These easy classroom birthday ideas will inspire you as you brainstorm the best school birthday celebrations for students.
Celebrating a birthday with friends at school is such a special experience for students. This is a time for them to shine and to be honored.
While you can never go wrong with cake and punch, you might be thinking to do something different or add a unique spin to the occasion.
Here you will find some solutions.
Whether you seek classroom birthday ideas that are simple or more sophisticated, this list has something for you.
If you want to celebrate birthdays at school in style, take a look at these great ideas.
Classroom Birthday Ideas
1. Birthday Hat Filled With Goodies
Take a party hat, and fill it with treats such as candy, bubble gum, trinkets, pencils, stickers, and any other birthday goodies that you think students will enjoy.
After students empty the hat, they have a party favor that they can wear.
2. Cupcakes/Sweet Treat
For a traditional birthday idea, bring cupcakes to the classroom birthday celebration.
Cupcakes make great birthday snacks because they are easy to transport and make clean-up a breeze.
Alternatively, bring Rice Krispie treats or any other sweet treat that students may enjoy.
See more delicious birthday snacks for school parties.
3. Lunch Bunch
One of the coolest classroom birthday ideas is to gather all the students who have a birthday in a particular month and schedule a day for them to eat lunch with the teacher inside the classroom.
Some teachers permit the birthday kids to invite a friend.
To make the day even more special, order a pizza or share a special treat.
4. Fruit Kabobs/Brunch
If you would like to have food for your classroom birthday party, consider fruit kabobs.
This easy party food idea only requires cut-up fruit and screwers.
Divide students into groups, center in each group a plate of cut fruit, and then have students use the screwers to create delicious fruit kabobs.
Alternatively, have a brunch birthday party where each student brings a breakfast or lunch snack to share with the class.
Students nibble on these birthday treats all day long during a student’s birthday.
Non-Food Classroom Birthday Ideas
If you would rather stay away from food altogether when it comes to classroom birthdays, the following ideas will fit your needs.
5. Birthday Sticker or Button
To make the birthday student feel special and recognized, give him or her a special birthday button to wear the entire day.
You may instead want to give a birthday sticker which also works well.
6. Pencil Topper
Consider adding pencil toppers to your list of classroom birthday ideas.
These fun party favors transform boring pencils into cool writing tools.
Not only will the birthday student feel special because she is the only one who has a birthday pencil topper, but she may even be motivated to put forth a bit more effort into work that day.
Keep a unique pencil topper just for student birthdays. Doing so will make its users feel like they’re receiving VIP honors.
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7. Classroom Birthday Book
A sentimental classroom birthday idea is to have classmates create a birthday book for the birthday student.
This special book may contain autographs from peers, drawings, positive affirmations, kind messages, and/or photos.
After every student contributes and the birthday student receives the book, classmates gather on the carpet.
While sitting in a special chair, the birthday student reacts to the messages and information in the book.
This moment of being in the spotlight is a moment the child will cherish forever.
8. Birthday Certificate
If you’re looking for simple classroom birthday ideas, this one fits well.
Certificates and awards are not just for the end of the school year.
Birthdays are also a great occasion to give students an award so that they feel honored and recognized.
Distribute a special birthday certificate (First log into your Google account before accessing the editable document.) to birthday students, and encourage them to frame it when they arrive home.
9. Birthday Crown
This idea is great for younger students.
Make a simple birthday crown or purchase one. The birthday student wears the crown all day.
Also, treat the student like a king or queen by giving special privileges such as being the first in line or being able to sit with a friend while working on class assignments.
10. Birthday Bulletin Board
At the beginning of the school year, consider creating a bulletin board that spotlights student birthdays each month.
Ideally, put this bulletin board in the hallway where others in the school community can see it.
Take a look at cool classroom birthday board ideas.
11. Birthday Cheer
If you’re seeking classroom birthday ideas that don’t require spending money, this one is for you.
For students who enjoy music or who are rhythmic, share a classroom birthday cheer with them on their special day.
During a scheduled time, classmates will recite in unison a fun birthday cheer. You might even want to include a song or two.
Toward the beginning of the school year, it’s helpful to teach students a few birthday cheers that they may use all year when celebrating school birthdays.
12. Compliments Poster
Take a large poster board, and have each classmate write one or two compliments about the birthday student.
Peers may also want to decorate their section of the poster board to make it more visually appealing and unique.
The birthday student now has a heartfelt souvenir to take home.
13. Balloons On Chair
A very simple classroom birthday idea is to attach some colorful balloons to the birthday student’s chair.
This is a good way to recognize students and make them feel special.
Additionally, allow the student to eat snacks at his desk or keep something special on his desk like a birthday-themed pet rock.
The only issue is that you have to be careful of other students “mistakenly” popping the balloons.
14. Book Tasting
For those students in your class who love books, celebrate their birthday with a book party.
This is great for those teachers or parents looking for unique classroom birthday ideas that incorporate learning.
In addition to gifting the child a favorite book, consider the following activities:
- Fill the day reading books from the birthday student’s favorite authors.
- Host a book tasting where students explore all the favorite books of the birthday child. Accompany this event with tasty snacks to make it even more memorable.
- Allow the birthday student to read aloud a few favorite books.
15. Autographed Book
Before gifting students a favorite book for their birthday, ask each student to autograph it on the inside title page or somewhere on the sleeve.
Include with the gift a cool bookmark, a special pencil, and maybe some Top 10 book recommendation lists from classmates.
16. Birthday Door
If you have no space for a birthday bulletin board or just want an alternative idea, consider decorating your classroom door as a birthday-themed display.
Every month, spotlight students (their name, photograph, and a few fun facts) who have a birthday in that month.
Also, designate a spot on the door to highlight a student who is actually celebrating his/her birthday on the present day.
17. Birthday Bookmark
For the book lovers in your classroom, gift a set of nice bookmarks.
Also, give him or her the opportunity to read aloud to classmates a favorite book during reader’s workshop.
Additionally, you could give the child extra time in the library during class time.
18. Write in Pen All Day
In the younger grades, students primarily write with a pencil.
So a cool birthday idea is to allow the birthday student to write in pen all day.
Alternatively, on any child’s birthday, the whole class may be allowed to write in black pen while the birthday student gets to write with a colored one such as green, pink, orange, or turquoise.
19. Morning Message Shout Out
The goal of morning meeting is to build class community and nurture students’ growth mindset.
“Shouting out” birthday students during the morning message component is a great way to build students’ confidence and self-esteem, helping them to feel seen, loved, and respected in the classroom community.
20. Signed Card
If you’re seeking simple classroom birthday ideas, have individual students create and decorate cards from 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
Alternatively, make one big class card by folding a blank poster in half.
Every student will autograph and/or write a short message addressed to the birthday student.
This idea serves as a keepsake that students will remember forever.
21. Extra Reward Tickets
If you use a ticket reward system as your classroom management plan, consider giving the birthday student five or ten extra reward tickets on his or her special day.
Be sure to share enough tickets so that the child has a sufficient amount to “purchase” something from the prize box at the end of the week.
Final Thoughts On Classroom Birthday Ideas
If you’re seeking ideas for celebrating birthdays in the classroom, this awesome list of classroom birthday ideas is a great place to start.
You’re now one step closer to having great birthday celebrations at school that are easy to plan, cost little, and delight students of all ages.