Use Books to Celebrate Student Birthdays
Birthdays are such a special day for children of all ages. Young kids (heck, even us adults!) are so excited on our day! Why not use books to celebrate student birthdays? One of the most powerful ways to encourage reading in children is to show them how special books can be. Here are some fun and easy ways to use books to celebrate student birthdays.
A Book Present
Choose a book from the Scholastic book order to give each student on their birthday. Or, Scholastic also has $5 coupons that you could hand to your students on their birthday. This will allow them to choose their own book!
A simpler (and cheaper) option would be to give them a bookmark as a present. This would be a wonderful way to let students know you are thinking of them, without spending a lot of money. Enter your info below to grab this set of birthday bookmarks for free!
Their Favorite Book
On the day of their birthday, have students bring in their favorite book from home to share with the class. Before you read the book aloud, have the birthday child talk about what makes it so special.
Keep in mind that not all students have a variety of books to choose from at home, so they might not be able to bring a book in. If this is the case, you could help him or her choose a book from the classroom or school library. Help them think about which book has special meaning to them.
Donate to the Library
To celebrate their birthday, ask students donate a book to the classroom library. It could be a brand new or even a used book. Before placing the book on the bookshelf, write a message inside with their name and a thank you note.
Again, keep in mind that a donation to the classroom library might not be a feasible option for some families.
Let Them Read Aloud!
If your students feel comfortable, they could read aloud the book of the day. They will feel so special sitting in the teacher’s chair!
To ensure that this goes smoothly, have the birthday child read the book a few times in advance. This will help them gain confidence in reading a book aloud.
If your students aren’t ready to read aloud in front of their classmates, have them choose the read-aloud book of the day. You could have them choose from a pre-selected group of books or choose their very favorite story to share.
Using books to celebrate student birthdays is not only fun, but it shares the message that books are special and worth celebrating too. Each of these option depends on your classroom community. When choosing a way to celebrate, pick one that will benefit all of your students the most. Happy reading!
Looking for more ways to build reading engagement in your classroom? Check out these 10 ways to get students excited about books!
