Things have gone pretty crazy pretty fast, and life feels like an ongoing process of adjusting to this new (and still-changing-on-a-daily- basis) reality.

Social-distancing has brought up many challenges in our day-to-day lives.

As parents, we are now facing questions like –

How to balance working from home with homeschooling, how to keep our kids busy indoors day after day and how to make sure everyone not only stays safe but also feels safe.

If your child’s birthday is coming up, you’ve probably been asking yourself one more question –

How can you celebrate your child’s birthday during social-distancing?

What social distancing means is that your family and friends are now far away, even if they live next door.

So you need to start thinking like people who actually do live far from one another, and how they celebrate together.

My sister lives in another country, but it’s always been very important to her that the family gets together for her kids’ birthdays every year.

We had long-distance birthdays long before this virus hit and now this solution seems more fitting than ever –

Have a virtual party.

The popularity of virtual parties is on the rise right now.

After all, people always find a way to adjust –

Just because we need to stay inside, doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our kids’ birthdays, right?

Especially during these stressful times, I think it is so important to make our kids feel loved.

Surround them (virtually) with family and friends so they FEEL safe.

And let them know that there are still reasons to celebrate and things to be happy about.

How to have a virtual kids’ birthday party?

You can put together a successful virtual birthday party for your child in a few simple steps.

With social distancing and the recommendations to stay at home, the beauty of having a virtual party is that you don’t need to leave the house – at all.

Everything from start to finish can be done right in the comfort of your home.

So stay in your PJs, grab a cup of tea and let’s get started.

1. Choose the right platform for your virtual party

First and foremost, when you decide to host a virtual party you need to figure out the technical side of things – meaning how to get your guests on a video call together.

Thankfully, we live in a time where technology is providing us with many ways to be close to our loved ones even when we’re apart.

There are several platforms on which you can schedule a video call and organize a virtual gathering with all of your guests.

Zoom has become a very popular platform these days for multiple-persons video calls.

Two other popular options (which my family has used several times for my nephew’s birthdays over the years) are Skype and Facetime.

There are other platforms as well – do a quick research online and you can find several good free or low-cost options.

What’s important is that you find the platform that is most accessible to YOU.

Look for a platform that will be the easiest for you AND your guests to operate during the time of the party, so you don’t need to deal with too many technical issues (you may deal with a few).

Quick Tip:

I highly recommend you do a test call with some of your friends or family members a few days before the party, to make sure everything goes smoothly and figure out solutions to any technical issues that may arise.

2. Choose a Theme for your virtual party

Now that we got the tech stuff out of the way we can move on to where the real fun begins – planning the party itself!

The first step to take in any party you plan is to choose a theme.

Wait – a theme for a virtual party?

Yes! Even though it is a virtual party, I always like to use a theme. A theme helps to simplify some of the party planning, and also helps to get everyone into a festive mood.

And just imagine how thrilled your child will be to wake up in the morning and see the house is decorated with images of one of his favorite things.

So, how do you choose your party theme?

Take some quality time with your child to come up with ideas for the theme of the party together.

It can be something your child loves to do, like a sport or a hobby.

It can be a favorite toy (my little one is all into construction vehicles these days, so I know what the theme for his 2nd birthday in a few weeks will be 😉 )

If you’re feeling stuck, you can check out my shop for some all-time popular birthday party themes for kids.