Sometimes we can get carried away with all the craziness of providing our children with their most favorite toy desires or the best birthday parties with overfilled goodie bags.

I admit that I am guilty of this in certain aspects in regards to my children’s birthdays but I try to remember that the times I have seen the brightest smiles on their faces or the twinkles in the eyes are not the times I have spent a lot of money.

Now, I will still hold birthday parties for my children at other locations but that is more for my benefit than theirs as I don’t want to clean my house both before and after everyone comes over. I do try to find other ways that make my children feel special on their birthday without spending much money and I want to share them with you.

I hope you will find this a helpful list and give you some ideas to make your children’s birthday special to them.

15 Low-Cost Ways to Make a Child’s Birthday Special

• Make Birthday Pancakes – We all have to eat breakfast, so make it special by allowing them a special birthday cake for breakfast. We like to top our birthday pancakes with whip cream, sprinkles and add a candle. Or try Rainbow Pancakes.
• Read birthday books to their class on their birthday or whenever they are celebrating their birthday at school
• Decorate the outside of their door with streamers and balloons so they are surprised when they open their door in the morning. It doesn’t take a lot of balloons and streamers to have a big impact, so maybe you have some leftover.
• Decorate a “Birthday” Chair for the day at the head of the table.
• Make a paper decorated crown for them. Who doesn’t want to be queen or king for the day?

• Make their favorite foods for meals or let them choose the meal.
• Write a special message to the birthday child on the bathroom mirror with dry erase markers.
• Measure you child’s height and mark it on the wall or write it down in their baby book to show how much they have grown from last year.
• Make a cake for them and let them pick out the mix and frosting and maybe even help decorate. Cakes can be more special if they help you pick out items and make it.
• Make a special birthday plate that the birthday child gets to eat off of.
• Decorate! A few birthday decorations or tableware from the dollar store can go a long way with setting up a birthday room.
• Set aside time to take the child to a park and/or play a game and let them choose where or which one.
• Set up a Parent/Child Date Night.
• Check your child’s favorite restaurants to see if they have a birthday program that sends the child a birthday freebie. You most likely need to sign up at least a month in advance. I know that in the past the following places did: Culver’s, Burger King, California Pizza Kitchen, Godfather’s Pizza, Famous Dave’s Applebee’s, Benihana’s Cold Stone Creamery, & Rocky Rococo. (Do you know of any more? Share in the comments!)
  
• Create a homemade gift, especially if your budget might not allow for many gifts. Consider making Play Dough, Felt Crayon Pouch, Doorway Puppet Theater, Hand Puppets, or a Super Hero Mask.

 Your turn:  What are some ways you make a child’s birthday special?