How do you celebrate birthdays in the classroom? Over the years, I've tried different things. The thing that didn't work well was big celebrations with sticky cupcakes and messy frosting. Sure, the kids loved it, but it was crazy. Awhile back, I blogged about birthday books in the classroom. About a week before their birthday, send home a blank book. The child works with their parents to create a simple 'scrapbook' with photos, drawings, stickers, etc.
Target has blank books in the Dollar Spot that would work great for birthday books. You could also just staple some construction paper together. 😉
Another idea is to celebrate students' birthdays with a BIRTHDAY BUCKET! On a student's birthday, put the birthday bucket on their desk when he/she comes into the classroom. The student gets to use the special items in the bucket all day, and then gives the bucket back at the end of the day. The bucket should be filled with mostly reusable items that stay in the bucket. For example. smelly markers, Flair pens, a laser light, magnifying glass, pointer, finger puppets, a fidget toy, magnetic wand, a sand timer, sunglasses, etc. The student will feel like a VIP getting to use these fun things throughout the day. You can also add in some fun things like stickers, stamps, post-it notes, highlighter tape, and bookmarks. These items should last awhile, and they are inexpensive to refill. A few items for the birthday child to KEEP would be a nice touch (i.e., lollipop, Pixy Stix, homework pass, new pencil, reward bracelet).
Keep a bucket of goodies handy so you can refresh the birthday bucket as needed. It's unlikely that two students share the same birthday, but you may want to prepare two buckets just incase. The birthday bucket is more or less the same all year, but you can switch things out to keep it exciting for kiddos who celebrate their birthdays late in the year. What might you add to your birthday bucket? What are other ideas do you have for celebrating birthdays in the classroom?
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