Celebrating Student Birthdays during Distance Learning

Are you looking for ideas on celebrating student birthdays during distance or virtual learning? We’ve got you covered with a fun list of ideas on how to maintain classroom community and celebrate each other from a distance. Keep reading to find out how!

Times are definitely different these days and yet we still need to have a sense of community for our students. One thing that keeps coming up is how people are celebrating birthdays during distance learning.

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Here are some ideas we have seen to help celebrate your student birthdays during distance learning.

• Sing happy birthday during your live sessions with your students. This would be great if you are using platforms like Zoom.

• Make a video singing and wishing them happy birthday. Send it to them in Flip Grid, SeeSaw, or just regular old email. If you have a private class Facebook too you can post this and encourage students to reply with birthday wished.

• Have students record videos wishing the student a happy birthday. They can upload them to Flip Grid or into a private Facebook group.

• Mail them a card or note.

• Do a live birthday party on Zoom. Sing happy birthday and allow the birthday child to do a show and tell. Invite the other students to all share a snack together on video.

• Do a birthday drive by. I would clear this through the birthday child’s family too, but driving by and waving, decorating cars, and all that jazz can be so special. You could organize them by week so you do multiple students at once. (I would also clear this through your principal if you are planning on doing this).

• Have students make a sign or card wishing the student a happy birthday. Put those pictures into a collage and send them to them virtually.

• Send them a virtual Birthday Certificate. Click here to grab our free birthday certificate. You can easily edit the file using Adobe, take a screenshot of photo of yourself holding it and send it over.

• Mail them what you normally would have given them in class. Prep birthday packs to be included in their personal items for pick up. The crown, the certificate, the pencil can all be sent home even if it’s late.

• Send an e-card.

• FaceTime with the students. You honestly don’t have to do anything too crazy, just a simple dedicated phone call can be very meaningful.

• Write a birthday message to them on their sidewalk in chalk.

• Have your administrator recognize birthdays in weekly emails – maybe first name in ___’s class.

Do you have an idea to celebrate? Comment and let us know.