15 Best at Home Birthday Party Ideas

15 ideas for birthdays at home! A great way to make a birthday special when you can’t leave the house!

When I told my son that school was canceled for the rest of the year, his first reaction was, Mom, I won’t be able to celebrate my birthday at school. I will be doing the program in the second class.

My heart is broken. Not only was he not going to celebrate his birthday at a particularly fun school, but he couldn’t throw the big birthday party we had planned a week ago. Luckily, I’ve extended the time and not sent the invitation, but it’s still sad. He is not alone.

There will be a lot of birthdays at home in the next few months and although that’s not good, that doesn’t mean that these birthdays can’t be as special as any other year. At home birthday party ideas

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate a birthday during the stay-at-home phase of our lives, I’ve got you covered. Here are 15 ways to celebrate a special birthday at home this year. Birthday party ideas

There are many ways to celebrate with people almost now. From Zoom to FaceTime to Skype, participating in group video chats with friends and family has never been easier. Join a group of friends and family and try each of these ideas together, separately.

1 — Play the game!

Send everyone a printable game before the party, and play together in a group video call. If it’s in the next few months, something like this Spring Bingo will work great!

Or you can do a scavenger hunt like this scavenger hunt where people have to race to retrieve the object and show it on the screen for credit.

Here are some great tips for preparing for a wildlife hunt (and two printable must-have lists!)

2 — Do a birthday interview. Send everyone a “how do you know your birthday” and ask them to fill it out before the party. During the party, ask the guest of honor a question and see who came up with the best idea!

3 — Have a cake and sing happy birthday. Have everyone sing happy birthday during the roll call as you roll out the cake and blow out the candles. Even better if you drop off the cupcakes (with printable gift tags) and someone close to you will be happy with the invitation because they won’t be able to enjoy the cake! Just be sure to wash your hands before and after applying!

Need decals for your birthday party? Click here.

4 — Bring a party with your friends. Bring out party favors for those who will be on the call to make them feel like they are with you! Party hats, favors, printable games and more can help everyone feel in one place, even if they’re not there.

5 — Make it a night movie. Netflix can now watch movies together and discuss them on screen. After the party is over, choose a movie and enjoy together from your couch. Think of it as a good night’s sleep.

6 — Create your virtual game.

Play video games with friends through Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation Plus and XBox Live. Add others

If you live in a close neighborhood, one of the funniest ways to surprise someone on their birthday is to include the neighborhood. Do it without telling the birthday person and it can lead to one of the best birthdays ever!

Don’t live in a nearby area? Take your friends and family around the world in more fun ways!

7 — Drive the party bus.

Before the birthday, send a note to your friends and neighbors to let them know that the birthday is coming up. Ask anyone who wants to participate to put a sign, balloons or something else in their garden/window on the anniversary.

Decorate your car with birthday decorations and drive around looking for all kinds of birthday surprises! If you have a set time, you can have people standing in their yard waving and shouting happy birthday as you drive by!

8 — Four steps. Similar to the idea above, send out notes asking people to write notes, take pictures, etc. on the side of the road they have a chalkboard next to their birthday. Then, ride a bike or walk and check out the fun surprises you see around the neighborhood!

Just make sure there is no rain in the forecast!

9 — Creating a Song-A-Length.

Text or message the neighbors on your street to see if people would be willing to come out at the same time of day to spend a happy birthday together on their own doorstep.

10 — Happy Birthday Jar

Have friends and family members from around the world send you emails with things they love about the birthday person. Print or write those out and put them in a jar or box for the birthday person to read all day long!

They’ll never feel more loved!

Looking to buy a birthday jar? Click here

11 — Mail It In

Give out your address to friends, family members, and neighbors and ask them to send letters or postcards to the birthday person. Who doesn’t love getting something in the mail and even better if it’s lots of things!

12 — Play Videos All Day.

Ask friends and family to send you a video of them singing happy birthday then play those videos for the birthday person all day long!

13 — Pretend To Be Together.

Email a “flat Stanley” version of the birthday person to friends and family. Have them print it out and take at least one picture of them celebrating with it — then send it to you to share with the birthday person! If you can get them in advance, you could even make a collage like one of my favorite 50th birthday party ideas!

As an added bonus you could keep those photos and once you’re able to go out, try to recreate the photos with friends and family in person!

14 — Celebrate With Imaginary Friends.

Pull out those stuffed animals, action figures, and dolls and have a pretend birthday party. Name each of them (or label them with names of best friends/family) and go back to your childhood with an imaginary friend party!

Make It Special At Home

If you’re going to be stuck at home, you might as well make the most of that time! Here are some ways you can make things at home even more special!

15 — Have A Birthday Countdown.

Count down the days to their birthday by crossing them off on a calendar or even doing a simple advent calendar like this one filled with small treats or things you love about them! Since they can’t have the birthday they want, make it even better by celebrating all week or month long!

Looking for a digital countdown clock? Click here

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