Ten birthday celebration ideas for your kids this MCO

Birthday celebrations are often an exciting and fun-filled affair. Prior to Malaysia’s FMCO (full movement control order) that kicked in early June this year, we could still move around a little, but the stricter movement restrictions seem to show no signs of abating anytime soon.

With children, especially, birthday parties and celebrations can be an important and memorable way for them to have fun and be engaged. It can also help build up their socialization skills, especially when they can have their friends and classmates over.

Alas, the pandemic and its restrictions have drastically changed the way we live, work, and play  — and social events such as birthday celebrations are no exception.

However, movement restrictions don’t mean we have to restrict the fun! In fact, throwing a birthday party or celebration during a lockdown might actually be a little easier logistics-wise, if you think about it.

Here are ten cool things parents can do to have a great birthday celebration with their kids, even during the MCO!

1 Have a themed party at home

Just because it’s a lockdown doesn’t mean themed parties are out of the window! Your kids and family can still dress up as their favourite character, and you can still create or purchase decorations from online marketplaces such as Lazada or Shopee.

Pro tip: Be sure to choose local instead of overseas sellers as delivery would usually be faster!

2 Cook and bake as a family

Parents can spend time with their kids to prepare food together for a celebration.

Susan and Arthur, who have been working from home since the first MCO, recently celebrated the birthday of their five-year-old son, Andrew.

“Andrew was so excited to help my husband and I whip up dishes such as fancy sausages, apple tarts, and marshmallow sticks.

“It’s honestly a fantastic way for us three to bond, because it teaches Andrew about teamwork and prioritizing tasks. And because we can’t have guests over, we only needed to prep for three people!”, shared Susan.

3 Have a gift-exchange

Parents can prepare little gift bags with candies, snacks, toys, or biscuits with a personalized handwritten note by your child, and mail it to their friends! If you’re looking for delicious, healthy, and certified organic additions to your gift bags, why not try Bellamy’s Organic EQUIRA apple and pear snacks? Lightweight and zip-sealed, they’re perfect for sending through the mail!

Their parents can mail presents to your child, so just prepare well in advance (at least half a month), and factor delivery times (2 days usually) in.

They can then celebrate with your kid via a virtual meeting platform — where the details are emailed to them in advance, of course!

4 Have a virtual celebration

Who said we can’t have friends over during lockdown? We can still talk to, hear, and see them — just behind a screen! Here are some free virtual communications/meeting platforms you can consider for your birthday celebrations.

1. Discord (unlimited participants, unlimited time, requires accounts)
2. Skype (100 participants, max 10 hours daily, 100 hours monthly)
3. Facebook messenger rooms (50 participants, unlimited time, Facebook account not required)
4. Google Meet (10 participants, 60 minutes per session)
5. Zoom (unlimited participants, 40 minutes per session)

Pro tip: Be sure to include some basic behaviour rules, and try to follow the celebration program as closely as you can.

If you’re using platforms with time limitations, it’s best to limit the screen time to cake cutting, singing, and present-opening so everyone doesn’t have to re-login.

5 Host online games

Games inject fun and excitement into the party — who doesn’t love them? Kids, especially, will benefit the most from the engagement. Depending on the type of game chosen, they can be physically, mentally, or even emotionally engaged, all of which are great for their development!

Games can be carried out online in two ways:

1. Via a virtual meeting platform
2. Via multi-player browser games

If you have a bigger family, then pop out the tabletop and card games, and have a friendly (and perhaps competitive) birthday game night!

6 Have a treasure hunt

Hide clues, birthday cards, candies, and present(s) around the house. Start the game with a note/letter marked with ‘X’ so your child can find the first spot.

For the next spot, prepare a clue for the spot after, and distribute candies, toys, birthday cards, and more clues until your child reaches their present.

7 Have a spa and relaxation day

With older children, you can plan a ‘spa’ day at home with manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, or even meditation!

Be sure to find a calming music playlist on Spotify or YouTube and set the lighting low with calming scents such as lavender to induce a feeling of serenity during spa or meditation time.

It’s a great way for the entire family to destress!

8 Have a camp-in

If you can’t camp out, then camp in! Set up a small tent in the living room, furnish it with pillows, torchlights, books, snacks, and hydration (in spill-proof bottles, of course) to have a unique camping experience with your kids.

If you have a balcony or porch and a portable grill, that’s even better!

9 Host a movie

Get your kids and their friends to tune in to a cartoon or movie together! Gather around the computer screen, everyone, and bust out the popcorn, snacks, and hydration!

We recommend using Discord to host a movie because it does away with time and participant limitations. The host can share their screen or application (such as a movie player), and participants can join a voice channel to tune in.

Earphones for single viewers are recommended, but if you want to watch along with your child, hook up a bluetooth speaker and mute your account during the show.

10 Do a good deed 

You can encourage your child to think of a good deed to do or let them choose from a list. You can also encourage family and friends to do a good deed in honor of your child’s birthday. An example includes donating supplies to those who are in need, such as families in neighborhoods flying #benderaputih (the white flag).

Last notes

Birthday celebrations during lockdowns may be logistically easier on some fronts but still require good planning, ideally two weeks, or a month in advance if you’re planning a virtual celebration with your kids’ friends, and especially if gifts are being sent through the mail.

Decide the theme, date, and day first, and then work on securing the invites! The kids are mostly fine and happy to attend, but parents may have time or scheduling limitations.

We hope these suggestions can help you gain better clarity and ideas on how to organize fun birthdays so you can better bond with not just your child, but your loved ones too.

Other options include donating to an animal shelter, or a charity of your child’s choice. You can consider charities/NGOs working on reducing or helping child/women’s trafficking, refugees, undocumented migrants, Orang Asli, domestic violence.

It would make for a great opportunity to talk to your child about such issues affecting other children and people, in Malaysia, and how important it is to be aware of them — and how we can all contribute to help those in need.

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