TRADITIONS! I LOVE a good tradition, especially since I’ve become a mom- I want my kids to have some rad memories! A birthday only comes around once a year and I want these memories to be something my children remember in their adulthood. So at our house, we make a big fuss for each of my children’s birthdays. I’ve compiled a list of birthday traditions that we have done in the past and a few ideas that I would like to add this year!
BIRTHDAY BALLOONS
Every birthday morning, we start the day off with a fun surprise! I fill the crib (or floor for older kids) with balloons! You could also do a doorway avalanche with balloons so when they open the door in the morning, balloons go tumbling in! We haven’t done that yet because my kids still wake up in the middle of the night.
DECORATE THE HOUSE
I usually just use whatever I have on hand at the house and decorate our fireplace. I feel like having the house decorated just for their day makes a huge impact on how special they feel. Streamers. Balloons. Signs. Leftover party décor. Nothing extravagant.
BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST WITH CANDLES
Cake, cake, cake, cake! Did I hear cake for breakfast? Well, not actual cake but donuts, muffins, or pancakes are close enough. These are our go to’s for birthday breakfast. We decorate a chair, add in candles and sprinkles! I have not done this yet but I want to make a special birthday plate for each child that they can use every year.
DIY PHOTO SHOOT
Oh snap- it’s yo birthday! Another birthday tradition, we do a photoshoot. Nothing fancy, just my iPhone and some cute filters. We use some of the decorations from the party and if they have a themed outfit, I let them wear that for the photoshoot. Another good idea would be to take pictures with those cute chalkboard signs adding in their favorites from the year and height- a good way to track growth each year.
WRITE A LETTER
Just as simple as that. Write a letter to your child. It can include whatever your heart is feeling. Usually, mine includes a bunch of snappiness about how much I love them and what happened in that year of life including a few highlight pictures. You can either seal it in an envelope and give it to the child on their 18th birthday or you can create your child an email address that only you have access to and email them the letters.
BIRTHDAY INTERVIEWS
You ask your child a series of questions about themselves every year. I think it will be so cool to see how their answers change from year to year.
Every child deserves to feel so special on their big day. These traditions do not have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time- it is all about the thought put into it and the memory that will come from it. What are some birthday traditions that your family does each year?
