What About Student Birthdays?
Posted by Diane Badden on 23 Jun 2010 | Posted in: Drawings and Giveaways, Holiday and Seasonal
“How do I celebrate student birthdays? And what about students with summer birthdays? I want to be fair. I want to be fun. This is going to cost money, isn’t it?”
On Saturday afternoon, the enthusiasm and concerns of a first-time teacher had me grinning from ear to ear. We were celebrating her uncle’s birthday. It was the first time I’d met Keily and we instantly connected, as teachers usually do. Keily is one of the lucky few who have landed a first-year teaching position for the fall. As we munched on our burgers, Keily sweetly peppered me with new-teacher wonders. Her questions were thoughtful and her demeanor confident—until the moment her aunt emerged with a brilliantly lit birthday cake. “Birthdays!” she sputtered. “I forgot all about birthdays! How do I do that?” I just had to giggle.
How do you celebrate student birthdays in your classroom? What are your biggest birthday-related challenges and how to you solve them? What about those summer birthdays?
One more thing! Since a birthday often means a present of some sort, all readers who comment on this post (until midnight EDT on June 30) will be entered in a drawing for a “birthday present” from The Mailbox.
Smiles,
Diane
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152 Responses to “What About Student Birthdays?”
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I have my children draw/write a birthday wish for the birthday child. The page says”Happy Birthday from your friend _____________.” My wish for you is _________.
The birthday child colors the cover of the book and it says: Today I am 6!
After each child draws and writes I bind all the pages together with the birthday child’s colored cover on the front. The birthday child takes home the special birthday wish book from their friends! It doesn’t cost anything and families treasure these special books!
I have a special birthday shirt that students can chose to wear. It is embroidered with fun birthday things…cake, presents, etc. It’s large enough to fit all students. Most love to wear this shirt over their clothes, though a few opted not to wear it. Our birthday kid gets to bring a snack (or I provide one if they don’t) and passes it out to the class. We sing happy birthday and wait for the birthday kid to eat a bite before the rest of the class can. I also give the birthday girl or boy a certificate and pencil. After our birthday snack is over we make the guest of honor a special book that I later bind together. Finally, birthday students are encouraged to bring a book to sign and share with our classroom library. We think of this student when we read it throughout the year. Summer birthdays are celebrated in the last few months of school. Birthdays are a big deal in our class!
I teach Kindergarten where birthdays are a biggie. At the beginning of the month, I put a small birthday cake cut out with the students name and birth date. Students look forward to each students birthday. On their birthday, I pin the small cake to their shirt and they let everyone know it is their special day. We sing a birthday song from Greg and Steve. Sometimes students send in treats which we eat during snack time. Over the years students have received books, prizes, or pencils. I have seen several good ideas and plan to use some of them next year. Thank you for the wonderful ideas.
I usually have each child write a “Birthday Letter” to the child who is having a birthday. These letters are compiled into a Birthday booklet for the special child. They love reading what their friends have written to them. This can be followed by singing HB to the child and having a special treat provided by the child’s family.
Two years ago, I found a really cool idea for celebrating birthdays. I copied the page and I use it for every birthday to make that child a birthday book. The page says, “Today is _____________’s birthday, and I will give him/her ________________. There is an area that looks like a present with a bow on top for the students’ names. I give everyone a page while the birthday child writes his/her name on the board and a list of things they would like and their fav color. Then I set the timer for 15 min and everyone, including me makes the child a page for their birthday book. The picture has to include a drawing of them handing the birthday child their gift. This is a big part of the fun too. The birthday child makes the cover out of 9x 12 construction paper. We gather around the birthday child and they “read” all of the their presents. We sing, have a treat and enjoy the time together.
My preschool class makes a birthday card for each child on their birthday…a simple large piece of construction paper folded in half with some stickers placed on it. Each classmate signs the card, which is then presented in the afternoon. Summer birthdays are celebrated on the 6 month anniversary.
I love the “lucky penny” (Tina, #118) idea, and will definitely add that feature.
In our classroom we make the birthday part of the writing curriculum. Everyone gets to make a card telling the birthday person the best thing about them. We have a musical bear that sings to them near the end of the day and they get a special birthday pencil and activity book. All summer birthdays get celebrated within the two months before summer or the first month of school.
I make a big deal out of birthdays. Many of my students don’t get much at home, so it’s important for them to get something at school. I normally make a crown for them to wear throughout the day, and a badge to wear. My birthday person is my helper in the morning, where they read our morning message. I also make sure that we sing Happy Birthday to them in the morning, and right before our snack time. If the parent’s offer to bring in something for their child, then I have them do it at lunch time (makes for a less hectic afternoon). If the parent does not bring in anything for their child, then I make sure that I have a special snack for the child, and a treat bag. Sometimes, even just a simple pencil and sticker makes the day seem so special to the kids. For the summer birthdays, I have an “end of year/birthday” celebration on the last full day of school. We do it the same way as the other birthdays, by singing happy birthday to each child, and giving them a special snack and gift.
As a summer baby whose half birthday is Christmas Day, I make it a point to make sure that each child has a special day.
The birthday child receives a birthday card with a lollipop or Tootsie roll attached.
They get to do their favorite job that day [most like being the grace helper or calendar helper]. I have a ribbon that announces to everyone that today is the child’s birthday. They can wear this ribbon all day and take a birthday sticker home with them.
Many parents bring in cupcakes, although this year my preschoolers weren’t big on cupcakes so we had Oreos on many birthdays.
The birthday child gets to pick the afternoon read aloud and sit next to his/her favorite person while the story is read.
I try to make birthdays special for each child.
My students usually bring in a treat for their birthdays. We share the treat after lunch. We also sing to the birthday boy or girl. I also give the student a sticker and a pencil. The students with summer birthdays celebrate their half birthdays. At our school we also have a “Birthday Bash” once a month. One day during the month the students who have a birthday or a half birthday that month get to eat lunch with the principal. They also get cake and ice cream. The students love the special attention and the yummy treat.
I give each child a birthday bag filled with cards, a hat, a special napkin for snack, books, pencils, etc. We have a board in our room that asks, “How Old Are You?” Each child has a caterpillar with their name on it by their age. When it’s their birthday their caterpillar turns into a butterfly and moves to their new age. They are growing and changing just like the caterpillars. They love this!
I always add the birthdays to our class calendar. This way they get to see who is coming up next. Our principal hand writes cards for every student in our school, so that is waiting for them on their desk when they arrive in the morning. I also have a birthday certificate, pencil, sticker and treat waiting for them. We always sing happy birthday at the end of the day and enjoy some sort of snack.
For summer birthdays, I have a scheduled day towardsthe beginning of June for a “summer birthday celebration”. Kids can bring treats to share and we play games too.