How to throw a virtual party

Virtual party or no party at all? That is the question …. 

In the life of a child, the most important day of the year is their birthday. A time for party, presents and cake. As we’re all adapting to a life of social distancing, online parties are increasingly becoming the norm rather than the exception. But throwing a virtual party requires a little more creativity and imagination than usual. So we’ve put together this Virtual Party Guide to make it a little easier and lot more exciting to organise an online party for your special occasion.        

Here are 7 simple ideas how to make your child’s stay-at-home birthday party just as special this year as any other year:    

1. Choose a theme

Pick a theme for the party to make it festive and exciting for everyone involved.

If you’re going to have a special character to “dial in”, ask your child who they want to invite e.g. Elsa, Peter Pan, Magic Unicorn, etc. Then ask the guests to dress up as that character or choose a virtual background that matches the theme. Canva has a good selection of free background templates. You can even book your own Elsa & Anna performance in your garden (socially distanced!) or your driveway, or request a special video “appearance” for your child.

You can also encourage your child to draw a special invitation for their magical guest and send it by post. Then ta-da, at the right day and time, everyone turns up on Zoom as that special guest! That’s already a lot of excitement for the little ones followed by party songs, music and cake! 

2. Organise activities

Choose a couple of activities to entertain the kids during the online event and let the guests know of any special instructions ahead of time. These could be simple activities such as colouring pages from Crayola, a scavenger hunt or a cupcake recipe to make with the help of a parent.  

We also love Cosmic Yoga videos classes, an instant hit with the little ones! They have a huge selection of themes ranging from PokeMon to Moana.

Get crafty with Boden’s Mini Missions. Have you tried them? Aren’t they the perfect online party activity for children aged 5 to 10?

There is such a great variety of fun things to do. We love the Art Class, Inventing a Monster, Designing Clothes or the Tea Party idea. Easy to do, simply download the activity or send it as a link to your guests. You can even enter the competition with your completed Party Mission and win a prize!     

3. Send invitations

Get everyone excited for the party with one of our gorgeous invitations.

You can insert your party Zoom link where you’d normally enter the party details and send any further instructions such as the special character or activity.  Your guests can easily add it to their calendar and have it ready to hand on the day.

Our Kindergifts invitations take care of the gifts as well. Instead of presents, you can suggest a small contribution towards a collective gift and donate a portion of the funds to support front-line NHS workers, foodbanks and many more good causes. It’s a great way of introducing children to charitable giving and getting them involved in the decision-making.

4. Party pack options

If time allows, you can send party packs to the guests to serve as entertainment activities as well as goody bags. These can include fun items such as party hats, animal makes, lego or crafty activities. You can source them on Amazon or, for convenience, head over to Sharky & George’s website. Their Nature, Crafty, Science, Classic or Superhero Party Packs can make great activity packs for children 5 to 8 years of age. And they’ll send them straight to your guests by post!

For cooking parties, try Cookie Crumbles’s baking mixes that are individually packed and easy to send as a party activity to all guests. We recommend the gingerbread man and the brownie mixes.

If your child is into art, check out Imagine Art Club’s pre-recorded lessons. You can sign up the guests for the lesson which also includes a downloadable pdf activity pack that the children can complete together online.

5. Don’t forget the birthday gift

Make a bit of a theatre this year. Draw a treasure map of your home with clues that bring your child to their birthday present. Let’s make them feel super special, loved and appreciated!

6. Blow the candles

Finish the party with a cake and a Happy Birthday song! It’s the highlight of any party and it’s safe to blow the candles from the safety of your own screen -:).

For a simple but delicious birthday cake recipe we recommend Annabel Karmel’s birthday cake and here is an easy cupcakes recipe from BBC Food.

7. Sleepover at home

If you’d rather keep this year’s celebration small and intimate, you can still make it super special by hosting a sleepover at home where YOU are the special guest.

Make a fort out of cushions or set up a den under the dining table and settle in for the night with your child. Camping at home will be such a special memory for them and if you manage to sneak away after they fall asleep that’s okay too!

We hope this simple party guide gives you some more inspiration? Let us know what you think and how you’re celebrating these days.

For more ideas, look for our top 20 suggestions for virtual birthday party entertainers coming up soon. And don’t forget:

Blog credit: Special thanks to Anya from the 3House Club and Amelia at Amelia Carter Designs for all the tips, ideas and the magic touch!