Non-Food School Birthday Treats: Fun + Creative Ideas!
Inside: Stickers, crowns, recess fun & other creative and fun ways to celebrate your child’s birthday at school without food (and that kids will love!).
Do you have sweet memories of the birthday cupcakes your mom or dad brought to school for your birthday?
For better or worse, cupcakes at school are on their way out. It may actually be against school policy to bring outside food into the classroom for school birthday celebrations.
As a registered dietitian, I understand the worries from parents about food allergies and intolerances, as well as concerns about the abundance of sweet treats in their children’s lives.
But truth is, special occasions don’t all need to be celebrated with food to be fun. Here are 15 fun and creative ways to celebrate birthdays at school without food:
These suggestions are geared toward younger children in preschool or elementary school. (Looking for ideas for older kids? Here are Non-Food Rewards that work for older students too.)
Ideas for a Happy Birthday at School Without Food
1. Make the school snack special
If there’s usually a classroom snack, bring in fun party napkins, plates, or party hats to have with it.
2. Be the recess boss
Get a special “recess pass” and choose the main activity the class does at recess time.
3. Share a book
Bring in your favorite book and the child’s teacher will read it to the class–or have your parent or other family member come in to read it.
4. Give a gift
Give a gift to the class, such as a book for the class library (write an inscription on the inside cover with the birthday child’s name), a toy for the play area, special school supplies, or a game.
5. Be a big deal
Be “VIP For the Day”. Bring in a timeline of your life, have your parents read to the class, or have other students interview you about your favorite things.
6. Receive a class card
Get a birthday card from the whole class for your special day. All the students sign it saying what they like most about you.
7. Get recognized
Have your name read over the morning announcements.
8. Wear it with pride
Get special stickers or crown to wear at school all day.
9. Supply a craft
Have your parents or caregiver provide a special craft for the class that day.
10. Pick a prize
Pick out of a birthday prize box that includes fun pencils, bouncy balls, coloring books, temporary tattoos, stickers, and other small toys.
11. Snag a privilege
The birthday kid gets to sit in a special chair or beanbag or do a coveted classroom duty.
12. Pass out goodies
Bring non-food items for the class from the dollar store, like stickers, small toys, pencils and pencil toppers, or temporary tattoos.
13. Show and tell
The birthday student gets to bring something in from home to share with the class.
14. Have a bubbly recess
Bring small bottles of bubbles and have the class blow bubbles at recess.
15. Dance!
Play a song in the classroom and let everyone have a mini dance-party. Bonus: It helps get the wiggles out too!
Get even more ideas here for non food school birthday treats.
FAQ About School Birthday Treats
Why are schools putting limits on food?
High rates of food allergies (such as peanut allergy) mean homemade cupcakes aren’t safe for everyone anymore. There may be dietary restrictions in the classroom. And concerns about how many sugary treats kids are getting (and how frequently they’re getting them) are making more parents uncomfortable with this tradition.
What are ideas for inexpensive non-food treats to hand out to the class or put inside a birthday goodie bag?
- Bouncy balls
- Temporary tattoos
- Stickers
- Pencils
- Pencil Toppers
- Fun Erasers
- Bookmarks
- Chalk
- Crayons
- Small plastic animals or dinosaurs
Our school allows food for birthdays but only store-bought birthday treats. Any suggestions?
Because of allergies, some classrooms require that all school snack items be individually pre-packaged, with clear labels. (That’s the way it was at my child’s school as well.) Here are some ideas from the lunch box aisle that will work, depending on allergies and ages:
- Small bags of popcorn (such as Skinny Pop)
- Individual boxes of raisins
- Squeeze pouches (such as GoGo Squeez)
- Cheese crackers (such as Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies)
- Fruit leather (such as Stretch Island)
- Granola bars
- Individual bags of snack mix (such as Chex Mix)
- Small bags of chips such as PopCorners
- Yogurt tubes
- Cheese sticks
What if there are allergies in my child’s classroom?
Some classrooms need all school snack items be individually pre-packaged, with clear labels, due to student allergies. There may be just one kind of food allergy in the class–or multiples. Check with the teacher about class allergies and whether you should avoid products made in the same facility as allergens such as nuts and tree nuts. Look for brands like Enjoy Life that are free from the Top 8 allergens. And always run your ideas past the teacher and school nurse to get approval. For more ideas, see this list of allergy-friendly sweet and salty snacks.
Our school allows food for birthdays but they need to be healthy birthday treats–any ideas?
Some ideas for healthy snacks include:
- Berries in ice cream cones
- Popcorn
- Yogurt parfait (paper or plastic cups with yogurt and fresh fruit)
- Baggies of trail mix made with whole grain cereal, dried fruit, and small pretzels
- Fruit & veggie rainbow: Arrange cut fruits and veggies in ROYGBIV fashion on a tray
- Homemade applesauce
- Yogurt parfaits with fruit
- Sliced veggies such as carrot sticks, cucumbers, and bell pepper + dip cups
- Whole grain crackers and cheese sticks
- Tortillas rolled up with sunflower seed butter and banana slices
- Whole wheat pita triangles with hummus
- Cottage cheese with cut fruit
- Home baked mini muffins
- Pinwheel sandwich wraps: Place a slice of deli meat and cheese on a whole grain tortilla, roll up and slice
- Trail mix made with whole grain cereal pieces, dried fruit, and mini pretzels
- Guacamole and whole grain chips
- Air-popped popcorn (for kids 4 and older)
- Ants on a Log: Spread Laughing Cow cheese inside a celery stick and dot with raisins or dried cranberries
- Green smoothies: Blend spinach, frozen bananas, pineapple, and water
- Salsa and whole grain chips
- Whole bananas: Write each kid’s name on it with a marker
- Mandarin oranges
- Apples w/ old-fashioned peeler
Any non-food ideas for older kids?
Many of these ideas for Non-Food Class Rewards, such as homework passes, would work for older students.
Do you have ideas for healthy classroom parties?
Yes. Here are Healthy Halloween Snacks for Class Parties.
Do you have other ideas for fun and easy school programs around health?
Yes! I have a whole bundle of printables for parents, teachers, administrators, and PTAs who want to bring easy, affordable programs to their schools such as Wellness Week, Feed A Friend Grocery Program, Walk & Bike to School Day, and more. See the School Wellness Bundle here.
