Waiting for a whole year for your birthday to come around can be  annoying. But when it’s finally here, it’s a pretty big deal! Presents, cake, decorations, guests, and invitations play a big role in birthday parties. When Covid came, having a birthday party became a great deal harder. Whether it’s a fun party with your family or a celebration with your friends, this article will give you some great tips!

Seasonal Birthday Parties

The theme of your party could align with a season: Fall, Winter, Summer, or Spring!  Food, cake, decorations, activities, and goodie bags can all be based on your theme. Just remember that it is a social distanced party, so you might want to do it outside and have face masks on when needed.

Fall

Start off with fall decorations! That could be anything with the colors red, yellow, and orange. You could decorate outside with hay, pumpkins, fall leaves, and pine cones. For food, maple and spice flavors fit right in with the theme. You can have a birthday cake, cupcakes, cookies, or other treats. The party is yours, so feel free to make it your own! Include snacks and be sure to have healthy and safe options for everyone. Drinks should include water, but juice and other things can be included, too. 

Activities are what makes a party! You could do a Fall-themed cookie walk, watch an outdoor movie, or just talk and hang out. You could also play things such as Cornhole, Jenga, and any other outdoor games. Swings and trampolines are fun activities, too. It’s also a great idea to make your invitations Fall themed! 

Summer

Beach, pool, sunshine, and anything tropical! These are some things that really resemble the summer season, and your decor could include any of these. For food, you should include healthy and safe snacks, but you can still add snacks like chips and pretzels. For your birthday treat, there are a variety of choices, though you should try to make it match the theme. Some good summer drinks are juice, lemonade, and don’t forget the water! Some good activities are outdoor games: swimming,boating,painting, running through sprinklers, or a water gun fight. Due to COVID, these activities should be practiced safely, with social distancing, and masks, if needed. The invitations should be summer-themed, but make it however you’d like and have fun with it!

Winter

Brrrr, Winter! Decorate with snowflakes, fake snow, pinecones, garlands, and anything that goes along with winter. For food, have  anything warm and toasty! You could have candy canes, pretzels, or make smores. You could even build your own snowman snack- made of marshmallows, candy canes, Hershey’s kisses, and other things! Again, include healthy and safe snacks, too! For drinks, you want to of course include water and perhaps hot chocolate. Something fun to include is a snow machine to really set the mood! Fun activities are outdoor games, an outdoor movie with blankets, and winter crafts. Winter themed invitations will really kickstart your party! 

Spring

Who doesn’t love Spring? Flowers, rain, birds, butterflies all resemble Spring! They would also make great Spring decor. To eat, fresh fruits and veggies, jelly beans, pretzels, and goldfish are great! Healthy and safe options are also key to a good party. Drinks could include juice, lemonade, fruit punch, sprite or others. Make sure to have water, too. Activities could be outdoor games, Spring crafts, a picnic, fly kites, and whatever else you’d like! Send out Spring invitations (paper or email) for a great party! 

More Party Ideas

Movie Night 

This is a great and safe option for a party! If you don’t have an outdoor movie screen, you can go to a drive-in movie instead. First, you will need invitations. Movie themed invitations with popcorn, tickets, or clapperboard decorations would be great! Next set up your movie screen in a nice position where you are hosting your party, and set up comfy foldable chairs or blankets six feet apart from each other. Have a concession table with snacks like a popcorn bar, chips, veggies, fruits, and candy, and drinks like water, sprite, or other drinks. Decorate your backyard like a movie theater! Ask the guests to bring a mask just in case. Then have them arrive before it gets dark, so you can talk and socialize. Then it is time to sing while having a special treat, then watch a movie of your choice while enjoying snacks and drinks. 

Picnic Party

A Picnic Party is also a great way to celebrate safely! First send picnic-themed invitations. You are going to want to set up blankets six feet apart from each other. Make sure that each person gets their own blanket. Have a picnic basket filled with delicious snacks and foods on each blanket. Things like sandwiches, pretzels, candy, and fresh fruits and veggies. Drinks should include water, and more drinks of your choice. You can also ask your guests to bring their own lunches. Ask them to bring masks just in case. When they arrive, sit down and have lunch while talking and hanging out. You can play some games or do some crafts. Cornhole, Sardines, Jenga, and other outdoor games are fun to play. Time to take out that birthday cake! You can also have cupcakes, cookies, cake pops, or any treat of your choice. Have them sing, eat cake, play, talk, and then your picnic party is complete!

Camping

This is another great pick during Corona! Start by making camping-themed invitations. Set up blankets and chairs around an outdoor firepit. Make sure they are placed six feetapart. For snacks, pretzels, goldfish, trail mix, candy, grapes, and carrots are great choices. Other healthy options can be included too! Put up these snacks on a concession stand, along with refreshing drinks. Set up outdoor tables with plastic tablecloth to match the theme. Put chairs six feet apart around the table to be safe. For dinner, pizza or hot dogs are good options, but make sure to also include healthy choices. When guests arrive, socialize , then eat dinner. After the meal is over, you can choose to watch an outdoor movie or not. Let the guests toast s’mores for dessert, and then  sing happy birthday. You can play and talk, then do a scavenger hunt in the dark with flashlights. Choose some of your closest friends to spend the night in tents outside. Another option is have a sleepover with somebody you are quarantining with. Enjoy your night of camping!

More Party Themes

Themes are essential! Finding good themes is usually based on what age you are. If you are a teen, you might want a different theme than a toddler.

      3-7 year olds

• Pirates
• Princesses
• Mermaids 
• Unicorns
• Superheroes
• Dinosaurs
• Race cars

      All ages

• Glow-in-the dark party
• Hawaiian
• Dragons
• 80’s themed 
• Dogs party
• Picnic party
• Mystery masquerade
• Outdoor movie night
• Karaoke night

Tips

• Make it your own and have fun!
• Have hand sanitizer, and ask guests to bring masks.
• When a guest has to go to the restroom, have them put on their mask.
• 6ft apart rule! Stay safe!
• If a guest has an allergy, include safe food options!
• Keep it short. You don’t want it too long if it is going to be outside. Your guests will either get too hot or cold (depending on weather).

Socially distanced parties can be both fun and safe! There is always an option for everyone. Whether your party is big or small, you can make it yours. Don’t be afraid to get creative. Just make sure to have fun and be safe!