5 Unique Ways to Celebrate Your Kid’s Birthday
Here are five unique ways to celebrate your kid’s birthday and make it a blast without the big fuss of a party.
Choosing an unconventional way to celebrate your child’s birthday can have many benefits. It encourages creativity: By thinking outside the box and trying something new, you and your child can exercise your creativity and come up with a truly unique and memorable celebration.
Happy Birthday Choices
Here are five unique ways to show your child some birthday love!
Tip 1: Start a Family Birthday Tradition
Birthday Mail—Kids rarely receive snail mail, so tell family and friends to send special cards to your child on their birthday. I purchase birthday cards throughout the year, so I always have a stash to mail to my kids during their birthday week. This is especially fun for younger kids who will be eagerly anticipating checking the mailbox when their big day draws near.
Balloons in the Bedroom—Sneak into your child’s room after they’re asleep and place a bouquet of balloons at the end of their bed, in the bathroom, at the breakfast table, or even in the car.
Birthday Fairy—Leave a small gift, special treat, or little note under their pillow for a surprise first thing in the morning. I still do this for my teens and college kids.
Tip 2: Plan A Birthday Date
Years ago, their dad came up with the idea of scheduling a birthday date for each of them to treat them to a special day of their choice.
Weeks before their birthday, the birthday child gets the wheels in motion with ideas of what he/she would like to do.
For example, my 17-year-old son chose a deep-sea fishing excursion. He had a blast! We’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years, which our family still looks forward to and enjoys.
Tip 3: Plan a Mystery Birthday Outing
Surprise your birthday boy/girl with a full day of mystery.
A friend of mine does this for her twins, who are old enough to know not to swallow pieces of balloons. She starts by letting them pop some mystery balloons. (Before the balloons are inflated, she slips in personalized notes, movie tickets, sports tickets, a voucher for an activity, dollar bills, or even candy.) You can write a time of day on each balloon so they can look forward to popping them throughout their big day.
She also organizes a scavenger hunt for them. Their first clue is waiting for them at the breakfast table. Depending on your child’s age and personality, you can be as elaborate or simple as you want with a scavenger hunt.
The scavenger hunt finally leads to a mystery dinner at a restaurant both kids enjoy. The birthday culminates with a cupcake and sundae bar back at their home. A family tradition!
Tip 4: Give a Sports Lover’s Gift Experience
Most of my kids are sports nuts. Not only do they love to play baseball, golf, soccer, and hockey, they love to watch their favorite teams in action.
We live in New England, where the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots are extremely popular. My teen and college sons would much rather have tickets to a game at Fenway Park than have a birthday party.
Another of our sons loves hiking, kayaking, and fishing. His favorite birthdays involve a day trip or camping trip with a couple of his best friends.
Tip 5: Plan a Destination Birthday
Celebrating a birthday in a surprise location can create a lifetime memory. What a gift!
Some ideas are: traveling to a nearby town/city you’ve never visited, riding a train for the day, stopping to explore points of interest, an amusement park, a behind-the-scenes tour at a zoo or aquarium, visiting a relative or grandparent that you don’t get to see often, camping, or an overnight getaway that you could incorporate into a fun road trip.
One year, air-fare rates were incredibly low, so one of my daughters and I flew to New York City for her birthday (we were home before midnight). We still talk and laugh about our incredible adventure in the Big Apple!
Try One of These Ideas to Create Your Memorable Birthdays!
Get adventurous and find new and creative ways to honor your birthday cherubs—cake optional! Doing something different and unexpected for your child’s birthday can create lasting memories they will cherish for years.
What clever ways have you celebrated a birthday in your family? Please share in the comments section below.
