Classroom Activities to Celebrate a Teacher's Birthday

Teachers log long hours working hard to educate their students. A way to show them how much their dedication is appreciated is to plan a special activity on their birthday. Coordinate with the other parents or teachers to pull off a surprise or create artwork for the teacher to display in the classroom. However you decide to celebrate will be a welcomed surprise for your child's teacher.

Surprise your teacher with a birthday banner made by her class. Ask the parents of each student to have their child make a birthday card for the teacher. Select an idea for them to start with such as "Mrs. Smith is a great teacher because..." or "Mrs. Smith has taught me..." for the card. Give them enough time beforehand to make the card and turn it in on time for the banner. Arrange the banner on a rope using clothespins to secure the cards. Fold the banner in half and then in half again until it is small enough to fit into a box. Gift wrap the banner and present it to the teacher in front of her class.

Get the other teachers involved in the birthday celebration. Have them decorate the teacher's door with the class's artwork after school the night before the celebration or the morning of before the teacher arrives. You can set a theme such as "Wishing you a happy birthday" with candles that the class has colored or "Hope your birthday is sweet" with slices of cake decorated by the class. The teacher dedicates a lot of time to decorating her room so it will be a nice surprise to have someone do it for her.

Teachers spend a lot of their own money on classroom supplies. As a birthday present, ask the class to bring in a few items that the teacher could use such as chalk, crayons, markers and construction paper. Ask the front desk staff to accept the items to prevent the teacher from finding out. Place the items in a gift bag and leave it at the front desk with a card explaining that the whole class contributed to the goody bag. Have a front office staff member call the teacher to the office without telling her what it is about. When the teacher receives the gift, instruct the office staff member to get her to wait to open it in front of the class. The students will enjoy seeing her open their gifts.

When your child's teacher has taken the class to P.E. or recess, decorate the classroom with banners and balloons. Bring a cake, cupcakes or cookies for the birthday girl. Ask other parents to contribute food to the party as well. When you're done setting up, hide and wait for the class to return. Shout "Happy birthday!" or "Surprise!" when the teacher walks into the classroom. Additionally, ask students to write a poem about their teacher or create a collage of the student's artwork. Give the students a subject to write on such as "What I like about Mrs. Smith..." or "My favorite thing about Mrs. Smith is..."