme a virtual birthday party and create a list of birthday party words like: birthday cake, balloon, candles, presents, party, candles, etc.
Virtual Field Trip
We take our guests into outer space but thanks to the internet, you can take them almost anywhere. Just send a link to your tour and invite your guests.
There are so many virtual tours available right now. Want to go to Africa to check out some elephants? tour the grounds of Versailles for a princess-themed birthday party? Or what about a safari-themed party, where you can opt for a walking or boating safari that’ll take you to the African bush to spy on elephants and hyenas? You can do it here.
There are plenty of other virtual ideas here.
Gifts for Virtual Birthday Parties
Even at the best of times, gift-giving can be, um, tricky, and gifts for virtual birthday parties can be even trickier.
And a virtual birthday party doesn’t mean there can’t be presents and celebration.
Good Housekeeping has a truly awesome list of the 40 best gifts for kids in 2021.
There are tons of amazing suggestions over at Fat Brain Toys.
Family Education has the top birthday gifts for kids 6 – 10. There’s a great list of gifts in the under $30.00 range.
Leave Your Presents at the Door
Amazon does it. And so can you.
Your Checklist
You’ll want to make sure you’ve ticked off all the boxes on our Virtual Birthday Party for Kids Checklist.
Here we go, from us to you, you’re very own virtual birthday party for kids checklist.
1ST
Budget
Choose A Party Theme
Put Together A Guest List
Date/Time/Video Chat Service
Entertainment
Décor
2ND
Invitations
Plan games and activities
Start Your Shopping List
Plan Menu
3RD
Follow up On RSVP’s/Confirmations
Confirm any online booked entertainment
Prep party games
4TH
Video walk-through/rehearsal
Check all tech is working properly
Make sure room is ready
5TH
Celebrate Good Times
Virtual Party Picture Books
For many households, giving picture books as a birthday present is a time-honoured tradition. And with good reason: Books encourage reading and storytelling – and they are lots of fun! A great picture book is a gift they may very well remember forever.
Here are 5 Picture Books about Birthdays that we think are great.
Happy Birthday to You!
The Great Birthday Bird will never be remembered in the same breadth as The Grinch or The Cat in the Hat but this book is still packed with Dr. Seuss goodness. That means lots of wacky words and rhyme schemes. This book is flat-out fun!
Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party
Scaredy Squirrel’s birthday checklist includes: “Confirm date of birth; pick a safe location; choose party colours; get tuxedo dry-cleaned; prepare cake recipe; practice breathing (to blow up balloons/blow out candles); mail party invitation to myself.”
Yup, there’s only one guest at his party – and that’s Scaredy Squirrel. Fortunately things don’t go according to plans.
Ten Rules of the Birthday Wish
A charmer. ‘Rule no. 1: It must be your birthday. Or close to your birthday. Sometime in the last or next week, your age should have increased by one. Unless you are a beetle, bug, or insect…’
A warm, funny and absolutely delightful set of birthday rules.
When’s my birthday?
This book perfectly captures the anticipation leading up to the big day. The prose is marvellous and the illustrations are wonderful.
I Got You A Present!
By our very own Susan McLennan and Mike Erskine-Kellie. Check out the book’s rave reviews.
Cake and Food
Eating together and sharing cake is pretty much a big part of every birthday party. So, how do you make this happen for a virtual party?
Ask the other parents to get some dessert as well and eat virtual birthday cake together. Let the kid blow out the candles while everybody sings Happy Birthday.
Finally…
Why throw a virtual birthday party? Because of safety. The fact is that unless you and your circle are extremely careful about sticking to it, even small gatherings can present a health risk.
And there are benefits: Family and friends who don’t live in the same city or town can show up at a virtual birthday party easily.
Screenshots and screen recordings will ensure that the event is recorded for posterity.
With a few simple steps, you can create a fabulous virtual birthday party that your kid, and his/her guests will never forget.
One of the best ways to make sure no one forgets about your great party is to be sure that you take pictures and screenshots during the party. And ask the other parents to do the same.
Have fun!