A birthday is a special milestone when she can mark the closing of a chapter in her life and celebrate the beginning of a new one. With the coronavirus lockdown and social-distancing still in place, we wanted to give you some ideas on how to celebrate your girl’s big day and make it just as special as you’d planned during these uncertain times.
Traditionally, birthday parties are filled with family and friends, love, and laughter. Of course, we want to make sure that she can still have all these things. Our lockdown-friendly ideas will give you all the inspiration you need to make her day one that she remembers forever.
Bring the Party to Her
Social distancing and lockdown protocols might still be in place, but don’t let that stop her from seeing and speaking to her loved ones.
Make conversations happen from wherever you are in the world with online platforms and video call applications. These are our favourites.
Skype
Skype is one of the most well-known video platforms and one that many of us already associate with long-distance calls. Skype’s interface is easy to use and can host up to 50 people for free, making it perfect for connecting her grandparents, aunts, cousins and more.
Zoom
Zoom’s recent rise in popularity could be due to it being favoured amongst many businesses and professionals, but also thanks to its fun and quirky features that make it a pleasure to use. Transform your background with CGI-like magic, add a novelty filter to your camera, or share your screen with your party attendees. Its basic plan is free to use but has a 40 minute limit on each call that you make. With that being said, Zoom has been known to gift you an unlimited call every now and again.
FaceTime
For Apple lovers and iPhone owners, FaceTime is a natural choice. Pre-installed on all Apple devices and easy to navigate for even the biggest of technophobes, FaceTime’s functionality makes it great for mobile users who don’t want to download additional software. FaceTime allows up to 32 people on a call and lets you send Animojis, Memojis and stickers to liven up the conversation.
Facebook Messenger
If you don’t want to download software specifically for her birthday, and you don’t own an iPhone, Facebook Messenger is the platform you might be surprised will solve your problem. Connect with up to 50 people and make the most of Messenger’s multiple other features whilst you chat. Send messages, gifs, stickers and more to celebrate the birthday girl’s big day.
Cake Ideas
It’s not a birthday without a birthday cake or some form of delicious baked goods, so make sure you’ve got one for the big day.
For busy schedules that do not have the time to bake something from scratch, a shop-bought cake and some candles are an easy alternative. See if you can even purchase one from your local bakery to support small businesses during this time.
A birthday cake
Chocolate, vanilla or any flavour in between, a classic cake is a great way to celebrate her birthday. Easy enough for novice bakers and with hundreds of recipes to choose from, this is a reliable option that you can’t go wrong with.
A traybake
Switch things up with a traybake. Even easier to bake than a cake, traybakes are the perfect all-in-one recipe that takes minimal effort to create maximum impact.
Brownies
If your girl has a sweet tooth, brownies are the ultimate indulgent treat. Start off with a standard brownie mix and top it with her favourite treats. For a tried and tested chocolate brownie recipe that we love, head over to this blog post where our Head of Marketing shows you how to recreate her childhood treat.
Cupcakes
For a dainty birthday dessert, cupcakes take the top spot. Cute and fun to decorate, why not get the birthday girl involved in the making of these miniature cakes?
Decoration Ideas
Get into the birthday spirit by dressing your home with beautiful decorations.
Your house has probably become a very familiar backdrop in your day-to-day life, so sprucing up your surroundings with pretty decorations is an excellent way to make her big day feel special. Decorative items may be hard to find during these times, so why not try your hand at making your own? This is also a great activity to spend time with your child.
Bunting
Simple and easy to make, fashion your own bunting out of scrap paper and colouring supplies. Experiment with shapes, textures and colours. Get creative and marble paper for your bunting. Don’t forget to make it personal to the birthday girl by choosing her favourite colours and designs that speak to her tastes and interests.
Paper chains
We love to pair bunting with paper chains in matching colours. Use the cut off ends of paper from your homemade bunting and glue these into paper chain shapes to drape around your home.
Balloons
Create a photo-worthy balloon garland for a spectacular surprise that she’s sure to love, and don’t stop there. Fill your home with ‘Happy Birthday’ shaped balloons that you can order online.
Use what you have at home
For some of you, you may not have time to DIY your own decorations or order new ones, and that’s okay. Just switching up your everyday tablecloth and getting out your fancy cutlery and serving plates will make a big change and can help to mark her birthday. Even the littlest of things can have a big impact.
Activity Ideas
When you have your guests in attendance, don’t forget to keep them entertained.
This is a birthday celebration after all! We’ve created a list of virtual activities and games that you can try to get everyone in the birthday spirit.
House Party
This free app lets you create virtual “parties” where you can video call and play games with your guests. Gather her friends and family for a game of Heads Up, test everyone’s general knowledge with a game of Trivia or unleash your inner artist with the popular Draw Something.
A quiz
Make the most of Zoom’s screen sharing feature by hosting a birthday quiz. Create a presentation and take on the title of Quiz Master for a family-friendly and interactive challenge that gets everyone involved. Or, you can even get the birthday girl involved by creating a themed quiz all about her. Test her guest’s knowledge about her favourite – and least favourite – things.
Bake-along
Mix up a delicious treat with your guests by hosting a virtual bake-along. Send out an ingredients list before her birthday party so that everyone can gather their supplies, and on the day, follow a recipe together through a video call. A group bake-off is an excellent way to get all involved and results in a sumptuous dessert that you can all enjoy together.
Sing Happy Birthday
If there’s one thing that can make a birthday feel like a birthday, it’s joining in altogether in song. Conduct a customary Happy Birthday singalong, through one of the video calling platforms that we’ve listed above, to make an unusual time feel that bit more familiar.
Present Ideas
Round off her birthday celebrations with a gift that shows her just how much she is loved.
With many stores remaining shut during this time, make sure that you order her gift in advance to arrive on time. Whatever your budget, we’ve selected a few of our favourite ideas to make any girl feel adored.
Jewellery
Give her the gift of luxury with a piece of keepsake children’s jewellery. A delicate bracelet, a pair of sparkling earrings or an exquisite necklace will make any girl feel like a princess. What better way to mark this cherished date than with a thoughtful present that she can love and keep ahold of for years to come? Shop our birthday gifts for girls today.
A personalised hamper
Why give her one gift, when you can give her a hamper full? Order her a personalised hamper of thoughtfully-picked delights, from sweet treats and chocolate to beauty and self-care items, all packaged in a wonderfully cute basket. You can even make your own hamper by shopping for items individually to make it even more unique to her.
An activity kit
An activity kit is a thoughtful and practical gift that she can enjoy for hours on end. A craft kit, a board game or even a plant growing kit can help to pass the time spent indoors. If she enjoys reading, a special edition book with a limited edition hardback cover is a gift that she’ll treasure forever. A set of personalised stationery is ideal for creative minds to journal all of their thoughts and ramblings.
An activity for the future
Sometimes it’s the physical activities that children remember the most. Make plans to arrange a special activity for when lockdown and social distancing regulations are over. For example, an amusement park excursion, a theatre show or even a weekend away in an unexplored city. Make memories with her that she can look back on fondly.
We understand that times are difficult and uncertain, that’s why we want to help you make the most of it with the ones you love. Discover our ideas for kids and tweens when you’re stuck at home for more activity ideas.
