Two months ago, I had no idea what this little thing called Zoom was! As I closed my classes and cancelled children’s Birthday parties, I thought that it would be the end of my classes and parties for a very long time!
However, several weeks back I started running Zoom classes and a few weeks ago, I hosted my first virtual Zoom Birthday party for a 3 year old boy. I was not planning to host virtual parties as I was not sure how it would all work but when I was approached to host a party I thought I would try it and started planning to make my guest room look like a party room! Balloons, banner, disco lights and props! I also sent the Birthday boy a gift to open after the party. I had asked the family if they would like me to record the party as a memory and they said yes.
On the day of the party, I logged on around 10-15 minutes early to make sure I was there to receive guests. Everyone said hello and had a quick chat, I then put everyone on mute so they could all be able to hear me. After the entertainment, I announced that the cake will be coming out now and the Birthday boy’s parents brought the cake out with the candle. I had suggested beforehand that everyone could bring out a cupcake and candle at that point so that we could feel we were in the same room! I had even made my own cupcakes in the morning. We all sang Happy Birthday together and then everyone had some cake whilst I read a short story to the children. After the story I said my goodbyes and switched off my audio and video leaving everyone together to catch up.
After the party, mummy messaged me to tell me she had received lots of messages from parents saying how much they and their children had enjoyed themselves and a few had asked for my details. The party was a success! I have since hosted more parties and I have three more booked along with a few more enquiries.
Before March 2020, I was busy entertaining at parties every weekend and I would never have thought about virtual parties. Who knew that this concept would actually work!
Virtual parties are great fun!! Zoom is easy to use and it is so lovely to be able to interact with children and make their day special with all their friends and family in these times of uncertainty. A great advantage is that family and friends from all over the world can also join the party! I have hosted parties where there are grandparents in India, uncles and aunties in America and cousins in Singapore! I have a feeling that virtual parties may be around for quite a while!
If you would like to find out more about our virtual parties please contact your local class leader. You can find their details here – https://caterpillarmusic.com/find-a-class/
This post was written by:
Anita Anand
Caterpillar Music North West London
Anita is the owner and class leader of Caterpillar Music North West London. She is a mum to two boys.
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