Childhood birthdays are fun for everyone. Children anticipate the day that they are the center of attention all year long. You want to make that day the very best it can be…and the most memorable. Kids may remember the year they got a bike but, for the most part, the gifts are lost in the mists of memory. It’s the traditions and special trappings of birthdays which live long in a child’s bank of memories.
To help you make your child’s birthday truly memorable, we’ve put together a list of fun ideas we’ve come across. Find at least one that you can try this year.
1. The Sneak Approach
While your little one is sleeping, creep into their room and fill it with balloons. A bumper crop of balloons when they awaken just screams HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hanging colorful streamers in the doorway is also lots of fun.
2. Make it Last All Day
Don’t wait until dinner time to have a family party – start at breakfast. You could bring your child breakfast in bed for their birthday or take them out for a special morning meal. Make sure the family table is decorated first thing in the morning, complete with balloons, streamers, confetti, party hats and noisemakers. Birthdays are an all-day affair. Set out baby photos as part of your celebration.
3. Make Your Own Birthday Parade
If you write “honk, it’s my child’s ___th birthday” on your car windows you can get perfect strangers to join in your all-day birthday celebration. This is like having your very own birthday parade wherever you go that day.
4. Answering the Phone at Birthday Party Central
All day long answer phone calls with something like “This is _____’s birthday, his mother speaking”. Your child will get the message that they are a person of special honor.
5. Make a Book of Coupons
Give the gift that keeps on giving – gift your child a homemade coupon book. Your coupon book could include things like:
- Eat dessert first
- No veggie night
- Stay up 15 extra minutes
- Choose the dinner menu
- Chocolate milk at every meal for the day
- Choose the family activity
- Send a Christian birthday card – load the mailbox
Kids love to get mail. Make sure you send your child a birthday card. You might hold onto cards that arrive early and then load the mailbox on that special day. It’s okay to decorate the mailbox too.
6. A Christian Birthday Card Folder
When your child receives a Christian birthday card what do you do with it? Let those cards stay out where your child can see them for a week after their birthday, then put them in a special folder to be brought out year after year. The birthday card folder can join baby pictures on the birthday meal table. Seeing them year after year will impress them in your child’s memory. They will always recall that they had birthday greetings from loved ones far and near.
If it’s your child’s birthday, or the birthday of another child in your life, make sure you send a card worth saving. Send a Christian birthday card that references faith in God as the giver of all good things – including your special young person. Check out our selection of birthday cards at The Printery House.