Planning a Preschool Birthday Party or Celebration in your Classroom

Will you use an actual candle on the snack or treat? Who will provide this?

Will the child have a special crown or chair or classroom job on their special day? Who will be responsible to prepare these items?

Will you announce to the families that it is someone’s birthday? (Such as a poster outside the classroom, newsletter or calendar announcement, etc.)

Do you have a special birthday song to sing?

Will the child receive a special gift or card from the teachers?

How will you celebrate birthdays that fall on a day of the week that the child is absent or not in school (such as weekend birthdays or summer birthdays for children not in school in the summer)? Will you celebrate birthdays ON each child’s birthday or will you have a birthday celebration once a month for everyone with a birthday that particular month? Will you have an “un-birthday” celebration for those who will not be in your program on their birthday?

You will come up with other questions and/or ideas as you brainstorm. Once you have decided on how you will handle birthdays, write it up officially. Have each of the teachers review it and think about other questions/concerns and then meet again to make changes.

Once you have a final birthday policy, so to speak, start planning for the year:

1. Let the families know how birthdays are handled in your classroom. Distribute the information so that the families are aware and can all be consistent.

2. Purchase in advance any items you will need for the year! Birthday banner, cards, token gifts that you give from the children (book, stickers, etc.), crowns, candles, tablecloth, etc.

3. Assign responsibility for birthdays: Who will prepare for each birthday? If it will be announced in the school or class newsletter, is that person aware of the children’s birthdates?

Turning 3 or 4 or 5 is a big deal! Handling it consistently for each child will make that day a special one for your students-they will look forward to their special day in school!

This information is in the parent handbook, it is one of the items we discuss with the parent at a tour when they come to see the preschool and it is discussed at the Parent Orientation meeting before school begins.

When we need to send a child's snack home (like chocolate, chips, etc.), we provide a snack and send a note home reminding them of this policy.

That is the backdrop to our birthday celebration.

The section in our parent handbook regarding preschool birthdays is as follows:

"Each child’s birthday is celebrated in the classroom. Due to multiple allergies, we do not celebrate with treats/food of any kind. Children receive a crown and there will be singing and birthday dancing or games on the day closest to their birthday. We also have an special “un-birthday” day at the end of the school year for children with summer birthdays."

You will need to decide on what meets your class or program policies and expectations.

We realize that birthdays are only once a year, and they are very special and exciting.

We know that some parents want a celebration to take place and have it low key.

We also know that some celebrations will be over the top (decorations, multiple candles, games, "treat bags" with small items, candy, etc.

Here is how a typical birthday morning will go:

We place a large announcement of the birthday on the door before the children arrive announcing the birthday child(s) special day!

The child chooses their favorite color for a crown. The teacher traces, cuts and decorates a crown for the child.

A special Birthday Announcement Card is taped to the child's cubby and a Birthday Pencil or book or some token is in their cubby as a gift.

At snack time, we ALL sing a special happy birthday song to the birthday child. One year, we had 3 birthdays on the same day and yes--we sang 3 times!

That's it! Simple but the children KNOW when it is their day, it is their day! We do not think a child will be damaged from not having a cupcake at school on that day! A preschool birthday party, as many of you know, can get out of hand. Add that to the fear of cross-contamination of foods with children who have allergies or food sensitivities. It can unknowingly become a very unhealthy celebration.

In the classroom, we have the opportunity to keep the preschool birthday party or celebration consistant each of the 32 times it happens each year!