School Year Parties for Students with Summer Birthdays

Student birthdays are a big thing in elementary classrooms. But what about those students who have summer birthdays? Often, summer birthday students feel left out of the fun and focus that other students get--students whose birthdays fall during the school year. Here are several ways elementary classroom teachers can celebrate summer birthdays during the regular school year.

Celebrate Half-Reverse Birthdays

This technique involves celebrating a birth date half a year in reverse from the actual student birth date. For example, if a child's birthday falls on July 26th, celebrate that student's birthday on January 26th. No child will be left out with this technique; it allows each student to have his or her own special day.

As a classroom student activity, teachers can discover half-reverse birthdays through calendar exercises--employing counting and sequencing skills. A large school year calendar posted on the wall or bulletin board is a great visual for this activity and a pictorial reminder of birthdays coming up. Motivational birthday stickers work great for this calendar activity. Colorful stickers allow each student to individualize a special date.

Celebrate Summer Birthdays All at Once

Celebrating summer birthdays all on one day is a typical way teachers honor student birthdays. This technique has several benefits, but it also has one significant disadvantage. The benefits are these: teachers can go for a big production--involving parents, a super party, a field trip, the works! This ensures no summer birthday student feels left out or insignificant. But the disadvantage is that one size doesn't fit all. Each summer birthday student fails to get that one special day that's all about him or her.

Typical Ways Teachers Celebrate Student Birthdays

Students with school year birthdays get a dedicated day involving many of these special events and rewards: honorary birthday guests, goody bags, coupons for unique classroom events, a party at the end of day with treats and games, chair and desk decorations, balloons, party graffiti, streamers, banners, crowns, gifts, toys, stickers, pencils, bubbles, a chance to reach into the birthday treasure box, a special book reading, a chance to keep the classroom mascot for a day, and receiving special cards or posters created by classmates.

That's a lot of missed fun and recognition, if a student's birthday happens to fall during the summer. For this reason, it's important that elementary teachers find creative ways to honor students with summer birthdays too--ways that honors each student with as much fun and focus as classmates celebrating school year birthdays.