Birthday Traditions To Celebrate the Ones You Love

If you want to add some new birthday traditions to your family’s celebrations, this list has more than 50 birthday traditions to pick up! Birthdays are a special time to celebrate the ones you love and often come with birthday traditions that get passed down from each generation. A special birthday plate. Homemade treats. Singing and parties filled with family and friends. These days are special and filled with joy – not just for the birthday boy or girl, but everyone involved.

One of our family’s birthday traditions is a 10th birthday trip. This year was my youngest son Ezra’s turn. We went to LEGOLAND and Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. It was such a special time of bonding for the two of us and a tradition that I’m so glad we keep. Ezra is a New Year’s Eve baby so we also always take a new year’s photo with silly glasses or hats.

It got me thinking about traditions and what others might do to celebrate. So I asked my community what types of traditions – big or small – they have for celebrating birthdays. There were so many great responses that I compiled them all here. Some links are affiliate links.

Food traditions

So many birthday traditions involve food and my community had a lot of creative ideas about this.

Homemade or local bakery bought cakes
Choose your own dinner (homemade or dinner out)
Donuts for breakfast with candles
Birthday person’s favorite breakfast foods – fun cereal, etc
Cake for breakfast!
Homemade chocolate chip cookie cakes
Pizza and cupcakes on the actual day
“Party Pancakes” in the shape of the birthday age number
Breakfast in bed for the birthday boy or girl
I have my kids draw their cake each year and I recreate if for them
Cinnamon rolls for breakfast
Bring treats for their classmates or sports teams
On half birthdays we do half a cake to celebrate! (one round cut in half and stacked, so simple and fun)
Ice cream for breakfast
Dad takes them on coffee/donut date on birthday morning
18th birthday catered by favorite fast food

Birthday Decorations

Party decorations are always fun, but so are the small touches that make the day special.

Post it notes with bday messages around the house that they have to find. One for each year old they are.
Fill their bed with balloons and streamers on their door
Helium balloons in the number age they are turning
Decorate a giant erase board
Decorate the night before so they wake up to it
A birthday banner and birthday plate
Put a big number of their age on their bedroom door
A big balloon wall and surprises kids each year.
Make an elaborate bday door with theme matching favorites of the year
Hand drawn banner with favorite character
Cover their door in streamers to walk through

Specific Age Year Celebrations

Milestone years sometimes mean big celebrations! Here are some ideas the community had about those special ages.

10th bday trip with mom, 13th with dad, 16th family trip
Grandparents take kids on a 10yo trip. I’ve done something cool for the 13th bdays.
Celebrate golden birthdays – turning 9 on the 9th. Golden theme food, decor, gifts.
As our girls each turn 13, they get to invite friends over to watch 13 Going on 30!
13th birthday trip – intentional time for conversations & speak truth about who they are before the teen years
13 – plan a family trip. Any US location + research all the sights you want to see!
We do 7s! NYC for 7th with both parents, 14th is a trip anywhere in the US, 21st is abroad!
10th birthday trip with dad
I take my nieces and nephews on a 1:1 trip to anywhere in the US for their 16th.
On the even years we have a party with friends. On the odd years we keep it low key with family dinner.
We do a one on one 16th birthday trip

Special Birthday Traditions

Fun, unique traditions to make the day extra special.

A present for every year of their age until 20
Trips or experiences and not gifts since about the age of 8
Girls shopping day with just mom and my daughter
For significant birthdays I write a list of reasons why I love him that matches age number
Birthday pictures
Open presents in the same special chair each year
Every other year a party, and then a family adventure – kid’s choice
Yes day for the birthday kid! They can bring a friend and choose fun stuff all day.
Dad & mom take the day off work for a family fun day
Yes day! Skip school on your day and do whatever you want (within reason)
Sibling gifts to show they love each other
Always pick a theme, even if the theme is “that person”
Pick special meals and eat off of the birthday plate
Wake kiddo up in the morning with balloons and singing happy birthday
Birthday shirt that matches party theme
Dump balloons on them in bed and sing when they wake up
My husband makes them video recaps of their year that we show at the party

Whether you celebrate in big ways or small, I hope this list inspires you. Maybe you will even try a new tradition this year with some of these suggestions. For more inspiration, check out these posts about Elias’s 16th party, Adeline’s 13th and my 40th birthday celebration.