November is a big birthday month around here. My two bigs have birthdays a week apart and a grandpa and a grandma celebrate their birthdays in November. Parties, presents, balloons, cake, the special birthday plate are all things signifying the passing of another year. Every family does their own thing when it comes to birthdays. We all have our little traditions, our ways of making the ones we love feel loved.
The past few years I have been working on simplifying our birthdays. There are a few reasons for this quest. First, I want the birthday kid to be the center of the celebration. Each child gets one special day a year. I want to make it count and cut the fluff the birthday kid could care less about. Second, I want to enjoy the celebration as well. In the past, I have fussed and fretted and been frazzled on birthday party day and I am trying to let go of that as much as possible. I want to be in the moment and see the look of surprise when the perfect gift is opened or when the birthday kid sees the Lego cake for the first time. And my last reason: I know simpler doesn’t have to mean less fun. It can mean more family time, more giggles, more experiences together.
Speaking of experiences…
Experiences is where we will hang out today. Offering the birthday kid an experience with something new instead of another toy in the toy box is one way to simplify birthdays (and also make them super fun). Experiences allow kids to participate in something instead of being a passive consumer. And I think the most important advantage to gifting experiences is it allows multiple family members or friends to participate, creating not just special memories, but important and vital bonds. Let’s talk simple birthday gifts.
Simple Birthday Gifts
Birthday Date
The first simple birthday gift is doable for those with little time and full calendars. Take your kid on a birthday date. We have been doing this the past few years and it has been a big highlight. Choose something the birthday kid would really like to do and then do it! It could be a museum, a playground, a movie, a fancy restaurant (Olive Garden seems to be fancy enough for our kids). If your child is really young, you can plan the date or if your kid is older ask them for suggestions. Since we have multiple kids in our family, we try and do the birthday date with both my husband and I, the birthday kid, and no siblings. Grandma usually steps in to watch the others so the birthday date is super special.
Membership Gift
We are lucky enough to live semi-close to some incredible opportunities for kids. Museums, gyms, the zoo, and theaters are just a drive away. Gifting a membership to one of these experience driven places is a gift that can give over and over again all year long. A membership to a museum means the birthday kid can visit and revisit a favorite exhibit. You can even combine the birthday date and the membership gift and take the birthday kid to the new spot on date day.
Trip or Party?
This last simple birthday gift is a new one for us this year. We asked our two bigs if they would rather have a big party or go to an indoor water park. It was an easy decision and they both answered: water park. (Duh?) This year instead of hosting a big party, we will be packing swimsuits and driving a few hours to swim and maybe make a small detour to Legoland. The money we would have spent on a party will be spent on making some fun family memories together. The kids will still get a small party with extended family to blow out candles on a cake, but it will look a lot different than years past. Giving older kids an option on how they want to spend their birthday seems reasonable and there is less of a chance for disappointment. I am thinking I will love this one.
Are there still gifts?
Some of you are asking if we still give our kids real, tangible, hold-in-your-hand gifts on birthdays. And we absolutely do. Each kid has items on their birthday list they will receive from us, grandparents, and extended family. My top priority in choosing a simpler birthday celebration is making the birthday kid feel loved and valued and special on their day without becoming a crazy person. And appropriate gifts are still a part of that.
These ideas may or may not work for your family, your kids, your lifestyle. Pinterest Mom, YOU DO YOU! However, if you’re feeling a bit frazzled around birthday time like me, maybe one of these ideas will help you, too. I think we all should enjoy and savor birthdays, especially when we only get 18 of them with our kids in our home.
I would love to know if you have some simple birthday gift ideas for kids!