A birthday is a BIG deal . . . a really BIG deal!  It's the one day of the year to celebrate that unique and wonderful person.  Birthday celebrations, with just a little forethought, can be rich in tradition and memories.

Birthday parties are full of cultural traditions, such as singing Happy Birthday, eating cake, breaking pinatas and blowing out birthday candles.  Traditions are important to families.  They are one of the strongest cords that bind families together.  Many familes today don't have a cultural heritage to fall back upon and often children grow up celebrating without traditions.

Birthday celebrations are an easy place to begin to build traditions within your family unit.  Start by choosing a special food.  Perhaps you make simple, yet very loved cupcakes.  Even though you may make them other times throughout the year, start a new tradition - ALWAYS make them for your child's birthday party.  Call them "Mom's birthday party cupcakes."  Believe me, even as your children grow into their teens and into adulthood they will ask for "Mom's birthday party cupcakes."  And before you know it, your children will be begging you for the recipe, "Mom's birthday party cupcakes" to make for their children.  They'll want to pass this simple and fun tradition along to their children.

For some children, a dearly loved game is a must for every birthday celebration. A game such as musical chairs brings as much enjoyment and excitement to a four year old as it does a sixteen year old (ignore the groaning - it's the age, not the child), even Grandpa can play musical chairs!  Growing up, my brother and I always played pin the tail on the donkey at our birthday parties.  Every year my mom brought out the same tattered old donkey.  The game wouldn't have been the same with a new donkey.  I'm not sure when we finally outgrew that birthday game, but I'm betting my mom still has that old donkey!

Build upon the passions of your child to cultivate new traditions. One little girl I knew loved to draw and one year she drew superhero pictures for her brother.  He was so impressed he used them as invitations to his birthday party, and now, many years later, the family finds a way to incorporate family artwork into all their party invitations.

The digital era makes it easy to incorporate children's interests into party invitations.  Does your child love to build?  Take a picture of one of your child's building projects and your child. Put the photo on the front of the invitation with the words, "If you build it, they will come."  Consider hosting a Lego party for your child!!

And lastly, creating birthday memories means involving the birthday child and the family. By doing so, your child will see him or herself as an integral part of the family and will enjoy the party far more.  Make your child a part of the party from the planning stages through the clean up stages.   Children who just show up at their party may develop an "entitled" mentality, which often leads to parents working harder and spending more money to please a child who soon becomes impossible to please.

Build lasting memories for your birthday child.  Bring your traditions, foods and celebration to KIDSPACE The Party Place.