Earnest Parenting.com logo

Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

Did you ever stop to think about how many people celebrate their birthday each day? On average, there are over 16 million people around the world celebrating their birthday on any given day of the week. While you certainly can’t make the day special for each of those people, you can make the day one to remember for your little one. Whether your child is two or 20, you can show him you care with any one of these 10 budget-friendly ideas:

1.Wake Up Call

If your child is old enough to attend school, wake her up in a creative way on the day of her birthday. After she falls asleep for the night, set your mobile device to ring at a specific time in the morning. Instead of an average ring tone, set the tone to play “Happy Birthday”.

2.Roll Out the Red Carpet

Very young children won’t know what a red carpet is, but your older children will. You don’t have to shell out big bucks for a new carpet runner; you can easily create a red carpet with squares of colored paper. Cut red paper into small squares and sprinkle them on the floor. Start the “carpet” at your child’s room and run it to the kitchen table.

3.A Beautiful Throne

When your child reaches the kitchen table, what will he sit in? A throne, of course! Decorate your child’s chair with streamers, cut-out shapes, pennants or anything else you can dream of. Your child will feel more special than you realize sitting in his own throne for meal time.
two children in front of ship with The Cat in The Hat

4.Announce It

Order a personalized banner for your daughter that you can use year after year. A happy birthday sign with her name on it will lend to the day’s festivities. Hang it over her bed, the bathroom mirror, over the television or even the front door. Anywhere your daughter will see it throughout the day is the perfect place.

5.Make a Runway

With a few rolls of curling ribbon, you can decorate your hallway in a special way. Cut pieces of ribbon about two feet long. Curl the ribbon and tape one end to the ceiling. You can hang as many or as few pieces of ribbon as you like. Choose ribbon in your child’s favorite colors and you’re sure to be a hit. If you have Christmas bulbs in bright, cheerful colors, hang one on a piece of ribbon here and there.

6.Dinner Delight

Every kid has a favorite food that they like to eat for dinner. Make dinner all about the birthday boy. Let him choose the meal, within reason, and let him help prepare it if he wants to. You may end up eating hot dogs and fries for dinner but who cares? This is his day.

7.Decorate the Table

Before your child wakes up for the day, and before any meals take place, make the kitchen table something special. Lay down a white table cloth and sprinkle it with brightly colored confetti. The table will look stunning no matter what’s served on it.
purple and green dinosaur sculptures

8.Wear It Proudly

Kids, especially young ones, love to tell the world how old they are. Buy a button, or have one made, that announces the birthday girl’s age. Pin it on her after she gets dressed for the morning and let her wear it all day. Your little one will love the attention they get from everyone who notices her birthday badge.

9.Cake or No Cake

Not every child likes cake. Remember that it’s his birthday, not yours; let him pick what he wants for dessert. You can put candles in almost anything and, if you can’t, you can set candles around the dish. Whether your son wants cake, pie, cookies or milkshakes, let him decide what his birthday treat will be.

10.Start a Tradition

There’s no better time to start a tradition than when your kids are young. Start a birthday tradition this year. You can buy your child the same kind of candy bar, you can take him to the bookstore to pick out a new book, or you can visit the zoo. No matter what you do, make up your mind that you’re going to do it on each birthday so long as your child is willing.

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to make a fuss over your kid’s birthday. The day should be spent making your child feel special. Any of the ideas above will work to do just that without breaking the budget.

Amy Chandler is a guest blogger for DiscountBannerPrinting.co.uk. You can follow her on Twitter @DBPamy.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want to celebrate birthdays.