Seven ways to celebrate Children’s Day on a budget

Children’s Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in Nigeria on May 27 in honour of children. It is a day to commemorate the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly on November 20, 1959.

Due to today’s economic climate, it can be challenging to mark occasions as desired. However, celebrating your kids does not have to be expensive to be fun, memorable, and meaningful.

You can create the most memorable Children’s Day on a budget with a little creativity and planning.

Here are some budget-friendly ways to celebrate your kids.

• Movie date at home

Movie date does not have to be at the cinema, you can turn your living room into a movie theater.

Select a family-friendly movie, prepare popcorn and snacks, and create a cozy viewing area with blankets and pillows.

To make it even more fun for the kids, you can make DIY movie tickets and make the kids buy them with paper money. This will spice up the movie date.

• Picnic

Picnic is another way to celebrate your children in a minimal but memorable way.

You can visit a park around you to organise a mini family picnic. All you need is to pack some inexpensive snacks or have homemade snacks, foods, drinks, and games.

If visiting a park is not feasible, you can enjoy the picnic in your own space — balcony or compound. Spread out a blanket or mats, bring in some games, foods and have a nice time outside your house.

• Buy simple gifts

Children love gifts and will be appreciative no matter how small or inexpensive you think it is.

Get budget-friendly toys, and games that can be educative and entertaining as present for your kids to celebrate them on this day. Such gifts include puzzles, colouring books, comic books, and novels.

You can even make or buy customised gifts to add that personal touch. You can print their names or pet names on water bottles, jewelry, pens, or journals/diaries.

• Cook together

Involve your children in baking and cooking to make them feel involved and proud of themselves.

You can plan to bake simple pastries with the kids and assign them simple tasks like mixing ingredients and decorating.

It can also be a meal, you can make it special by trying out new recipes, dazzling them with a meal they have not had before. Make them involved in all of the processes.

To keep these memories, you can also set up your camera and record the process.

• Volunteer

Aside from celebrating your kids’ awesomeness, Children’s Day can also be used to teach them good values and morals.

You can organise a small visit to the less privileged or care house with your kids in your locality. Encourage your kids to give out some old and new toys, clothes, shoes and snacks.

Making them participate in these simple acts of kindness will help foster empathy and a caring spirit in them.

• Sporting activities

Organise a mini sports day for your kids in your available space to have fun and create memories.

You do not have to buy any sporting materials, you can just use what you have in the house. So activities can include board games — snake and ladder, scrabble, sack races, and ball games.

• Exploring culture

Children’s Day is also an opportunity to teach your kids history, culture, and art.

You can take them to museums and galleries to make them aware of your cultural and natural heritage.

To make it even more budget-friendly, you can just share traditional Nigerian stories and songs with your children in the comfort of your home.

You can also have a traditional dance party in the house where you introduce them to your cultural songs, dances, and games.

This is a great way to pass down cultural heritage and spend quality time together.