Celebrating Absolutely Incredible Kid Day

When I was little, I remember asking my parents, “If Mothers’ Day is in May and Fathers’ Day is in June, when is Kids’ Day?” They chuckled and said, “every day is kids’ day!” At the time I didn’t understand, but as a mom, now I do. Still, though, it has recently come to my attention that there is actually a dedicated Kids’ Day: it takes place on the third Thursday in March, which this year falls on March 15, otherwise known as the Ides of March (no, there’s no relation), and it’s called Absolutely Incredible Kids Day, and you can find more information on their facebook page – AbsolutelyIncredibleKidDay.

The point of Absolutely Incredible Kids Day is not to shower your children with gifts or to serve them breakfast in bed, although you could do those things if you wanted to. AIKD is a national call to action for adults to encourage the young people in their life by telling them how special and important they are – this is a great thing to celebrate! Camp Fire USA started the holiday 16 years ago as a campaign encouraging adults to write letters expressing their love and support of their own amazing offspring, as well as other super kids that they know. Letters are easy enough for anyone to write, and they don’t take any money out of a strapped budget. They’re also a dying breed, in today’s world of emails, texts and Facebook wall posts! If you want to participate but have a bit of writer’s block, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Look up some quotes or poems that may have special meaning to you or to your child. You could start your letter with a few lines from a favorite childhood poem, or with a quote that is about motherhood, love or growing up.
• Make a list of words and phrases that describe your child. Be as specific as possible. Is he exceptionally kind to his siblings? Is she great with animals? Does he excel at a certain sport, or have a mind for math? Is she the most sought-after babysitter in your neighborhood? Include these attributes in your letter.
• If your child has been going through a difficult time with friends or at school, or simply having trouble dealing with the normal ups and downs of growing up, add some encouragement to your letter. Include a few words about how you may have gone through the same types of trials and tribulations as a child.
• Write your letter by hand on nice stationery. Your child might save it for years, and it will be something nice to look back on. Add a touch of glitter or a few stickers; think about what might appeal to your child.

After you have written them a special note here are some ideas for things you could do with them after school…

• Before they leave for school ask them what they would like for dinner. Let them choose the menu for dinner (even if its breakfast food)!
• Take them to the park after school or some special activity that would be out of the norm for the middle of the week.
• Make a special craft with them or do an activity they like such as taking bike ride or kicking the ball around in the yard
• Make it kids choice for the bedtime story you choose that night

I’m looking forward to doing this on March 15, and I think that this will become an annual tradition in our home. Have you celebrated Absolutely Incredible Kids Day before? Will you do it this year?