Great Themes for a Child’s Birthday

I ride public transportation to work. At times, it has its good points.

Yesterday while riding the bus, the lady who sat by me shared what she was doing this week with a grandchild.

She and her husband were doing an ‘Eleven is Heaven’ birthday activity with a grandson.

Eleven is heaven. What a catchy phrase!

To celebrate his birthday, this grandson came to stay with his grandparents for a whole week.  They had a myriad of activities (based on the grandson’s interests) all planned out to do.  Since his career goal was being a 3D animator, Grandma was taking him to the animation department on the campus where we work.  He also enjoys the theater so they are going to a local theater’s production of Singing in the Rain.  (My husband and I have seen it and it is fabulous!)

Her goal was to spend one-on-one with this grandson.  Just grandma, grandpa, and him.  No other grandchildren around to take their attention away from him.  They want to start this as a tradition for each grandchild when they turn eleven.

I think this is a terrific idea!  One that I want to establish.  Just gotta wait another 10 years.

You could do the same thing at different ages if you don’t have an eleven-year-old grandchild.  You could do:

• One is Fun
• It’s Great to be Eight
• Nine is Fine
• You’re a Queen (King) at Thirteen (or any other ‘teen’ years)
• On Screen at Fourteen (having the week long activities based around movies and maybe even creating a movie where they are the star)
• Lean Machine at Fifteen (with activities based around fitness or strength such as running a 5K race, doing a rope course, or wall climbing)
• Sweet Sixteen (do girlie things with your granddaughter)
• Mean Machine at Seventeen (where you go to a monster truck show, antique car show, or ride 4-wheelers at the sand dunes)

You can take these theme ideas and adapt them to what is available in your area, what your financial resources can handle, and how much energy you have.  Just keep in mind that if you do it for one grandchild, the other grandchildren will be expecting the same when they turn that age.