4 Ideas for your Child’s Summer Birthday Party

By: Atara Twersky, author of Curlee Girlee  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Today is the original Curlee Girlee’s birthday! She is not only the inspiration behind the Curlee Girlee book, she is special in so many ways!

Birthday parties: Most kids love them and most kids want them, but what happens when your child is born in the summertime and so many of their friends are away? Celebrating with a crowd can be difficult … how can you make sure your child doesn’t feel left out?

Two out of my three children were born at the end of August — 3 years and one day apart to be exact! I always say that my Curlee Girlee waited to have a birthday all her own, as she was born on August 22nd, just after midnight. August is a great month, and we have lots of “Leo power” in our house, since I too am born in August. But getting their friends together for parties has always been challenging. I can remember as a child I almost never had a birthday party, and my kids are born in that in between time between camp and school, which makes things extra difficult. Some teachers make an end-of-the-year birthday party for all those summer birthdays, but the idea of a party in June seems wrong and not that meaningful; after all, it is not their birthday, it is just an arbitrary day. And to make matters worse, it has to be shared by everyone born in July and August.

So I came up with a great new solution. In school we celebrate their half birthday. This a real number and something they can understand, as in, “Now I am 3.5 or 6.5.”  It is an actual date they remember, look forward to, and can count towards. Teachers seem to love it, and after I did another one this year, two other summer birthday kids followed suit. The teacher began offering it as alternative to the June summer party! Then in the summer we found 4-5 friends that are around, and we celebrated in a smaller fashion. Below are four party ideas tried and tested — they were all real hits!

1) Manicure party: I got together five, five-year-old girls and brought them to the nail salon. We had manis and pedis and the salon allowed me to bring in cupcakes. The girls had the BEST time!

2) Jewelry making party: I just did this one last week! We made necklaces and ate pizza and ice cream sundaes … what a blast!!

3) Craft party: I went to our favorite craft store (Michael’s) and bought all the little girls’ the first letter in their name. We bought paints in all colors and everyone decorated their initial, which they then could display in their rooms. Girls do love crafts so this was a huge success!

4) Pool party: If you have a pool or access to one, host a small pool party. If you don’t have a pool, turn on the sprinkler. In the summertime there is virtually no better way to celebrate than with water!