Celebrating Birthdays in Kids Ministry – an inside look at birthdays at Woodstock City Church

I was so impressed to see what Woodstock City Church does to celebrate birthdays for kids.  The kids look forward to their Birthday all year long so that they can visit the Birthday Cart.  The Birthday Cart is pretty exciting, but it doesn’t compare to the PERSON who is at the Birthday Cart.  I did not find out this person’s name, but he was amazing as he celebrated each child and their birthday.

His enthusiasm was off the charts as the kids approached the Birthday Cart.  He called them each by name and asked how old they were.  Then he proceeded to do this:

He had a bucket full of confetti and he piled it on each child.  He threw it in the air & sang the birthday song!  He made each child feel like the most important person on the planet because it was their birthday.

At the end of the celebration he pulled out a broom and cleaned it all up, so the area was ready for the next child who came to celebrate their birthday, and he treated them in just the same way.

It doesn’t take much to make a kid feel special on their birthday (or on the Sunday closest to their birthday).  A cart with some prizes, a bucket full of confetti, and a very enthusiastic volunteer who is willing to go all out to make each child feel special.

Here are a few other ideas I picked up from my visit to Northpoint Church:

Make a sign so that parents and kids know where to go to celebrate birthdays.

Have stickers or buttons available for kids to wear so that everyone knows it’s their birthday.

Make sure you have several different prizes for them to choose from.

Try to find a volunteer who is outgoing and would be willing to be the Birthday Cart Volunteer.  Birthday prizes are fun, but an enthusiastic volunteer is what takes the experience to a whole new level.

They even had a Birthday Cart in the Preschool Area.  The prizes were age appropriate and someone dressed in a bee costume greeted each birthday child.  This bear can be found in the preschool area at Northpoint Church.

This is the Preschool Birthday Cart at Woodstock City Church.

What do you do for birthdays at your church? Maybe one of these ideas will help you take birthday celebrations to a whole new level!