Ways to Make a Child’s Birthday Special during Covid

Half decades are big birthdays to celebrate and we had a blast celebrating my son’s 5th birthday! Since we are living in a pandemic and couldn’t have a “real” birthday party, we did a couple outside the box things to make Reid’s birthday extra special. He had a blast and I think felt really loved (which is the whole point!).

Ways to make your child’s birthday special:

School Pick Up Decorated Car: Y’all this was so much fun! Luckily, it was a gorgeous day to celebrate his birthday so I was able to hang posters on the side of my car, have balloons and blare happy birthday music to pick Reid up from preschool. He loved it and I am thankful he is still too young to be embarrassed by his parents 🙂
Balloons Everywhere: Reid requested balloons for his birthday. So, I purchased a lot of balloons and had them scattered around our living room when he woke up. We also set up a super simple and easy balloon arch in our playroom. Tip: I got this balloon arch from Target and mylar balloons from the Dollar Tree.
Happy Birthday Front Yard Sign: A thing that is super popular around our area are “card my yard” signs that say “Happy Birthday.” I looked into getting one put up for Reid (and Walker who’s birthday is 2 weeks behind Reid’s birthday) but spending over $200 for both birthdays was a little much in my opinion. Luckily, I found this awesome set from Walmart and it looked great (here is one on Amazon too!). Reid didn’t notice a difference and loved seeing the sign in the yard.
Custom Donuts: My son loves donuts (I mean who doesn’t?!), I asked our local donut shop if they could spell out REID’s name and they did it! The little treat was perfect for his birthday playdate. Side note: I made a cake with Reid’s help for his birthday dinner.
Happy Meal Playdate: We had Reid’s best buddy and his little brother over for Happy Meals after school on Reid’s birthday. Happy Meals are special treats in our house and my boys LOVE them. The boys played outside at our house before Reid’s grandparents arrived. Outside playdates are a-okay with me, especially at our house (we aren’t public park ready yet!).
Pizza Family Dinner: At Reid’s request, we had a pizza dinner the night after his birthday with our neighbors and their two kids and my in-laws. It was a fun evening and watching the boys cheer “David” (the pizza man’s name) while he delivered the pizza was priceless.
Small Piñata: Reid requested a piñata and I found one that had strings to pull to get the candy (perfect for small children). Since you pulled the strings, it was easy to do inside as Drew just had to hold it. I bought Paw Patrol cups for the kids to gather all the candy and take home as their “gift bag.”
Lots of Decorations: We had banners around the house and a huge number “5” that the boys helped color on our front door. If you went by or inside our house, you would have known there was a boy who loved Paw Patrol and who just turned 5!

It was a fantastic birthday and one that I hope he will remember (I know I will!). Every year, I frantically try to make Reid’s birthday perfect and in the end I know all he truly cares about is being able to spend it with family and people that he loves. While my son loves to receive gifts, he loves being surrounded by love so.much.more.

I hope however you celebrate your child’s birthday, that they feel all the love and joy that you want for them 🙂