It is quite common for parents to feel they need to do something special for their child on their birthday. There seems to be this culture of having to outdo the year before however with young children you really don’t need to have a large party, or try to outdo yourself from the year before.
If you outdo yourself every year this could be a recipe for disaster as your child will expect more and more from you and if for some reason you have a bad year and can’t do the expected then everybody is left disappointed.
The great news is it is often the simple things that kids really enjoy. Fuss over them and make sure they feel special and loved on their day.
Below are some great ways to make your child’s day special without having to go to the extreme.
- Fill the child’s bedroom with balloons, both helium and regular. When they wake up in the morning they will have a lovely surprise.
- Using a large piece of plastic or a blanket tape it to the outside of their bedroom door filled with balloons. When the child opens the door to come out they will get showered with balloons. Another beautiful start.
- You could bring your child breakfast in bed. This is a classic for adults to have done for them. If you do this for your child then they will feel extra special because they are having something done that is normally for adults.
- Let your child choose all of the meals for the day.
- Have a movie night. Movies, popcorn, snacks of their choice. You could even allow them to invite one or a few of their friends over for this occasion.
- Set up a play date with one or two of your child’s friends and let them come over for the day.
- Does your child have a favorite theme? Decorate one of your rooms with their favorite theme.
- Take your child to a pool, or an indoor playground.
- Take them to a spa or resort for a few hours of pampering, this is a hit with young girls.
- Plan an activity like going to the zoo, museum or even building a playhouse.
- Let your kids have their birthday cake for breakfast, and then anything else that happens during the day is a bonus.
- Have them do a treasure hunt for their birthday gifts. Use clues and stopping points to make it loads of fun.
- Play their favorite video game with them.
- Give your kids alone time with a parent. Let them have quality time doing whatever comes to mind with the most important people in their lives.
- Surprise them by taking them and a friend to their favorite restaurant. This saves you from having to cook or deal with the cleanup.
- If they like horses, take them out on a horseback ride. Or for them to have a lesson or 2 in riding.
- If you are due to have a baby close to the birthday child’s day, give them a special gift from the new baby to be.
- Take them to a coffee shop for an extra special treat.
- Write happy birthday notes and pop them all around the house to make them feel loved and special.
- Fuss over them, make them their favorite meal, put it in a picnic basket and go fishing.
Children don’t need a big party to know that they are thought of and loved, just fussing over them can be enough to show the child that you love them and care. In a child’s life it really is the small things that count, because that is something they will come to cherish as they grow older and pass on.
