Birthday Experiences

Several years ago my husband and I decided to take each of our grandkids out to dinner by themselves for their birthday. It was a great way to spend individual time with them. We let them pick the place and of course always had a gift for them.

Then in 2020 when the world fell apart, we weren't able to do that! We didn't know what we were going to do. But then on my birthday, my son and his wife put together a Jeopardy game all about me. They sent me questions ahead of time. Then on my birthday, all of us got together on FaceBook and we played that Jeopardy game. I remember thinking that it felt like we had been together even though we were still apart. It was great!

As I reflected on that birthday, I realized that what was so great about it was the memories I have of it. I couldn't tell you what I received in the way of gifts that year, I but I sure remember being with my family! That made me think that maybe we should be a bit more creative with our grandkid's birthdays.

So, this year we have started creating Birthday Experiences. Our oldest granddaughter's birthday is the first one of the year. I know she likes to bake and cook so I thought it would be fun to do something involving that. There is a place in our area that has classes on dipping your own chocolates. It was the perfect activity for her!

They had all kinds of fillings and chocolate molds. They also had chocolate conveyor belts to enrobe yummy things in chocolate. We all loved it and of course we were able to take the chocolates home to eat later. She said she loved it!

Our next Birthday Experience was with a grandson who was turning 9. He LOVES all things Lego but unfortunately, the only Lego store in our area is way too out of the way and it's very small. So I did some online searching a found a store that sells new and used sets, has tons and tons of all kinds of minifigures, has a bulk section to play with and you can build your own minifig to represent yourself. So, we did take him to dinner first and then took him to that store. He was in heaven!! I gave him a small budget so he could pick out something and all 3 of us made minifigs of ourselves. He loved it!

The latest Birthday Experience was with our grandson that was turning 12. We asked him what he'd like to do and he chose a local arcade. We all played games we thought would get us the most tickets. Once we had played all of our tokens, we combined our tickets and let him choose a couple of items. Then he wanted to play a round of mini golf. Grandpa won! Again, it was really fun!

So, I think the new idea is working great. I look forward to finding the perfect activities for our remaining 3 grandkids. Each one is so different and it has given extra time to really get to know each grandchild! It doesn't need to be fancy or even expensive. One of our granddaughters loves to hike, so I'm sure we'll be going on a hike for her activity. Use your imagination or ask the child themselves! I'm sure you can come up with the perfect way to spend their Birthday Experience!

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