The Birthday Gratitude & Dream Book

I created this in hopes of having a lasting positive impact upon a young person I care about, but whom I no longer see regularly. It’s a way of being present in spirit. I’m sharing it with you here in hopes that it might benefit many kids.

Designed for young people ages 4 to 18, it provides a short set of reflective questions and drawing (or collage) activities for them to experience on or near their birthday each year.

You or another supportive adult can assist them with they’re younger, providing bonding time. As they grow older, they can continue to complete it with an adult or on their own.

The questions and activities are intended to capture some of a young person’s essence, in a fun way that also promotes reflective, gratitude-based thinking.

As they grow older, they can look back on their responses to remember and confirm important parts of themselves that many of us forget or suppress over time. These can be especially valuable to access during times of life transition, career decision making, and so on.

We’re often more honest with ourselves as children than we are as adults.

Questions cover topics such as:

• What do they enjoy the most?
• What’s most important to them?
• What kind of people do they enjoy being around?
• How do they most enjoy giving and receiving?

I often ask coaching clients to reflect upon the things for which they’re grateful, and to recall times in their lives when they felt the most energized and in touch with their true selves. With this book, you can help someone begin to develop such habits at a relatively young age!

Materials needed

• downloadable introductory pages and activities pages
• 3-ring binder (preferably one with a clear front cover “pocket” that you can slide a decorative cover page or photo into)
• 3-hole punch

Optional materials

• photos or photo collage for front cover
• number stickers
• decorative stickers for customizing
• plastic photo sleeve pages

1. Download the introductory pages (two page document, pdf format) and print one copy.

2. Download your preferred version of the activities pages below (pdf format), and print one copy for each year you wish the book to cover. For example, if you’re giving it to a child to use for their 6th through 18th birthdays, print 13 copies.

The six-page version with the last page blank may be useful if you’re printing double-sided, and you want the first page of each section to be facing the same way. The blank page could be used for extra drawing or notes.

• Activities pages (5 pages, no blank page)
• Activities pages (6 pages, last page blank)

I printed my intro pages in color and the remaining pages in black and white through a local print shop.

3. Punch holes in the pages and place them inside the binder.

4. Place optional plastic photo holder sleeves in the binder. You can place one or two after each year’s set of activity pages, or just a bunch at the rear of the binder.

5. Write the child’s name above “Happy birthday!” in the introduction, and write/sign your name at the end.

6. Decorate the outside of the binder and the intro pages with stickers if you wish. If you know how to create printable collages with your favorite photo program, that makes a fun cover. I used LibreOffice Draw.

7. Use a colorful marker or pencil, or colorful stickers, to fill in some or all of the “I am __ years old” blanks at the top of the activity pages. Or, you can leave them all blank for the child to fill in.

8. If you have decorative stickers remaining, you can leave them in the binder for the child to enjoy.