Now that some of the more severe Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are being gradually lifted all over Australia, you may well be considering holding a birthday celebration for your child. Fair play! They’re probably really looking forward to spending some quality time with their friends and after being isolated at home, just having some out and out fun. Who can blame them?! So we’ve popped together some helpful hints to ensure you host a covid-19 safe kids party.
As a parent you’re probably worrying about the safety side of things and considering the current virus situation, that’s perfectly understandable. After all, if you’re planning a kids birthday party, you’ve got to think about not only the safety of your child, but that of their guests too. You also don’t want to risk breaking any of the new regulations and land yourself with a fine to pay. That would definitely spoil the party atmosphere. To save you time and trouble, we’ve put together some tips on how to host a Covid-19 safe kids birthday party. Put these into action and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy being reunited with family and friends while you watch the kids have a great time.
There are various rules in place in different areas of Australia limiting the numbers at social gatherings in both private and public spaces. If you live in New South Wales then you will be able to hold a birthday party for your child at home so long as the number of kids and adults attending doesn’t exceed twenty. Larger gatherings are now permitted in Queensland, ACT and Western Australia where the attendance limit for events and functions has been raised to one hundred. In Tasmania and South Australia it is even more. To be on the safe side though, it’s a good idea to check your local area’s government advice page regularly for any updates or changes to the rules on social gatherings as they can change frequently. Unfortunately, if you’re based in Victoria you’re unable to host a party right now, however we do hope the situation improves and restrictions lift in the near future.
It’s never easy getting kids to wash their hands, but you can make hand sanitising part of the party fun with a little extra thought and a minimum of fuss. If you’re hosting a themed birthday party for your child such as a Unicorn, Fairy or Barbie theme, the kids will love it if the sanitiser is pink or purple matching the party colour scheme, or maybe red or blue if you’re having a Spider-Man or Optimus Prime theme. Hand sanitiser comes in a rainbow range of colours from blue to pink to slime green and many more besides. You can even give the sanitiser an Alice in Wonderland touch by sticking a note on the bottle with a cheeky saying that will amuse the little ones.
Another great way to get the kids to use the sanitiser is to award each child with a stick on star every time they cleanse their hands. Leave the stars by the bottle of gel and let them help themselves. Have a count up at the end of the party and present a token prize to the kid who’s hand sanitised the most. If the party guests are all girls, then go for hand sanitiser with glitter. You won’t need to ask them to use it because they’ll be queuing up to get some.
Where once it would have been the norm to have a great big buffet spread for the kids to dive into, sadly, that’s now not really a feasible option. One of the best ways to present party food to the youngsters is by preparing them individual party food packs which include a drink bottle with their name on it. There’s lots of kid-friendly, economic, disposable packaging available that they will simply love opening to see what delicacy has been stashed inside. Pop everything into a decorative plastic bag, theme related if you can find it, and you’ll soon find that the new way of serving Covid-19 safe party food for kids is just as much fun as the traditional ones. Individual packs of plastic cutlery also come in a variety of colours. When each kid has their own cutlery pack in their party picnic bag there’s less chance of accidental sharing.
There are lots of non-contact, Covid-19 safe kids party activities that will guarantee they’ll still have fun while maintaining a reasonable level of social distancing. Musical statues and musical chairs are lively and entertaining. Disco dancing works a treat too as you can space the kids out or even draw individual named squares with chalk or glitter on the floor for them to dance in. Limbo dancing is good as well because you can sit the kids around in a circle to watch until it’s their turn to have a go. Our arts and crafts themed party entertainment is perfect too because the kids remain seated while they’re creating something special and if you plan in advance, you’ll be able to provide them with multi-coloured plastic craft gloves that are not only hygienic, but fantastic fun and also help to keep their hands clean. So don’t be stumped for ideas for a Covid-19 safe kids birthday party and if you need more help, we’re here, just get in touch.