This take on Minted was made by undefined from , a member of Minted's community of independent artists.
Whether celebrating a child’s birthday, the accomplishments of a recent graduate, or a baby shower, there are plenty of creative ways to still have fun and celebrate separately but together. In this article, we will review technologies you can use to successfully host a virtual birthday party for your kid, ideas to make the party just as fun, and ways to bring people together. Whatever theme and ideas you decide to run with, don’t forget the most important tradition of a birthday celebration, which is the birthday cake and candles! Even if there aren’t too many guests to share the cake with, your child has waited a full year for the opportunity to blow out all the candles.
"Virtual Unicorn" designed by peetie design
By now, most of us have probably attended some virtual meetings for work, virtual happy hours with friends, or calls with family members where we can see each other’s faces. We have grown somewhat familiar with services like Zoom, Google Hangouts, or FaceTime. When the responsibility lands on your shoulders to organize, invite, host, and moderate a virtual birthday party for your child and a collection of their closest friends, your technology savvy will be tested. Below we have outlined three possible services that can be utilized.
We encourage you to play around with any of these services beforehand to get a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations. See which option you are most comfortable with and which best serves your needs. If any of your friends or family have hosted similar virtual parties, pick their brain on what video conferencing service they used. Whatever service you decide on, be sure to include your cell phone number on the invitation you send out, so you can be reached if a guest is having a hard time connecting.
As everyone knows, planning a memorable party is an admirable talent. Review our list of virtual birthday party ideas below to help organize a celebration your child and their friends will be eagerly anticipating and talking about for weeks to come.
Let’s face it, hosting a virtual birthday party will be much less expensive than hosting an in-person event. Save on charges you would have spent on an inflatable bounce house rental, reserving a trampoline park venue, and food or catering for 20+ guests. Lower overall expenses allow you the freedom to splurge on beautiful personalized kids birthday invitations and brighten up someone’s mailbox. In a world where physical contact has been near-eliminated, your child’s guests will enjoy receiving a tangible piece of mail they can display in their room or on the fridge. We have plenty of modern designs with greetings and imagery that speak to virtual celebrations and birthday party parades. We also have plenty of invitation designs that pair perfectly with your dinosaur, fairy tale, video game, or superhero birthday theme.
This might be the year to try and construct a balloon arch, seriously! Go all out with streamers, balloons, confetti, and other party decorations. You will be surprised by all the different kinds of balloons that can be purchased nowadays. There are balloons that light up, balloons inside other balloons, giant balloons, shaped balloons, and of course balloons that come in every color imaginable. We understand that sometimes less is more, but when it comes to creating excitement for your child while they can’t be surrounded by their favorite friends, more is more when it comes to decorations.
"Birthday Script" designed by Kasai Labocki
Have fun in a virtual meetup with friends by swapping in different backgrounds during the celebration. If your child’s birthday is jungle-themed, why not have various backgrounds that showcase the dense Amazon jungle or a grouping of monkeys in the tree canopies. Search for fun background images you can have ready to swap in for your call. Minted has a collection of beautiful virtual backgrounds designed by our network of independent artists perfect for celebrating the birthday boy or girl. Download free background designs based on a space theme, jungle theme, princess theme, ocean theme, and so much more!
Kids are wizards with mobile phones and tablets. On your birthday invitation, encourage guests to record a 30-second video of a birthday wish that will be shared with the guest of honor on their birthday. Some ideas for the video could include a TikTok dance, funny joke, presentation of a drawing or birthday card they made, or a funny memory. Have guests email or text their video to you on your child’s birthday.
"Jungle One" designed by Jennifer Wick
Send a craft kit, be it a coloring book, crochet set, origami worksheets, or airplane model kit to each birthday guest. Hint at the craft you will be creating together while you are all social distanced, on the birthday invitation. Children will love having a group activity they can all share in completing.
This can be a fun virtual birthday party idea because the options are limitless. Talents could range from playing an instrument, juggling a ball, singing a song, or telling jokes. Kids will get a kick out of seeing their friends performing. Of course, make sure to state that sharing a talent is optional and take some of the pressure off by allowing the talent to be as big or little as they want.
"We Connect!" designed by Christina Novak
Kids love games, whether they be physical or mental. The thought of winning a prize can immediately elevate the mood and energy of a party, even one hosted online. Below is a small collection of potential games that a parent can moderate during the birthday meetup.
Ask your guests to confirm their preferred shipping address along with their RSVP and send them a fun goodie bag in the mail that can be opened during the virtual birthday party. Items to include in the favor bag could be party hats, noisemakers, silly string, funny glasses, and chocolatey treats that can be enjoyed once the birthday cake is cut.
Instead of a virtual celebration, you could always opt for a socially distanced birthday party where your child actually gets to see their friends in the flesh. Send birthday invites out that encourage friends and family to drive by your home and honk their horns and make signs for the birthday kid. For a change of scenery, you could even host the drive-by parade at a park, lake, or beach spot that has easy access to a street.
What’s a birthday party without gifts? On your initial invite, provide your shipping address and let guests know that if they would like to send a gift, it will be opened during the virtual party.
"Animals on Parade" designed by Jennifer Wick
We love this idea because everything sold on Minted is sourced from artists and their creative minds. Set out sidewalk chalk in an array of colors and encourage neighbors and friends to construct personal messages on your driveway for the birthday boy or girl. Once all driveway graffiti is complete, pose your child with the artwork for a picture that will surely garner a ton of likes on social media. Who knows, it might even make it onto your annual holiday card!
To pull this virtual birthday party idea off you will need a decent-sized front yard or backyard. Look into renting a television projector and set up a white sheet against a wall or between two supports to act as a large movie screen. Heat up some individually wrapped popcorn for each party attendee and arrange lawn chairs six to eight feet apart. Encourage each guest to bring their own blanket in case temperatures drop. You can even place little yard flags as markers of where people can sit. Your child will never forget their movie birthday party under the stars!
Even though there won’t be a collection of in-person guests surrounding the birthday child on their birthday, you should still plan for an extravagant showing off a birthday cake complete with glowing candles. Encourage everyone attending virtually to sing “Happy Birthday” in unison. This is one birthday tradition that should not take a hiatus during the everchanging year that is 2020.
Sending birthday party invitations for a virtual party or birthday parade will not decrease the excitement. We understand if you need a little help reassuring that you have included all the important details. We have listed out some of the key components below:
"Out of This World" designed by Oma N. Ramkhelawan
We uncover design genius through ongoing design competitions. At Minted, all that matters is good design. Designers submit, and the Minted community votes to tell us what to sell.
