Healthy Birthday Celebration Ideas
Birthday Suggestions
- Give out pencils, erasers, stickers and other small school supplies or toys instead of food for classroom parties.
- Instead of sending in dessert to celebrate your child’s birthday, purchase a book for the classroom in your child’s name. Read the book to the class on your child’s birthday.
- Donate something to the classroom to honor your child, such as a game or a toy for recess time.
- Donate your time to lead activities during classroom parties instead of sending in food.
- Lead a fun game or activity for your child’s class. Teach a dance, lead an art activity, or share a story.
- If you do send food in for classroom parties, please check with your teacher to ensure that it complies with the district’s guidelines.
Benefits of Healthy Birthday Celebrations
- Healthy Kids Learn Better: Research shows that good nutrition is linked to better behavior and academic performance. To provide the best possible learning environment for children, schools must provide an environment that supports healthy behavior.
- Provides Consistent Messages: Providing healthy classroom celebrations demonstrates a school commitment to promoting healthy behaviors. It supports the classroom lessons students are learning about health. Healthful celebrations promote positive lifestyle choices to reduce student health risks and improve learning.
- Promotes a Healthy School Environment: In order to positively change eating behaviors, students need to receive consistent, reliable health information and ample opportunity to use it. Schools can help promote a positive learning environment by providing healthy celebrations that shift the focus from the food to the child.
- Creates Excitement About Nutrition: Children are excited about new and different things, including fun party activities and healthy snacks. Parents do not need to worry that children will be disappointed if typical party foods aren’t served in the classroom. Healthy celebrations will become traditions in time.
