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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More Comments Pages: « -1 0 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 1 » Show All Comments
I teach preschool, 3 and 4 year olds, and the children celebrate their birthday on the given day or a day that is the closest. Summer birthdays are celebrated in May. Every other year I change gifts from the teachers. One year they get a pinwheel and then the following year they get a small birthday duck. They look foward to both of these gifts. We also make them a crown and give them a birthday napkin and certificate. They get to sit at the head of the table and their parents and siblings are encouraged to join us for the celebration. The parents are asked to bring in messy snacks and the child then passes out the napkins or plates, while the parent passes out the messy snack. It is a fun time for all.
I make a birthday graph the first week of school and this helps introduce our weekly graphs. I keep the birthday graph up all year next to our calendar/math centers, so the kids usually remind me of upcoming birthdays. I have birthday postcards I write out at the beginning of each month, so I am prepared for the special day of each child. When the birthday child walks in, the postcard and a pencil are waiting on his desk and the rest of the students sing “Happy Birthday.”
I celebrate birthdays in the classroom by giving them a small gift and the class sings to the student. But what about those students whose bitheday is over the summer? I was one of those students so I send them a birthday postcard and have their gift for them when they come to school in the fall. I let them know that I wish them a happy birthday and that they will be getting a samll gift when they come to school. I have had many parents say how important it made their child feel to get a birthday postcard from their teacher. Often the students will metnion that they got the card and how happy it made them feel. The look on their face is priceless. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
In my second grade classroom there is a birthday box that the students can pick a present on their birthday. I have a card and birthday pencils on their desk,and I blow up balloons and tape them to their desk.
I am a preschool teacher who for the last two years has had a child with religious beliefs that doesn’t permit celebrating the childs birthday or attending birthdays. Therefore, I have had to keep the celebration to a minimum and have the child visit another classroom during the birthday childs celebration. Comments or suggestions would be helpful.
I have a poster with everyone’s birthday listed. On their special day they get to wear a crown all day and we sing happy birthday at circle time. If the birthday is on the weekend or over the holidays we celebrate the Friday before. School policy only allows for cupcakes or cookies along with juice boxes to be brought- small goodie bags can be passed out as well. I have a birthday box that I keep filled with books that I buy from the dollar section at Target and I allow them to look through the box and coose a book to take home. I include in the book a card and birthday badge. For summer birthdys we have a grand celebration during the last few weeks of school- allowing each summer b-day a day to themselves to feel special.
I worked in a preschool where we celebrated the children’s birthdays by creating a chest. Inside the chest we put huge stickers that the children could wear throughout the day to have everyone know that today is their birthday. We also had a crown that the children could wear. We then asked the parents of the birthday child to bring in a favorite snack of their child. The child would then help pass out the snack to their friends.
For the children that had a birthdays in the summer we would set aside a day especially for those children, t we would then have a big party in our room. We would play party games.All of the summer birthday children would be able to go in the chest and pick a big sticker.
I teach 1st and 2nd graders. At the beginning of each month I put a decoration the lockers of students that will have birthdays in that month.
I buy bulk birthday cards and give each child a couple of dollars or a gift certificate tot he Dairy Queen. I buys a selection of birthday pencils that they get to choose from. I used to give them a crown or button but some of the studenst weren’t too excited to wear them so I stopped buying those.
Like other teachers I also have a birthday chart indicating the dates of each child’s birthday. Those students with summer birthdays celebrate on their half birthday. Our fifth graders are required to write in cursive unless there are special needs to consider. So, along with the “Happy Birthday” pencil and a cake shaped “smelly” sticker, I include a coupon for a “no cursive” day. This goes over quite well, and students are always excited to hand in homework that’s printed! Other coupon ideas have been,1 free assignment, 1 free non uniform or casual dress day, write with a gel pen day, and a coupon allowing them to use the colored dry erase markers to draw something special on the board!
whooo!
what a hot issue,
in my case i train nursery school teachers. all i just advise them to do is choose a date especially, a schools special date and becomes a birth day for all and hence call it ”the school birth day day”
but trully am not sure as to wether am right or not.
so lost in my own opinion.
I have the children make a big “birthday cake” for the birthday child.
This is how it’s done. The class makes a big circle, the birthday child stands at the center of the circle. We ask him “how old are you today?” If the answer is 6, he is asked to choose 6 children from the class to be his “candles”. The “candles” then form a small circle aound him. They put their hands together then put the hands over their heads. The class in big circle hold hands (to form “the cake”) and sing “happy birthday to you” while go around the circle and the “candles” individually turn round and round in place. When the singing ends, the birthday child “blows” each candle. When a “candle” is blown, the “candle” goes out(squats).
This can be done indoor or outdoor. We once did it during a field trip. Every birthday child loves to choose and blow his candles. And other children love to be chosen as a candle. The children really enjoy it. And there’s no preparation involved
I teach 4th grade.
I list the class birthdays on a poster. I give the student a birthday pencil.
The day of the birthday, the student sits on a stool at the front of the class with a cowboy/cowgirl had on and chooses two students to record the answers to the questions students take turns asking about the Birthday Student. Each student is given a blank 4×6 index card to make a card that reflects the Birthday Student. I have already hole punched the card. I also make a card writing in the students favorite color their name and various positive character qualities and area they excel in. I put a key ring through my card, so the student can add the student made cards to it.
We then sing a special birthday song and I take a picture with the student and other classmates to use on the class DVD I make. Usually the parents bring in either donuts or cupcakes. The birthday student selects the students they want to help pass out the cards, napkins, and treats.
I celebrate summer birthdays The last 3 weeks of school; I can take more time then, because SAT testing in completed. I also do this when it is my birthday.