Most children get quite excited about their birthdays long before the special day actually arrives. This means that parents find themselves answering questions about how many days remain until the birthday is here over and over again. One great way to avoid constant queries about birthdays is to use a birthday countdown.
While some parents may prefer to use an online countdown clock to help children keep track of the number of days left until their birthdays, a birthday countdown calendar craft is a project that is sure to become a special memory of childhood fun.
How to Make a 30-Day Birthday Countdown Calendar Craft
Remember the fun of Advent calendars? The 30 day birthday countdown is like a backwards advent calendar that starts 29 days before the child's birthday and has a thirtieth spot for the actual day. While it is possible to re-purpose last year's Advent calendar, why not encourage children to make a special calendar to count down the days until their birthdays? To make a birthday countdown calendar:
- Gather a sheet of poster board, 30 envelopes or 30 library card pockets, 30 small treats that will fit into the pockets or envelopes, numeral and alphabet stickers, rubber stamps and ink pad or stickers with a birthday theme or a theme the child likes, glue, a ruler and a pencil.
- Use the alphabet stickers to spell out the child's name and the words "birthday countdown" across the top of the poster board.
- With the ruler and the pencil, lightly draw lines across the poster board so it will be easy to line up all the pockets or envelopes in straight rows.
- Arrange the pockets or envelopes on the poster board until they are evenly spaced.
- Glue the pockets or envelopes into place.
- Erase the guidelines.
- Apply the numeral stickers to the pockets or envelopes. Don't forget that the calendar is counting down, which means that the pocket in the upper left hand corner should have the number 30 on it, while the bottom right number should be a one.
- Use the rubber stamps or theme stickers to decorate the poster board so that the calendar is nice and festive.
- Tuck a treat into each pocket or envelope so the child has something fun to eat or play with each day.
To keep the fun going, don't forget to add some other fun birthday traditions for children. A birthday card clothesline can be a great way to display all of those colorful cards from friends and relatives. Another project that can entertain children during the days leading up to their birthdays is making a special birthday crown that can really help the star of the day sparkle.
Katelyn Thomas - If you can't find me in the spring, I'm out hiking through the wood with a few pounds of photography gear strapped to my back. In the ...
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