Celebrating Spiritual Birthdays with Kids

When we decide to follow Jesus, it's the very best decision we can make. So why not celebrate it every single year? We celebrate our kids' birthdays, but the day they accept Jesus is even more exciting.

A spiritual birthday is celebrated on the same day each year that someone chooses to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It may seem like you could never forget it, but it’s so important to write down the day your child makes this decision. If it’s already happened and you don’t remember it, don’t worry! Just pick a date that is close to when it probably occurred and celebrate that day each year. On your child's spiritual birthday, you can remind them of what Jesus did for them and of their identity in Him.

Here are some ideas of how to celebrate spiritual birthdays in your home and make them special.

1- Buy a journal or binder and have your child write each year on their spiritual birthday. We bought these plain binders for our kids. Plan to have your child write on that same day each year about his or her faith in Jesus. It will be fun to read through when they are older and to see where they were each year in their faith. You can also add pictures of your child each year to your binder or notebook.

2- Do a special foot washing ceremony. Get a bowl or dish of warm water and place it on top of a towel at the foot of a chair. Tell your child about how Jesus washed his disciples feet and then say something like this,“In the same way, (child’s name), as your parent, I am here to love and serve you. I love you very much, you are so very special to me.”

3- Have your child practice sharing his or her testimony. This doesn't have to be just on their spiritual birthday, it should be often. My friend, Alyssa, has made it a value in her family for each member to retell their stories of choosing Jesus often, "kind of like retelling our favorite stories, with the hope that our kids will know them and we can keep celebrating what God has done and is still doing in all our lives." I love this so much!

4- Choose a verse for your child. One of my friends chooses a new verse for her child each year. She prays about it ahead of time, and prints it out to post it in his room.

4- Celebrate with a cake, cupcake, or other special dessert.

5- Give your child a gift that will help grow their faith. This year was our first spiritual birthday for our two older kids. We gave them fun fabric markers and blank canvas bags to decorate. The purpose of this gift was so that they would have a Bible bag to take to church. Other gift ideas are age appropriate devotionals, fun Bible highlighters, or a new Bible.

6- Write a letter to your child each year sharing with them the ways you have seen God at work in their lives.

7- Present them with this certificate and card.

We want to hear your ideas and traditions too? How do you celebrate?