Celebrating Kids' Birthdays

One of the most fun parts of being a mom is watching how magical the world can be to children. Anything that is a step aside from normalcy just lights up their eyes. Oftentimes, these magical moments just happen! But sometimes, if we put in a little extra effort, more of these magical moments will happen. 

Today, let's talk about your kid's birthday. Kids' birthdays are magical. When I met one of my best friends in college, her mom still went all out trying to make sure she felt special on her birthday. At the time I thought, "I'm for sure doing that when I'm a mom." Why NOT make them special? Now that I am a mom, my kids' birthdays ARE special to me. I remember their actual BIRTH day. It's a time to celebrate another year of their life. It is so special to me. One easy way to celebrate kid birthdays are to decorate your house. I have seen people do streamers in their kid's doorway, or even set balloons to fall into the doorway when they open the door. How fun is that? I personally blow up a few balloons and scatter them on the floors of our house and hang some signs in the house. I have a reusable felt "happy birthday" banner that I reuse year after year for all of our birthdays. Click here for a similar banner. Recently, I have also reused themed birthday banners from their birthday parties and hang those in the house too. Another thing that is a recent trend in my area is birthday yard signs. You can hire companies to set out messages in your yard using large individual letters. I also found some on Etsy that you can buy once and reuse year after year. Click here to see that product on Etsy.

We started a tradition we like to call "Birthday Breakfast" at our house. [I got some of these ideas from Sally Clarkson. She is a mom, author, christian, she's wonderful. I highly recommend her books!] We set the table with a "You Are Special Today" plate. I make a simple breakfast but we make a point to all sit at the table together. And this next part is something my mom used to make us do when I was growing up. Everyone at the table says what they love about the birthday kid. I remember it being a little awkward to tell my siblings these things, but of course we all loved it when it was our turn! Taking the time for little kids to tell their sibling what they love about them (and even what their parents love about them) is such a special thing. I highly recommend this! Then we all say a blessing/prayer over the birthday kid for their next year of life. Right now our kids are pretty little (2 and 4) so mainly my husband and I take the lead on these things and they will join in more as they get older. 

Another thing that I think is special is for the birthday kid to receive one present from each member of the immediate family, if possible. These don't necessarily have to be monetary gifts, it can be homemade art, flowers in a vase from the yard, or something from the dollar section at the store. My mom used to teach me how important it is to be grateful and to write thank you notes for gifts. She also taught me to remind people even later throughout the year how much we are enjoying our gifts. But we can't do these things if we don't even take the time to remember who got us which gifts in the first place. So the purpose of this particular tradition isn't necessarily about the gifts, but the purpose is the act of giving and receiving. Even though our daughter was still 1 when our son turned 4, I made sure one of his gifts was from her. I showed her the gift beforehand and told her- this is the special piggy bank you can give your brother for your birthday. She knew which gift bag was from her when he was opening it. And I encouraged him to thank his sister for the gift. When he uses the piggy bank I sometimes mention how special it is that his sister is the one who gave it to him. 

While we are still on the subject of birthdays, I want to make sure you guys know about the "You Are Special Today" plate. The original red "You Are Special" plate is from a German company named Waechtersbach. Click here for that plate. It is the same one my family had when I was growing up. I found one that is a little more lively and colorful from a company called Natural Life that I purchased for my own family. Click here for that plate. But basically, this plate doesn't have to be reserved for only birthdays. We use this plate to make anything more special. If my kids pass a new level at swimming lessons, or get recognized for something at school , or anything that we deem important, we get out the special plate. My kids love it. 

What are some ways you make your child's birthday more special? I'd love to hear them! My hope for this community is that it is full of moms helping and encouraging moms. Leave a comment below!

For more details on this and similar topics, check out my podcast Elevate Motherhood. Click here to listen!

Thanks for being here! Until next time, let's Elevate Motherhood!