Healthy celebration ideas
Reinforce healthy eating messages when celebrating birthdays and special events.
Healthy celebration ideas
Reinforce healthy eating messages when celebrating birthdays and special events.
Try these ideas to help make birthday parties and other celebrations enjoyable for children, while reinforcing healthy eating messages.
Food ideas
Savoury
- a ‘nibble platter’ with:
- cheese
- hummus, tzatziki, or avocado dip
- wholegrain or wholemeal crackers
- cherry tomatoes, snow peas, cucumber, capsicum sticks and green beans
- platter of salad-based sandwich triangles or wraps
- mini pizzas made on English muffin bases (no bacon or salami added)
- toasted sandwich triangles
- bean quesadillas or burritos made with wholemeal tortilla bread
- wholemeal pita with salsa and yoghurt
- roast potatoes with toppings (e.g. coleslaw, plain yoghurt, baked beans and cheese)
- corn on the cob
- vegetable or meat BBQ kebabs
Sweet
- sliced fruit platter (serve alone or with reduced fat yoghurt)
- fruit kebabs (fresh or frozen), fruit salad, fruit platters, canned fruit (in natural juice)
- watermelon slices
- dried fruit without added sugars or coatings
- yoghurt parfaits (recyclable plastic cups with layers of yoghurt and fruit and/or whole grain cereal as a topping)
- English muffins or raisin bread
Non-food ideas
Here are some ways to make celebrations fun and exciting!
Combine
- Celebrate combined birthdays once per month.
- Parents provide small trinkets for a treasure chest that is shared with the class each month.
Focus celebrations towards marking a special national event such as:
- Multicultural Day
- Harmony Day
- Book Week
- Easter
- Chinese New Year
- Christmas.
Create
- Create a party ideas book. You can include: healthy recipes, activities, games and crafts.
- Ask parents to provide a large card for the class to write birthday wishes.
- Create a ‘Celebrate Me’ book with stories, poems and pictures to celebrate the birthday child.
- Get children involved in preparing for celebrations. They can help make snacks or decorations.
Play
- Plan special party games.
- Give children extra play time instead of a class party.
- Let the birthday child choose and lead an active game for everyone.
- Arrange a treasure hunt around the classroom or playground.
- Birthday child takes home a class toy, or special item for the night.
Shine
- Birthday child leads a special ‘show and tell’ activity.
- Celebrate a child’s cultural heritage with traditional crafts, games, fancy dress and stories.
- Allow the birthday child to help with special tasks for the day.
- Have a birthday celebration photo board on the wall.
Share
- Parents bring small items to share with class members such as: pencils, stickers or erasers.
- Parents donate a book to the classroom or library in the child’s name.
- Parents contribute items to a ‘class Christmas hamper’ which is given to a charity of choice.
Dress up
- Birthday child wears a special sash, crown, cape, or carries a special item for the day.
- Invite all students to celebrate the special day by wearing a selected colour or special item (e.g. badge, funny hat, a red coloured piece of clothing, etc.).
Dance
Have a classroom dance party or ‘dance-off’ competition. Let the birthday child choose their favourite song to play from a list of classroom favourites (approved by teacher first).
Watch
Birthday child chooses favourite online video clip for class to watch (teacher to approve first).
For more information please phone 1300 22 52 88 or email heas@nnf.org.au
Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this document show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. This document may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In this document, ‘Aboriginal’ refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Indigenous’ or ‘Koori/Koorie’ is retained when part of the title of a report, program or quotation. Copyright © State of Victoria 2016
Written and reviewed by dietitians and nutritionists at National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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The Healthy Eating Advisory Service acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past and present.
The Healthy Eating Advisory Service is delivered by experienced nutritionists and dietitians at National Nutrition Foundation, with support from the Victorian Government.
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