Birthday celebrations are always fun for children. From delicious cakes to goodie bags, we know the excitement your little one feels when they find themselves at a birthday party. Regardless of a simple Happy Birthday song or a game of Simon Says, celebrating such joyous occasions in the classroom is one of the many ways we get our Champs to engage with one another and enjoy games together.
We want you to have a taste of your child’s excitement at home too, so why not get your child to create a gift for the birthday Champ and surprise them in class? You will get your child’s creative juices flowing and at the same time, have them enjoy the process.
How does this benefit your child?
Creating birthday gifts or any item by hand facilitates early childhood development. When they grab a paintbrush or a pair of scissors, for instance, they exercise the fine motor muscles in their fingers and hands. Other simple actions such as stabilising a paper also help children to sharpen their bilateral coordination skills, allowing them to understand what they need to do to engage in controlled movements.
Producing art in whichever form they choose also assists in cognitive development. Take colouring as an example. When your child presses onto a crayon, they will realise that the shade produced will be darker. Similarly, if they turn a piece of paper while cutting, they learn that they can produce a circle. Identifying and familiarising your child with such patterns allows them to apply their cognitive skills more effectively in the future.
Similarly, counting the sheets of papers required to craft a piece and placing different objects together using spatial reasoning will help your child to navigate mathematical concepts in more creative ways. When they share their mental plan for the artwork they hope to produce and discuss with you, they also build on their language skills by learning new vocabulary along the way.
Plus, you can teach your child the value of handmade gifts — from the effort taken to create it to the positive response they receive from their giftee. If you’re still scratching your head on what type of birthday gifts your Champ can make for their classmate, here are three ideas to give you a headstart!
1. A Custom T-Shirt
Grab a plain t-shirt from the mall or order one online. Add on a couple of fabric markers and paint and get started with some wearable art! Have your child brainstorm designs they think their fellow classmate will love. It could be a simple sketch of a puppy with an accompanying “Happy Birthday” banner or even a drawing of two great friends, so the birthday boy or girl will grow up to remember their good ol’ pal! Consider purchasing stencils to help with the designs or, if your child is an artistic genius, have them produce their work of true brilliance.
2. Rag Doll
Put together any scraps of cloth you have lying around at home, throw in some cotton wool and strings, and it’s time to create a handmade doll. Since some sewing will be involved, you can help your little one with this. First, have them sketch out an idea of the doll they’d like to make. Next, decide among the choice of fabrics you have available. After which, work together to turn their birthday gift idea into reality!
3. Personalised essentials
Personalised handmade gifts always work a charm, and it’s even better when it’s an essential, like a water bottle, journal or a bag. For example, you can have your child design the birthday girl or boy’s name on a journal cover, decorate it with stickers and wrap it with plastic, so the artwork is always protected. Perhaps, they can leave a birthday message or poem on the first page of the journal too! If they are going for the water bottle, suggest designing a personalised sleeve that will not only hold the bottle but also add an aesthetic charm to any outfit. For bags, you can purchase a combination of badges that will appeal to the birthday child and help to sew or paste them on a plain bag. These could be badges that represent the classmate’s love for a certain cartoon character or otherwise. Let your child choose which ones go onto the bag!
Birthday Gifts, Celebrations And More!
At MindChamps Singapore, we love to engage our Champs in a myriad of activities that help stimulate their mind — one of the ways is surely to get their artistic skills flowing, whether that’s a handmade birthday gift idea or a poem to recite in class. Combine these with our range of preschool programmes alongside Crafted Play™activities, and you’ll be sure that your little one receives holistic development in their early years before they move on to the next stages in their educational journey.
Why not book a visit to our centre in Singapore to see how we can nurture your child and help them achieve their fullest potential?