How to make your child’s lockdown birthday special

Last year our twin girls were very lucky that their birthday party could go ahead as planned. It was just under a month before the UK went into a partial lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.

This year, however, they’re not quite as lucky and will be having a ‘lockdown birthday’. Like many children in the UK and the world over, birthday parties are currently a thing of the past. Parents across the globe are turning their thoughts to a different way of celebrating their children’s birthdays. Us included.

My initial thought was to have a ‘tea party’ style birthday at home for them, but in all fairness it sounded a tad boring. Our children have missed out on so much over the last year. Not only are they missing out on a proper education, they’re also missing their friends, trips to the park and so much more. That’s why I’m determined to make their birthday this year extra special. Although I must admit that sounds easier than it actually is considering shops aren’t able to sell toys or birthday cards, gift bags and even wrapping paper. I’ll bet you anything that Amazon will see some serious profits!

I spent a good few days thinking about what ‘theme’ we could have for our girls birthday. I knew that it would just be the four of us and my mother-in-law so that takes the hassle of having to feed lots of people out of the equation. One day I had a ‘lightbulb’ moment and decided that a circus themed birthday party would be perfect.

Both of our girls love the show, ‘Big Top Academy’ on Pop which is all about the circus. Our girls are always practising their gymnastics skills and walking handstands so the circus just felt right.

I headed straight to Pinterest in search of inspiration and soon my mind was over flowing with ideas. Luckily the internet has so many free resources which meant that I was able to print off some pretty cool decorations and accessories. From bunting, circus signs, mini circus people, mini circus tents and popcorn containers.

I’ve also seen some circus signs that I’m going to print off too. I’m also hoping to make a ticket booth but am yet to source a piece of cardboard large enough! I have however, managed to source a hula hoop from a friend of mine so that I can make a circus themed hanging canopy. Sounds pretty cool right? Let’s hope so! I will share a more in depth blog post all about our circus themed birthday party after the event so keep your eyes peeled.

Until then, I thought I’d ask some other parents for their ideas on how to make their children’s lockdown birthday party special. Here’s what they had to say.

Helen from Casa Costello says: “We are planning a double birthday in Feb. We are surprising the birthday girl with a hot tub in the garden and setting off alarms at various times of the day when she can open more presents. Plus Everton will beat Liverpool that day especially for the birthday dad and daughter.”

Sarah from The Good Thing is Though says: “We had a police themed day for my SWAT mad 8 year old! He said it was the best birthday he’d ever had and it really made me think about how we put so much pressure on ourselves as parents, when all they really want is for us to play games at their level. In Jonah’s case that just meant allowing ourselves to be ‘arrested and questioned’ all day long!”

Emma from Bubba Blue and Me says: “Mine was 10 last week. His only request was Domino’s pizza so we had takeaway, cake, then we put up the LED strip lights that flash to music beats and danced in his room. He’s quite happy with simple and will have an activity with friends once this is all over.”

Louise from Pink Pear Bear says: “We had some mermaid themed teepees booked for a little sleepover with a couple of friends. They ended up making the lockdown stricter just a couple of days before so we had to put it on hold but got the teepees for Christmas for her and her brother and it made it so so special. They do a movie package with them so we’re going to do that for her if the lockdown goes on much longer”

Laura from The Breastest News says: “My daughter’s birthday was in January and we ordered up a Party in a Box from a lovely local company who delivered straight to our door. The box had everything in it we needed to have a party with the family; party bags, party games, crafts, cookie decorating kit, balloons, tableware etc. It was great and my daughter loved it. Really helped us make her birthday special during lockdown.”

Sabrina from The Mummy Stylist says: “We had family send presents in the post, cut the cake over a video call and light-up balloons for a bedtime birthday disco. The kids enjoyed their birthdays after all.”