Virtual Birthday Party Ideas: Four Games to Read Aloud

Guess whether the birthday person would choose a cake shaped like a mountain or a castle. Pitch them a present that couldn't exist. Or help announce their birthday in a six-word headline. These virtual birthday party ideas come with the prompts and words to start, so the host can read from this page while everyone else stays on the family's chosen call.

All four games use voices. Guests don't need to see one another, share their screens, or open a separate game. Choose one to play, or use the short party order below.

An invitation you can copy

Replace the brackets with your party details, including the time zone and the call link your family has chosen.

Come celebrate [name]'s birthday on [date], from [start time] to [finish time] [time zone]. Join us here: [call link]. We'll play a few spoken birthday games, then give [name] a birthday cheer. You don't need to prepare anything or bring a gift for the games. I'll explain each one when we start. You can join by voice, pass a turn, or arrive partway through.

• Birthday choice reveal. Guess the birthday person's choice, then hear their answer. Finish after three pairs of choices.
• The impossible present. Invent a gift from one supplied prompt, with one pitch per willing guest.
• Describe the birthday word. Guess an object from the host's spoken clue. A round ends after three object reveals.
• The six-word birthday headline. Add words in turn to make one imaginary announcement. Word six ends it.

Before playing, name a speaking order aloud for everyone taking part, including yourself. Use people's names, not where their pictures appear on a screen. Someone sharing a call device can still have their own turn. For example: “First Alex, then Jo, then Pat.” Repeat that order for the next round; add a late guest when the next prompt starts.

Opening to read:

Happy birthday, [name]! I'll call names so we can hear each turn. You can say “pass,” and I'll move to the next person. If you arrive during a game, listen to the current prompt and I'll bring you in when the next one starts. [Name], you can play the birthday part or let me take it for a round.

Birthday choice reveal

The birthday person makes a choice after everyone else guesses what it will be. You don't need to know their favorites beforehand.

Read to start: “I'll read two imaginary birthday choices. Everyone except [name] gets one guess, in our speaking order. Then [name] tells us which they'd choose today.”

Read one pair from this list. Pause so the birthday person can choose silently, then call each guesser by name. A guess can be just the chosen option. After the last guess, invite the birthday person to reveal their choice and, if they want, say why.

• A cake shaped like a mountain or a castle?
• A birthday parade led by penguins or tiny dragons?
• A present that lets you talk to trees or understand birds?
• A party on a cloud or in a bubble under the sea?
• A birthday hat with a miniature garden or a spinning moon on top?
• A birthday breakfast served by a robot or a very polite octopus?

A spoken round: The host reads the cake pair. Alex guesses “castle,” Jo says “mountain,” and Pat passes. The birthday person reveals “mountain, with a little train going around it.” There is no right answer until they choose, and nobody needs to keep score.

Finish after three pairs. Use the other three if everyone wants another round. If the birthday person would rather guess, the host takes the choosing part and reveals their own preference. With two people, one guesses and the other reveals; they can swap after each pair.

A voice-only guest gives a spoken guess like everyone else. When someone arrives late, repeat the next pair before calling their name. Their first turn needs no recap of earlier answers.

The impossible present

Give the birthday person something that exists only in the game. Each guest invents one gift and explains what it does.

Read to start: “We're inventing presents for [name]. I'll give us one rule. When I call your name, tell us what your present is and one thing it can do. It can be impossible. After we've heard them all, [name] can choose one detail they'd like to keep.”

Choose one prompt and read it to everyone:

1. “Invent a present small enough to fit in a teacup, but with a huge job.”
2. “Invent a present that does something different whenever it rains.”
3. “Invent a present that can travel somewhere you couldn't mail a real parcel.”

For the teacup prompt, a gift could be a pocket-sized cloud that carries a whole picnic. Another could be a tiny door that opens into a library as big as a city. These are examples to borrow or change; there is no secret answer.

Call each willing guest once in the announced order. They give one gift and its ability, then pass to the next person. If someone gets stuck, offer either sample gift or let them pass. After the last pitch, ask the birthday person: “Which detail would you put in your present?” They can combine two details, choose one, or pass the choosing turn to the host.

That finishes the round. Pick another prompt only if the group wants to invent again. With two people, each gives a gift before the birthday person chooses a detail.

Nothing needs drawing or showing, so a voice-only guest uses the same rules. A late guest listens to the current pitches and joins at the next prompt if you play another round. Repeat that new prompt before their turn. If this is the last round, include them in the birthday wishes afterward.

Describe the birthday word

The host describes a birthday object while avoiding one obvious word. Everyone else guesses. Only the host needs to read the object list below.

Read to start: “I'll describe something you might see at a birthday party, but there's one word I can't use. I'll say each person's name for one guess before I reveal the answer. You can ask me to repeat the clue or pass.”

The host chooses one pair, keeps the object secret, and gives a spoken clue without saying the object's name or its forbidden word. Don't spell the answer or use a word made from its name. The forbidden word limits the host's clue; guests may say it in a guess.

Practice: For cake, with bake forbidden, the host could say, “It might have layers and icing, and people often cut it into slices.” Each guest gets one guess in the announced order. After everyone has guessed or passed, the host says “cake.” Ordinary names for the same object count; this is a reveal game without points.

Host's six objects and ready-to-read clues: answers inside

• Birthday card; avoid “paper.” Read: “You can open it, read a message inside, and stand it on a shelf.”
• Party hat; avoid “head.” Read: “You wear this pointy thing at a celebration. It might have an elastic string.”
• Wrapping paper; avoid “gift.” Read: “This patterned sheet goes around a parcel, and you pull it off to see what's inside.”
• Ribbon; avoid “bow.” Read: “A long narrow strip can curl, trail, or tie around a package.”
• Invitation; avoid “party.” Read: “This message tells you when and where to come, and who is celebrating.”
• Balloon; avoid “air.” Read: “This stretchy decoration gets much bigger when filled. It might be round or shaped like a number.”

Read three clues and reveal each answer after the guesses. Then stop, or use the remaining three for another round. The host stays the reader, so guests never need to open the answer list. If a forbidden word slips out, say so and finish that clue as an open practice round; there is no penalty.

With two people, the reader gives the clue and the other person guesses or passes before the reveal. A voice-only guest needs no alternative action. A late arrival joins at the next object, so they hear the whole clue before their guess.

The six-word birthday headline

Announce an imaginary birthday event by building one six-word headline together. Each turn adds just one word.

Read to start: “We're making a six-word birthday headline. I'll give us the subject and the first word. When I call your name, add one word. I'll repeat what we have before the next turn. Word six finishes it, even if the result is strange.”

Use one of these setups:

• A birthday cake has become enormous. Start with “Giant.”
• The birthday presents have learned to dance. Start with “Dancing.”
• An unexpected creature delivers the birthday card. Start with “Octopus.”

The host says the first word, then calls the next speaker. Keep going through the announced order, returning to the first willing speaker if there are fewer than six contributors. Someone who passes doesn't add a word; move to the next speaker. Say the growing headline aloud after each addition.

A complete example: The host begins “Giant.” Alex adds “birthday.” Jo adds “cake.” Pat adds “blocks.” The host adds “town.” Alex adds “bridge.” Read back: “Giant birthday cake blocks town bridge.” That's six words, so the headline is finished.

Each contribution must be a single word; the headline may repeat a word if someone wants. Count spoken contributions rather than debating hyphens. Finish after one headline, or make all three. Let the birthday person choose one to hear again. If they'd rather keep adding words, the host can choose the final headline instead.

The repeated phrase keeps a voice-only guest in the game. If someone joins mid-headline, finish its six words, then repeat the next setup and include their name in the next order. With two people, alternate until you reach six words.

One short birthday call, from hello to goodbye

For an example 25-minute call, put the chosen start and finish in the invitation. Spend the first few minutes saying hello, then read the opening and play three Birthday choice reveals. Follow with one Impossible present prompt, giving each willing guest one pitch. Leave the last few minutes for the birthday person to pick a favorite gift detail and hear a birthday wish from each willing guest. Close at the announced finish; anyone who wants can arrange to keep chatting afterward.

This is a sample order, not a timed requirement. If the gift round would take you past the finish, skip a second game and go straight to the wishes. You can also substitute three Birthday word reveals or one Six-word headline for the gift round.

Closing to copy: “Happy birthday, [name]. Thanks for celebrating with us from your homes. We'll finish the party here. [Name], would you like to give us the last goodbye, or shall I?”

For a gathering around one table another time, the party games for teens include complete printable drawing and word games. Browse the family hosting collection for other celebrations and get-togethers.