Basics
Birthday Buddies is a program at Homeless Solutions where every month a different group or organization throws a birthday party for the children living in our Transitional Housing.
The parties are held the third Thursday of every month if there are birthdays in that month. .We may change the date if it conflicts with a major holiday.
The parties are generally held from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Volunteer hosts may arrive as early as 6pm to set up- plan to stay a little after to help with clean up.
As a party host you are responsible for all aspects of the party. You should have decorations, snacks, drinks, a cake or cupcakes, plates, utensils, cups, and kid appropriate music. Please plan to have activities such as games as well.
Some groups are not able to provide gifts for the birthday child, so we ask that no one bring gifts for the birthday child, but you may bring trinkets or prizes for the group as a whole, if you choose to. We ask that if you do provide prizes or trinkets that they be new.
During some of the parties we choose to do activities that relate to any special holiday or occasion during that month. For example during the October party we started the party with pumpkin painting since Halloween was just around the corner. Keep in mind that the space is very limited so that can cause some restrictions to the activities that you want to plan. You will have access to the party room and a short hallway. During the summer and spring months you will also have access to an outdoor play area.
Taking pictures of the children is strictly prohibited. You must get prior approval from shelter staff- Once you gain approval you may post pictures. If you do choose to post pictures anywhere, you may not include any names of the children. Confidentiality and privacy for our families is our top priority, so please make sure that you adhere to this policy.
The parties are held the third Thursday of every month if there are birthdays in that month. .We may change the date if it conflicts with a major holiday.
The parties are generally held from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Volunteer hosts may arrive as early as 6pm to set up- plan to stay a little after to help with clean up.
As a party host you are responsible for all aspects of the party. You should have decorations, snacks, drinks, a cake or cupcakes, plates, utensils, cups, and kid appropriate music. Please plan to have activities such as games as well.
Some groups are not able to provide gifts for the birthday child, so we ask that no one bring gifts for the birthday child, but you may bring trinkets or prizes for the group as a whole, if you choose to. We ask that if you do provide prizes or trinkets that they be new.
During some of the parties we choose to do activities that relate to any special holiday or occasion during that month. For example during the October party we started the party with pumpkin painting since Halloween was just around the corner. Keep in mind that the space is very limited so that can cause some restrictions to the activities that you want to plan. You will have access to the party room and a short hallway. During the summer and spring months you will also have access to an outdoor play area.
Taking pictures of the children is strictly prohibited. You must get prior approval from shelter staff- Once you gain approval you may post pictures. If you do choose to post pictures anywhere, you may not include any names of the children. Confidentiality and privacy for our families is our top priority, so please make sure that you adhere to this policy.
Activity Suggestions
If you are stuck and can't think of activities or are wondering the types of activities to do, below are some possible ideas for activities that have previously been a success. Please note the age ranges of the children vary, so you should come with a few different ideas in place, so most of the children can participate.
Balloon Popping- We had the children line up in three separate teams and each team had a bag full of 20 balloons. When we said go, the first person had to take a balloon run into the hallway then sit on the balloon to pop it. They then had to come back and tag the next person to go. The first team to pop all their balloons won.
Donuts on a String- We had one long string with three other strings hanging down from it. Tied to each string was a doughnut. A volunteer held each side of the long string and held it up. The kids (3 at a time) had to hold their hands behind their back and eat the entire doughnut off the string.
Beach Bum relay- The kids were split into 2 separate teams. In this relay they would have to run to the end of the hall put on a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses, hat and lei, then open up a beach chair sit down and open their magazine. Then they had to take it all off and go tag the next person to go.
These are just a few activities for an idea of the type of thing we do. There are also a variety of other games and activities you can do. For more suggestions, click on the links below:
Balloon Popping- We had the children line up in three separate teams and each team had a bag full of 20 balloons. When we said go, the first person had to take a balloon run into the hallway then sit on the balloon to pop it. They then had to come back and tag the next person to go. The first team to pop all their balloons won.
Donuts on a String- We had one long string with three other strings hanging down from it. Tied to each string was a doughnut. A volunteer held each side of the long string and held it up. The kids (3 at a time) had to hold their hands behind their back and eat the entire doughnut off the string.
Beach Bum relay- The kids were split into 2 separate teams. In this relay they would have to run to the end of the hall put on a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses, hat and lei, then open up a beach chair sit down and open their magazine. Then they had to take it all off and go tag the next person to go.
These are just a few activities for an idea of the type of thing we do. There are also a variety of other games and activities you can do. For more suggestions, click on the links below: