14 Tips To Celebrate A Teenager's Birthday In Lockdown

If your teenager has a birthday coming up, you will have had to cancel any planned birthday parties or family gatherings. Don't worry though, we've got a few ideas to help make sure their day is still special. Whether they like a big fuss or prefer things to be a bit more low key, we're sure one of these teenage party ideas will appeal to them and help make them feel celebrated at home.

You'll need: Your family members, your favourite baking recipes and all of the ingredients

Cake is definitely a big part of all the best birthdays so why not spend some of the day doing a family Bake Off. Each family member could choose something to bake for you all to rate and enjoy together. If your teenager doesn't want to be the next star baker, why not put them in charge of judging and dishing out those famous Paul Hollywood handshakes. This is a great way to make everyone feel productive and add a bit of friendly competition to the day's celebrations, just make sure someone makes the birthday cake! If you need some inspiration have a look at our step by step baking recipes or fairy cake decorating ideas.

You'll need: Just a laptop but a speaker is optional

This is one of the best birthday ideas for any budding popstars. Look up the karaoke version of your favourite songs on youtube, add them to a playlist and let the sing-off begin! You can make this more exciting by connecting your computer to a Bluetooth speaker if you have one, you'll be able to turn the tunes right up. We recommend getting everyone to dress up in their best superstar outfits and finding a few hairbrushes to use as microphones.

You'll need: A Blanket, your favourite picnic foods and hopefully, some sun!

If the sun is shining on your teenager's birthday, why not make the most of the good weather and do lunch a bit differently. If you're lucky enough to have some outdoor space, set up a picnic party in the garden. Pick up some picnic food on your trip to the supermarket, we think cocktail sausages, birthday cake and lemonade are always good options. Lay a blanket down in the garden, blow up some balloons if you have them and get ready for a family feast! Being out in the sun is a great way to lift spirits too.

You'll need: A camera (phone will do), a plain backdrop and some props! There are plenty of printables online or get out the fancy dress box out

Getting silly in a birthday photo booth is great fun and something you can easily recreate at home. Set up your makeshift photobooth in front of a plain wall as a backdrop, mess around with the props and get snapping! You can either use a tripod and self-timer or just take it in turns to be the photographer. Put some music on and have some fun! You'll be able to print the photos off to remember the day, or send them out to friends and family so they can see how you're celebrating.

You'll need: All of your best board games and a good amount of competitive spirit

You might have played a few board games in lockdown already but it's time to put your practice to good use and have the ultimate day of gaming. This is one of the easiest but most effective birthday ideas. Let the birthday boy or girl choose their favourite games and start up a leaderboard to see which family member comes out on top. Make sure you have plenty of snacks so there are minimal interruptions and you can really focus. If you don't have many boardgames or have already played them all, there are plenty of other options to challenge the family. Why not have a go at charades or a few classic card games, we've got more ideas of some older games you can bring back and introduce the kids to.

You'll need: Your family and all your finery

You don't have to go to a restaurant to dine in style, this is an easy way to make a teen birthday a bit fancier! Have a really special evening by organising a black-tie dinner party to celebrate your teenager's special day. You can go all out with this, send out invitations, make sure everyone knows the dress code and cook a three-course meal of all their favourite food, with birthday cake for pudding of course! Why not FaceTime in a few of their friends so they can celebrate with you too? This is a really fun way for everyone to get dressed up and make the day really feel like an occasion.

You'll need: Treasure! Sweet treats or birthday presents work well

It may seem like an idea for younger kids, but we don't think you ever really grow out of a birthday treasure hunt and they're a fun way to pass a bit of time in lockdown. Hide clues around the house and get your teen to find where the treasure is hidden. You can get creative, use rhymes, other family members and facts about them to make things exciting! You could even get the birthday boy or girl to complete challenges along the way and really make them earn their treasure.

You'll need: Blankets, popcorn and of course, all your favourite movies

Your teen might just want to celebrate their birthday by doing absolutely nothing at all! Turn your living room into a cinema for the day and let them choose the films. Make sure you've got plenty of blankets, cinema snacks and food like popcorn to keep them going - sitting on the sofa can be hard work! If they need some ideas of what to watch we've got plenty of blogs with our favourite family films. This simple option is one of the most popular teens party ideas.

You'll need: A computer with Zoom, FaceTime or another group call website and some quiz questions

Lockdown quizzes are a really popular way for people to stay connected and have a bit of fun with their family and friends, so why not host one for your teen's birthday. Come up with some questions, you can find some good ones online but a personalised round to celebrate your teenager is a great way to help them feel special and see who knows them best! Gather all their friends and family on Zoom and get quizzical with a few games. Adding a party theme is also a good idea, why not give out bonus points for the best hats or team name.

You'll need: All of your arts and crafts supplies or a personalised card website like Thortful

It's not a party idea but personalised birthday cards are a great way to help your teen feel special on their birthday. Keep it classic by getting out all of your arts and crafts supplies and doing some serious cutting and sticking. Write them a heartfelt message to remind them how special they are even during this strange time. You may even want to order them a card from a website like Thortful which let you add all of your favourite photos to help bring back some happy memories.

You'll need: Bubble bath, facemasks, cucumber slices, dressing gowns, nail polish, candles and any other spa staples you can think of

Some teens love to be pampered and there's no better time than a birthday to do it. Turn part of your house into a spa retreat by lighting candles and putting on some relaxing music. You could even design a list of the treatments available. We recommend starting by running them a lovely bubble bath, give them a facemask (you can make one at home) and some cucumber slices for their eyes and let the relaxing begin. Offer to paint their nails,  give them a massage or you may even do some meditation together. Sometimes a birthday where you unwind rather than get wild is just as fun.

You'll need: Bread flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, passata, basil, garlic, mozzarella, parmesan, cherry tomatoes, all of your favourite toppings and aprons

You could order it from your local takeaway but making homemade pizza is great fun so this is one of our favourite birthday ideas! Nothing beats the taste of a cheesy homemade Margherita fresh from the oven and this step by step recipe is really easy to follow. Everyone can get involved in making these, put on your aprons, wash your hands and go crazy with your favourite toppings! You could even try moulding the dough into different shapes. This is a perfect option if your teenager loves cooking or is just a big fan of pizza. Why not turn your kitchen into a little Italian food restaurant and see if you can track down some chef's hats online, make it a whole party theme.

You'll need: To get in touch with family and friends about a week before the birthday

We know everyone has a lot on their mind at the moment so it might be worth getting in touch with family and friends to remind them your child's birthday is coming up if they want to pop something in the post. Lots of shops are still doing online delivery and most post offices are still open. Obviously, presents aren't essential but cards and handwritten notes from loved ones is a nice way to make sure your teen knows even though they can't be together, people are still thinking about them.

You'll need: A computer

You can't literally go to the theatre, but if your teenager is musicals mad then there are plenty of ways to bring the magic of the stage to your house. Lots of theatres are streaming performances or releasing recordings of shows online, including the National Theatre and Andrew Lloyd Webber, so this is a great idea for a teen birthday party. If you can connect your computer to the TV then it will feel even closer to the real thing. This is the perfect option if you had planned a visit to The West End to celebrate but even better, it's free! Check out our top picks of shows here.

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So there you go, plenty of fun party ideas to help celebrate your teenager's birthday in lockdown and help them feel celebrated! It will probably be a strange day but we hope it will still feel special.