How To Throw a Virtual Party
Jillian Berndtson
| 4 min read
While efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 may have put a halt to physical gatherings, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate important milestones socially. You can still have plenty of fun and enjoy the company of your loved ones by throwing a virtual party. It may not be ideal, but it can ensure that you still get to have your special day, whatever the celebration may be.
Here’s a starter guide:
Birthdays
- If your son or daughter is missing their friends, you can throw them a virtual surprise party. Coordinate with other parents to get all their friends on a video call together. Add more fun by creating a theme or dressing in costume.
- Set up virtual games such as charades, freeze dance, Minute to Win It games or others. You could even host a scavenger hunt for each child to play in their own home. For example, each kid can be tasked with finding a green marker, paper clip, pencil, blanket and book.
- Plan a virtual sleepover for kids using a video conferencing app. The night can include popcorn, a movie and then lights out at whatever time the parents decide.
- Make sure to order a dessert from their favorite local bakery to be delivered on their birthday. Is it even a birthday if there’s no cake?
Graduations
- For college graduates, host a video call at the original time of their ceremony and have a virtual toast with friends and family.
- For high school or college graduates, the family can hop on a video conference call and share their favorite stories about the graduate and offer words of encouragement.
- Parents can decorate their front door or lawn with posters and words of wisdom for the new grad.
- If the family chooses to celebrate with gifts, they can schedule a time for a video call and the grad can open them with loved ones, virtually.
Baby and Wedding Showers
- Guests can ship gifts to the person the party is honoring or drop them off the day of the shower, without coming into contact with each other.
- The hosts can set up a video call at the time of the party to livestream the games and opening presents. The call can be more festive with some decorations set up at the guest of honor’s home. They can also ship or drop off party favors the day of the event, so everyone has something to celebrate with.
- Many of the classic shower games can still be played online. Baby shower games such as Pictionary, The Price is Right, and trivia can all be done virtually. For Pictionary, guests can draw on a piece of paper and share their screen or use an online app. The Price is Right is when a box of baby items is sent around and guests guess how much each item costs. The person with the closest number to the overall bill wins. The virtual equivalent to this is holding an item up to the video camera and showing everyone so they can write down their guesses. Trivia games can be set up using a variety of online platforms. For a bridal party, ask each guest to bring a picture of the bride-to-be when she was younger, and each person can take turns showing the picture and talking about it. The newlywed game and newlywed trivia are easily modified to be played online. Winners can receive prizes in the mail after the event.
Mother’s Day
- If your mom is an avid runner, the whole family can do a virtual race of any distance.
- Make your mom a homemade video including all the kids and what they love about their mom.
- Virtually host a painting night or home décor workshop where mom and kids all make the same creation on a video call. You can order supplies and have them shipped to each home or buy a kit online.
- If your mom is a wine aficionado and all the children are at least 21 years old, you can have a virtual wine tasting. Drop off the bottles of wine beforehand and have a video call to taste them together.
- Support local businesses and give your mom a delicious meal by ordering her favorite dish from her go-to restaurant. Kids could also plan to make an entire meal for her at home and drop it off on her porch.
While the party may not be in the form you had hoped, you can still have a wonderful celebration and you may even get to see relatives and friends that would not have been able to make it in-person!
Are you opting for a virtual celebration? What ideas worked well for you?
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Photo credit: miljko
