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Looking for some easy classroom birthday celebration ideas? Birthdays are a big deal, especially when you’re in the upper elementary grades. These special occasions are not just about growing a year older but also an opportunity to make lasting memories with classmates. So, if you’re a teacher or a parent looking to celebrate a birthday in style, you’ve come to the right place.
In this blog post, we’ve put together 21 fun and casual classroom birthday celebration ideas that are perfect for an upper elementary classroom. From science experiments to storytelling circles, these ideas are designed to make the birthday child feel cherished while creating a fantastic day for everyone involved. Let’s dive into the world of exciting, memorable, and easy-to-implement birthday celebrations for your upper elementary students!
You can choose one of the short and easy classroom birthday celebration ideas to recognize individual students on each birthday OR you can do a more involved idea once a month or quarter for all the birthday kids in that time frame. There is definitely no pressure to go all out with a big time block for every birthday date in your classroom!
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1.Birthday Hats: Have a birthday hat or crown on the birthday student’s desk first thing in the morning. You can make hats ahead of time or order hats like the ones shown below on Amazon.
2. Classroom Karaoke: Sing your hearts out with a classroom karaoke session or sing-along time.
3. Birthday Balloons: Tape colorful balloons to the birthday student’s desk to create a festive atmosphere for the special day.
4. Board Game Extravaganza: Let the birthday child choose their favorite board game for the class to play.
5. Storytelling Circle: Have a storytelling circle where each student adds a sentence to create a classroom story. Make the birthday student the main character of the story!
6. Artistic Masterpiece: Let the students get creative with an art project, like painting or crafting. Play relaxing music while students make their projects.
7. Music and Dance Party: Turn up the music and have a dance-off in the classroom. Students can dance in teams or individually – it’s up to you!
8. Birthday Celebration Folder: Use this ready-made packet of birthday printables to create a special birthday folder to give to a student on the special day. It includes birthday-themed puzzles, coloring pages, and certificates! I suggest printing and assembling folders for your class at the beginning of the year to save time.
8. Pajama Day or Favorite Team Day: Everyone comes to school in their cozy PJs or favorite team shirt for a day of celebration.
9. Class Kickball Game: Organize the class into 2 teams and play a game of kickball (or another game) outside.
10. Trivia Quiz: Create a fun quiz with questions related to the birthday child’s interests.
11. Scavenger Hunt: Organize a classroom scavenger hunt with clues and small prizes.
12. Outdoor Walk: If the weather is nice, take the celebration outdoors for a nature walk. This is one of my favorite classroom birthday celebration ideas!
13. Leader for the Day: Let the birthday student be the classroom leader for the day. Give him or her opportunities to make class announcements, deliver messages for you, or even help teach a lesson.
13. Book Swap: Have a book exchange where each child brings a book to trade. Let the birthday student choose first! Be sure to get parent permission ahead of time.
14. Homemade Playdough Party: Make your own playdough and have a sculpting session.
15. Cupcake Decorating: Decorate cupcakes with colorful icing and sprinkles. Be sure to include birthday sprinkles! This is definitely an activity I would only choose to do for birthdays once a quarter.
16. Talent Show: Let the kids showcase their unique talents, from singing to magic tricks.
17. Math Challenge: Engage the class in math games and puzzles to make learning fun and different on the special day.
18. Compliment Circle: Have each student give a compliment to the birthday child.
19. Random Acts of Kindness: Spend some time performing acts of kindness around the school. This is one of the most meaningful activity in the list of classroom birthday celebration ideas.
20. Outdoor Adventure: Take a field trip to a nearby park or nature reserve for some outdoor fun.
21. Lunch in the Classroom: Allow the birthday student to choose a few friends and enjoy lunch in the classroom.
Remember, the most important thing is to make the birthday child feel special and create lasting memories with their classmates. Enjoy the classroom birthday celebration ideas!
Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.
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