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Two-years post-pandemic it's back to regular life for many families; your kids are hanging out with their friends again and it might be time to start planning their next birthday party. If you're looking for unique ways to celebrate your child's next trip around the sun, one of these out-of-the-box kid's birthday party ideas is sure to make for a memorable celebration for your special guest of honor.
Lynne Wiltse told Mom.com that she has been hosting out-of-the-box parties for her kids for years. "My son has done a Nerf party with homemade targets and an indoor pool party since his birthday is in the middle of fall/winter," the mom of three told Mom.com.
Indoor birthday party ideas you may not have considered
While indoor parties are back in full force, make sure to check with indivdual venues on their safety guildelines like maximum group size and mask protocols. Also take into consideration any of your party guests who may have health concerns that would prohibit them from coming to an indoor celebration.
1. Stretch out the fun with a yoga party
If you're looking for an alternative to noisy, crowded kid's birthday places, a yoga studio may be just the change you're looking for. Many yoga studios provide laid-back birthday parties for kids with time for light refreshments like fruit cups and spa water. Personalized water bottles make great party favors!
2. Visit a tea room
Plan a sweet tea party for your little ones. Order cucumber finger sandwiches and fresh fruit for the perfect indoor birthday party idea. Your littles will enjoy dressing up in fancy hats and gloves.
3. Book a cooking class
Bakeries, pizza shops, and specialty gourmet shops are ideal locations for unique birthday parties. Many offer hands-on experiences for children and adults. Your kids will love making their own cupcakes, donuts, pizza, or gourmet biscuits.
4. Volunteer at an animal shelter
What better way to celebrate another trip around the sun than to give back to the community? Your animal-lover and their friends can volunteer their time at an animal shelter, caring for dogs and cats in a controlled environment.
Warm up to these indoor birthday party ideas
Winter can be a challenging time for planning a birthday party for your child. School vacations are on the horizon, inclement weather lurks, and money can sometimes be tight. Consider one of these winter birthday party ideas, held at typical kid's birthday party places, but with a twist.
5. Make a scene at the movie theater
Movie franchises offer birthday party packages that allow you to rent out a movie theater for a few hours. Cinemark Birthday Party packages start at $50 and include an hour for cake or cupcake time. Have everyone dress up as a character from the movie for an extra fun twist.
6. Bowl them over with an eighties-themed party
Bowling, which reached peak popularity in the seventies and eighties, is making a comeback. Bowling and family entertainment franchises like Stars and Strikes, Spare Time Entertainment, and Round 1 USA offer kid's birthday party packages at affordable prices. Keep the theme going by making it an eighties party — your tweens probably already have the scrunchies and mom jeans covered!
Party after COVID? Outdoor ideas for families still on the fence
Recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that people know their COVID-19 Community Levels and tailor precautions accordingly.
While many have moved on, others — like New York's Baruch College professor Dr. Debra Caplan — are still taking precautions as COVID numbers are on the increase again. When one of her children was infected with the virus weeks before attending sleepaway camp, the Caplan family adhered to strict masking guidelines, to ensure a required negative test result before attending camp.
"But after all this, we go to the airport to drop them off, and no one, no one, is wearing a mask," Dr. Caplan told The New York Times. "Here we are killing ourselves to make it so my kid can go to camp, and yet everyone is, 'This is over, right?'"
If your family has COVID-19 concerns as well, celebrate with one of these backyard birthday party ideas.
7. Gear up for the Paris 2024 XXXIII Olympic Summer Games
Summer birthday party ideas are usually easier to come by as there's no shortage of summer game ideas across the interent. For something different, however, why not pay homage to the upcoming Summer Olympics with an Olympiad-themed party?
8. Get messy with art
Take advantage of wild open spaces with an outdoor art party. Mom of two Britni Vigil hosted a splatter paint party for the toddlers in her life with paint-splatter-themed foods and a variety of outdoor messy-play activities.
"I had a large blank canvas and a bucket of squeeze bottles filled with Crayola Kids Washable Paint mixed with a little bit of water," Vigil wrote on her blog, Play Party Plan. "The Crayola paint was perfect because it applied well to the canvas but will wash out of the kids’ clothes."
9. Host a fort-building party
Sometimes kids are more interested in the boxes their gifts come in than the gift itself. Take advantage of this with a backyard fort-building party. Simply save up supplies like Amazon shipping boxes, sticks, and other natural materials and let them build to their hearts' content.
Out-of-the-box gift-giving ideas
Looking for gift ideas besides the usual onslaught of toys? If you're leaning toward a more minimalist home, guests bring items to donate. In lieu of gifts, invite guests to bring canned goods and other non-perishable foods to donate to a local food pantry or shelter. If you're hosting a volunteer animal shelter party, have guests bring pet food and supplies.
Coming up with out-of-the-box kid's birthday party ideas doesn't have to be a challenge. Take your child's interest into consideration and run with it; adding an unexpected twist or theme will make for a memorable and entertaining party.
