Hey readers,
Planning birthdays for both my kids in May gets pretty hectic, fast. While celebrating their milestones is a big deal for me, I haven't mustered up the energy to plan two "big" celebrations in one month yet. Our birthdays so far have been simple, with just family. Don't get me wrong, big beautiful birthdays are awesome, but I have begun to wonder if perhaps millennial parents are starting to prioritize aesthetics over a sense of true joy.
My kids are 4 and 6, and it's been years without a big bash—I've definitely been avoiding it! Part of me wants to go all out, but another part really resents the stress these occasions can bring.
Put your hand up if you also believe modern celebrations seem to come with far too much fussing and stress. (Know anyone without wedding regrets?)
Kids' birthdays involve a lot too —invitations, decorations, party bags, food (catering to all requirements), a cool theme, a cake that has been perfectly made to fit the theme, ensuring everyone's happy, games, entertainment, it goes on.
So, this month, I did some research and found some new ideas. I handpicked these to help myself make new family traditions while spending less—perfect for the thrifty folks like me.
Here are 16 awesome and unique birthday ideas:
1. COUNTDOWN Do a Birthday month countdown: download free template here
2. TREASURE HUNT Hide presents around the house and create a scavenger hunt with clues to find them
3. SPECIAL ROOM Decorate their room Secretly hang streamers or balloons outside their bedroom door the night before their birthday1. NO CAKE Ditch the cake and go creative! Think doughnuts, pies or pancake stacks. I personally love this idea because I believe cake is overrated as a dessert.
4. NO CAKE Ditch the cake and go creative! Think doughnuts, pies or pancake stacks. I personally love this idea because I believe cake is overrated as a dessert. I saw cake toppers on pinterest yesterday that cost more than the cake itself (wtf) so I ended up making my own.
5. BABY VIDEOS Play some videos from their first few months after they were born. Also replay some favourite moments from the previous year. Children love seeing what they were like.
6. HEARTFELT MESSAGES Honestly, this stuff matters. Write them a letter. Some ideas are “I’m proud of you because…” and “hopes for your future” Also ask family and close friends to send in birthday video messages and play them first thing in the morning. Can't wait for myself to hurry up and release Nomii so I can start to easily do these (fingers crossed for end of 2024).
7. HAND OVER RESPONSIBILITY If you have bigger kids, give them a budget and allow them to take the wheel - they will (probably) love it! You might need to help them figure out options and details but essentially, they plan it all themselves. Make it so that whatever money is left over from their budget is theirs to keep.
8. BIG DAY OUT Ask your child to pick two or three friends and take them on a few fun outings. E.g. a movie then their favourite restaurant, mini golf then game arcade, or a water park then ice creamery
9. QUALITY TIME Skip parties altogether – take the day off and go spend some quality time together doing something fun.
10. FORGET FAVOURS Forget about gift bags and party favours. Grab couple props and set up a photo booth for the kids to take funny pictures with instead. Think hats, scarves, colourful shirts, grab some cardstock & cut out some moustaches, mouths or noses and stick them on the end of wooden dowels.
11. SIMPLE FUN FOODS For simple food catering ideas, do a “make your own” meal where you make the base and just offer a bunch of toppings kids can choose from. This works well with pizzas, pancakes or (my personal fav) nachos
12. FORGET HUNDREDS OF TOYS For bigger parties, ask for $5 instead of a gift. That way you can avoid cluttering your house with unnecessary toys, give your child the cash and let them spend it on whatever they want! Less toys, less fuss & less stress!
13. EXTENDED BDAY instead of only celebrating your child on one day – do it for a whole week! Let them open one present each day. Or let them choose what to eat for dinner. Also keep decorations up around the house the whole time.
14. VOUCHERS Make your own vouchers for acts of service. I love doing this. In place of more gifts, I make little tickets/vouchers and on them just write down things you can do for them. They can then hand in their ticket to cash in on it! Some fun ideas are: cook my favourite meal – have dessert for dinner – give me a head massage – skip chores for the day etc
15. SHARE THE LOVE – at dinnertime go around the table and have everyone tell the birthday child all the things you love most about them and what makes them so special to you!
16. CAPTURE WHAT MATTERS MOST – this one is one I’ve thrown in here – it’s just my personal opinion & I’m not saying it’s the best BUT maybe try it. Here it is: forget taking a million photos of every moment. Instead just grab the birthday kid at the end of their big day and do a video interview. There's a bunch of good questions on the net and Nomii will come out with a super fun set for our Birthday Template which I can’t wait for.
Try to just get ONE really good photo: ask all the guests to gather around the little bday person and either lift them up or place them right in front – take a pic of everyone together. Oh! I just had another idea if you have enough people: have everyone form a tunnel (two lines of people with hands touching in the middle) then the bday person can run through while you video it. BOOM. Capture moments that matter most.
I hope these ideas help make the next birthday become truly magical. By getting a little creative we can make our child’s birthdays extra special, avoid breaking the bank AND capture the true meaning of the occasion: to make sure our children remember just how special, loved and cherished they are.