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Birthdays are always a
special event for kids and a time for celebration. A party
with a cake and candles is the usual way most people celebrate a
birthday. Why not take the time to create something really special
that will be carried on in your family forever. Create a "family
tradition" that you can do for each and every birthday in your
household. This is something that will create wonderful memories
for your children that they will hold in their hearts forever.
Below you will find some great ideas
to help you get started on "birthday traditions" in your home.
Keepsakes
Create a Birthday
Journal:
Purchase a large binder and decorate the cover with balloons, candles
and birthday wishes. Each year take out the book, add some paper to it
and elaborately write the age of the child, day of the week and type of
celebration on a clean page. At the party pass the book around for
family and friends to sign their names and/or write a birthday message.
Take some pictures of the birthday boy/girl and family to add to
the book. You should include some "special" things that happened
during the year like their sports team won a title or a new pet joined
the family or a special vacation. This is something unique that
you and your child will treasure later in life. It is also a fun
flashback each year for guests as well to peruse the book before they
sign in for the new year.
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Create a Special
Person Picture:
Each year on your child's birthday take a picture standing in front of
Mom or Dad. Place the picture into a special photo album. It
will be amazing to track the growth of your child over the years!
Birthday Table Cover:
Take a white tablecloth and create a border around the edge. To
create the border draw with fabric paint boxes approximately 8x8 inches.
Each year on your child's birthday add their handprint, and age to one
of the boxes. This is then the table cover that is used each year
for their birthday.
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Birthday Board:
Create a foam board poster each year that contains pictures, drawings,
words or sayings that represent all of the things that are important to
the birthday boy or girl or special events that occurred that year.
Put the poster on display for the party and then hang it in their room
until the following year when it is replaced with a new one.
Memory Pictures:
Take your child out to purchase a new outfit of their choice and then
take them to have a picture taken by a professional. At their
birthday party they can then hand out the pictures to their guest with a
note saying thank you for all that you have done for me this year.
Themed Photos:
Select a theme which can either be tied to the birthday party theme,
favorite activities, or a place of interest for the year. Dress
them accordingly and have their picture taken by a professional.
Create an album for each child and add the picture to it each year.
Ideas for theme: sports (soccer, football or dance uniforms), vacation
(Hawaii, Mexico), birthday theme (Pirates, Dress Up, Wild West) or
things of interest ( Race cars, Teddy bears).
Food Traditions
Breakfast in Bed
Pancakes:
Create a stack of crazy pancakes -- multi-color (add food coloring to
the batter), shapes or a variety of sizes. Add your child's age to
the top one and a candle. Take the pancakes up to their room on a
decorated tray. Tie a few helium balloons to the tray to give it a
festive look. Wake them up, sing "Happy Birthday and blow out the
candle.
Breakfast with a
Friend:
Make arrangements with your child's best friend to pick them up early in
the morning and go to a favorite restaurant for breakfast. Want to
be really crazy -- wear your pajamas!!
Classy
Breakfast:
Set the table with a cloth table cover, best china and wine glasses and
have a "classy birthday breakfast".
Birthday Dinner:
The birthday boy or girl gets to select where to go for dinner and what
they want to eat in whatever order they desire. Anything goes --
dessert first, followed by appetizers and finishing up with main
course!!!
Present Fun
Birthday Books:
Purchase a new book each year and present it to them on their birthday.
Purchase something with a lot of pages that will take some time to read.
Each night take 20 minutes before bed and read the book together.
Birthday Movie:
Purchase the "hit" movie for the year and present it to them on their
birthday. On their "half-birthday" (six months from the date of
their birthday) have a family movie night with popcorn, candy, and
drinks and watch their birthday movie.
Adventure
Present: Based on your child's
interest take a family adventure the weekend of their birthday. If
they love dinosaurs go to a museum; if dance is their passion take them
to the ballet; if they love sports then go to a sporting event.
Amusement Park
Family Trip: This is something
for everyone in the families birthday. As a family you decide on
an amusement park to visit that year. Some may be local and some
may be part of the families vacation. Keep track on a birthday map
all of the places you visit!
Birthday
Visitor: A secret birthday buddy
is sent to make sure your child has a special day. Presents for the age
of the child (age 5 -- 5 presents) show up in surprise places through
out the day.
Fun Traditions
Decorated
Rooms: While they are asleep
decorate their room with helium balloons and streamers so that they wake
up to a surprise.
Boss for the
day: The birthday person get to
make the decisions for the day. To make thing special it is a day
other than their birthday. They decide where to eat at home or at
a restaurant and for which meal, what family activity to do ( game
night, movie night), and what homemade snack to make (brownies, cookies,
cake).
Half Birthday
Celebrations: Six months after
their actual birthday you celebrate their "Half-Birthday". Let
them select where they would like to go -- keep it simple. Go out
for pizza, a movie or some ice cream. In addition everything else
you do all day should be done in half: half pancakes for
breakfast, half a sandwich for lunch, half full drinks, half bowl of
snacks, and of course half a cake and sing half of "Happy Birthday".
Birthday
Balloons: Release into the air
helium balloons. The number of balloons should correspond with the
age of the child.
Birthday
Ribbon: While your child is
sleeping tie a ribbon to their bed and trail it through the house to a
birthday surprise. The surprise could be presents, a birthday
breakfast or an agenda for their special day.
Birthday
Scavenger Hunt: They wake up to
find a message attached to their pillow which is a clue leading to
another location in the house only to find another clue. After
sending them on a wild goose chase throughout the house ultimately lead
them back to their room to find their presents hidden somewhere.
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