The pandemic pushed pause on the mundane routine of day-to-day life, with many of us either postponing or cancelling annual family events for the first time ever. If Thanksgiving or Christmas was always spent with family, many of us have experienced the solitude associated with Zoom holidays for the first time ever.
While our lives are slowly starting to return to a new normal, many of us remain cautious of friends and family members who are not vaccinated or susceptible to illness, continuing to opt out of celebrating these major life milestones in person in lieu of online celebrations.
This choice may still be difficult for our children to wrap their heads around, as they thrive through establishing normalcy in their routines. Research shows that outside of the obvious physical health pandemic, there is an associated mental health pandemic that accompanies it, with the potential for the aftermath being felt for years in the future. With that said, it’s our job as parents to establish new ways to celebrate our children – starting with their birthday.
Instead of holding a physical birthday party, here are some recommendations for virtual celebrations that won’t make them feel like they are missing out. Keep on reading to learn more.
Create a personalized picture book
Turn the story of your child’s life into a picture book, filled with beautiful words and images. Whether you use some of the experiences that they have gone through as inspiration or create an entirely new fabricated story based on a story that they already love, the sky is the limit.
Not to mention, this will be a keepsake gift that your child can hold onto for the rest of their lives. Wonderbly is one of the biggest and most reputable eRetailers for personalized children’s storybooks – and a great place to start when seeking some inspiration along the journey!
Put your creativity to the test
Taking creativity one step further, imagine all of the compliments that you will get when your own piece de resistance is on display in your child’s room for all to see. This takes thinking about a storybook one step further with a beautifully colorful canvas of abstract art, a paint-by-numbers image of their favorite Disney character or a hand-sketched drawing of the family. If you are not artistic, don’t stress.
There are many local artists that you can consult using platforms like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace to request to commission a unique piece. This one-of-a-kind option will wow your little one – and everyone else around you, too.
Create a collage with old photos
Whether you are celebrating their first or fifth birthday, a collage can help reminisce about the good times. From that first cake smash to the kiddie pool party and all of the friends and family that were there to make things special, the good times all come together in a collage.
Source: PosterMyWall
PosterMyWall is an online graphic design tool that makes creating custom images easy for beginners and experts alike. The website has a whole section of almost 2,000 baby’s first year collage frames to drag-and-drop images with ease. Just save, print and share!
Host a virtual birthday party
If all else fails and you feel your child will truly miss out without the social interaction, a good old virtual Zoom birthday can do the trick. It may require some extra planning, but there are plenty of activities that can be enjoyable remotely including:
• Printable color activities
• Baking together with a shared recipe
• Stream a film
Fun idea: choose a theme and a dress code. Princess theme? All of the children should come in dresses. Superhero theme? Don’t forget the cape!
Now starts the planning.
Whether you choose to celebrate as a little family or host something a little larger, your child’s first few years of their lives should be memorable. Getting creative with a personalized picture book, art or a collage shows that you’ve put in the time to show how much you care. If a party is important, you can still bring it to life via Zoom. However you choose to celebrate, we know it will be one for the books!
