Kids Birthday Parties With a Purpose

Kids Learn How to Give Back Through Their Themed Birthday Party

Jul 18, 2009

Hosting birthday parties with a purpose teaches kids about local and global causes and that they are never too young to make a difference to those in need.

Parents know that young kids’ birthday parties can be the climax of their year: inviting all their friends, eating sugar-coated cake, opening presents, striking a piñata; what could be better? Party themes of princesses, pirates, cowboys or cowgirls are chosen sometimes months in advance and preparations can be as exciting as the party itself.

However, some families are beginning to look around their homes and realize after all the gifts from Christmas, fast food kid’s meal toys, trips to the mall, etc., there is little need for the ten or more gifts that come along with the birthday party. Birthday parties are a good place for parents to help their young ones take their eyes off themselves and help others through having a party with a purpose.

Making Birthdays Count

Marie-Therese Nikkel from Abbotsford, B.C. was just as excited as any eight-year-old about to turn nine when her birthday came around last year. However she and her mom decided to make her celebration count for something.

“My mom asked if I really thought I needed nine or ten new toys,” Marie-Therese shares through a youthful smile. “I really don’t play with toys a lot anymore, and we have four kids in our family. We really didn’t need a bunch of new toys.”

Her mom, Waltraud, had read about a local Run for Water in the that raises money for clean water in Ethiopia. The cause of the 5K, 10K and half marathon stuck out to her because it affected girls the age of Marie-Therese. “This was a good fit for the birthday party because the article described girls walking for hours every day just to get clean water as well as the hard things that happen to them along the way,” Waltraud explains. “Marie-Therese agreed this was a cause she wanted to raise money for in hopes that some of the girls could go to school instead of walking for water most of the day.”

Instead of bringing gifts, the home-made invitations to Marie-Therese’s party asked her friends to bring four dollars, two would go to Run for Water, the rest would go to Marie-Therese to put toward one special item she would choose herself. Eighteen dollars were raised from the guests, and Waltraud told Marie-Therese she would add another $20 to the amount if they did not hand out goody bags. "It doesn't seem like a lot, but it only takes $35 to give a child clean water for life," Ken Baerg, founder of Run for Water, explains. "Marie-Therese made a real difference through her creative party with a purpose."

Quaker Oats has developed a program to assist families with this type of thinking. Their Birthday Party with a Purpose involves kids giving back to their own community. By downloading four proofs of purchase bar codes of Quaker snacks to www.quakeroats.com, families qualify for party kits, which include:

These kits were developed in partnership with Kids Care Clubs, and have ideas for games, some appropriate props along with a suggested volunteer activity.

Britt Bravo from Oakland, California shares on her blog Have Fun-Do Good on Oct. 10, 2008, “ I liked a couple party ideas from their site: a treasure hunt where everything the guests find is donated to a children’s hospital, and a green themed party where guests can plant seeds to take home and grow" (havefundogood.blogspot.com).

Use your child's next birthday as an opportunity to learn about special causes, as well as a way to prove that he or she is never too young to make a difference.

The copyright of the article Kids Birthday Parties With a Purpose in Kids Educational Activities is owned by Michelle Watrin. Permission to republish Kids Birthday Parties With a Purpose in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.