Making a virtual birthday party fun and interactive can be difficult. To level up our virtual party experience this year, I made sure that our unicorn-inspired family party at home was one-of-a-kind. Turning our home into a beautiful unicorn cave made the American Girl Zoom party with friends even more memorable. Check out my video of the festivities.
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I surprised her with the most adorable unicorn gown that came with a matching unicorn crown to make this a special event. Having a special costume for a birthday at home was unforgettable. It wasn’t very expensive, and it will be great for dress-up in the future.
In the morning, she had no idea we had turned our entire home into a unicorn cave until she entered through the balloon garland. She was delighted to discover the unicorn photo set up with hanging unicorn swirls. I ordered several unicorn balloons to make it extra exciting.
For the Enjoying Family Life Easter Gift Guide 2021, I received several awesome Na Na Na, LOL and Secret Crush toys. These all became birthday gifts, which were a huge hit. Inside each of these fun toys, you find more surprises!
Having non-stop activities made this day different from our usual days at home. Planning a day full of fun and games at home can make it less difficult not to see friends on a birthday. We also made sure to leave some downtime in between each activity and to schedule Zoom calls with grandparents.
For the activities, there were paint kits for her and her sister to do, American Girl Uno, Pin the Tail on the Unicorn, and a Unicorn Piñata. The American Girl dolls were sitting out in their unicorn onesies ready for their big day too. If we didn’t get to all the activities, that was okay because it will make the entire week a special celebration.
For breakfast, some unicorn cinnamon rolls were simple to make. Simply sprinkle some Wilton unicorn sprinkles on top of regular cinnamon rolls. The easier, the better when you have a busy day!
For a healthy treat later in the day, a rainbow fruit platter has nutrients and fits with the theme. You can see the food in my birthday video at the beginning of this post.
Next, we prepared for the virtual birthday party. I decided to host it myself since I offer American Girl virtual birthday parties on Outschool.
Having a virtual host ensured that the party guests knew what activity to do because if a child tries to host it themselves, they might not maintain the focus of the group. Between decorating, planning, and hosting the party, I somewhat wish I had hired a host to help with some of it, but it was special to be a part of her big day.
You can check out my previous post about everything I ordered to throw an American Girl Virtual Birthday Party. The drop-off supply bags went over wonderfully. It was very emotional for her to see friends she hasn’t seen in exactly a year.
She started the virtual party by sharing her own LOL Dance Party she had made in Scratch. Then, friends watched as she gave a tour of her special party decorations.
Even though our decorations felt a little over-the-top for only our family to be experiencing, it felt worth it for her friends to have some experience of being at a real party from their homes. It was like a virtual field trip to our decked-out party house.
Hosting the party was simple with the activity book that comes in the American Girl birthday supply bag. I led everyone in making mini doll-sized Oreo cakes. In the supply bags, I added individual containers of frosting, Oreos in 2-packs, a plastic knife, and individually packaged sprinkles in springtime colors to make this activity work.
Giving all virtual party guests the chance to share and chat helped them all feel as though they were a part of the celebration. We played birthday BINGO, had a dance party to an American Girl music video, and showed & shared about everyone’s doll or stuffed animal they brought.
Turning our home into a unicorn cave was a memorable experience. My daughter said it was the best birthday she’s ever had. During COVID, that is hard to pull off, and it’s a huge relief that she enjoyed it so much.
Originally I had looked into virtual Zoom calls with unicorn ponies. Giving her the opportunity to actually become the unicorn at the party was much more special and wonderful. This party allowed her to enjoy the real world around her and not focus on a screen.
After a year at home, I’ve learned that there’s only so much of a connection young children can make over their screens. The key to a good birthday at this age is integrating in-person experiences, like supply bag drop-offs and an unexpectedly decorated home, to make the day memorable.
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