PANDEMIC
Birthday Ideas
8 WAYS TO CELEBRATE YOUR CHILD’S SPECIAL DAY
“I
felt like a princess,” says Georgia Steffan, who turned 8 in June. She was all smiles as she waved to adoring family, friends, classmates and teachers during an hourlong car parade organized by her mom, Janine, of Olmsted Falls. “Georgia’s birthday was right after school would have let out for summer vacation,” Janine Steffan explains. “We normally have a pool party in our complex, but, given the circumstances, we decided on a car parade — Georgia got to pick out a new dress, my friend Kristi made a coordinating balloon display on a stand (shared grounds don’t allow for lawn decorations), and I sent an email invitation to friends and family for a timeframe on a Friday evening. Everyone was on board.” Following cake and presents inside with immediate family, Georgia greeted parading guests — including more than half of her classmates — from the sidewalk. “Some handed her gift bags through car windows, and many people decorated their vehicles, blared the birthday song, honked horns and
24 | Family Living at Its Best
By Lindsey Geiss noisemakers, and waved as they drove by,” Janine Steffan says. To their surprise, neighbors even joined in on the fun, watching the parade or playing music and extending birthday wishes from their windows. “It made her day,” she says. Already been around the birthday parade block? Whatever your comfort level or preference for gatherings, there are plenty of other fun, creative ways to celebrate safely in-person, virtually or with a hybrid event. Here are eight more ideas sure to make your birthday child feel special: 1. MAKE AN “ALL ABOUT ME” DAY
Multiple siblings and schedules to coordinate can make it difficult to focus on one child’s wishes, but pick a day to let the birthday child be the star. Display his or her baby pictures or favorite memories somewhere in the house, have each family member write a letter or list what they love about the birthday child (e.g., 10 things for 10 years). What brings your child joy? Let him or her choose everything — from dinner and dessert, to music played
and a family activity that day, whether that’s a movie, board game, playground visit or other outing — within reason, of course. Create a fill-in-the-blank schedule or menu of options if you need to set limits, but keep it the birthday child’s day. 2. PACK A PARTY TO GO AND LINK UP LATER
Pre-pack birthday boxes or bags of take-home treats and simple games, like bingo boards or coloring sheets coordinating with a theme of your child’s choice. Do you have a Blue’s Clues fan, for example? Look online for plenty of free printables, favor ideas and more. Make paw print “clues” leading to your child’s gifts or for guests to follow to your house where they can pick up the goodies, then log on to Zoom or another video conferencing service at a designated date and time to play a game, learn a dance (try Go Noodle or Koo Koo Kanga Roo videos) and/or sing “Happy Birthday” and other sing-along favorites together. If you’re not tech savvy, practice how to screen share beforehand, and be sure to