The Backwards Birthday Party

The Backwards Birthday Party written by Tom Chapin and John Forster and illustrated by  Chuck Groenink (2015)

This funny song has been turned into an even funnier picture book! Join in the celebration as the birthday boy eats and upside down birthday cake with hot ice cream. The donkey pinned his tail on the party goers and birthday boy gave presents to all his guests. The clock ran backwards so by the end of the day the birthday boy was actually one year younger than he was the day before!

 

What fun a backward birthday would be! It’s not your birthday? That’s okay, you can still have some backward fun today.

First of all, be sure you wear your clothes inside out and backwards. Walk backwards down the stairs if you dare. Sit backward in your chair. Maybe eat your dessert before your meal!

Then, learn to sing the song so you can sing along with the authors as you turn the pages.

 Don’t forget counting backwards as an important preschool and kindergarten skill. Begin by sitting on the floor and counting forward from 1 to 10 as you slowly stand up. Then reverse and count backwards from 10 to 1 as you slowly sit back down. As little bodies get used to counting and moving slowly up and down, try speeding up the count. It’s lots of fun and good exercise too!

Another good counting activity involves hopping on a number line forward and backward. Draw a number line on the sidewalk with a large piece of chalk and have your child hop forward and backward. You can add simple addition and subtraction skills to your number line activity by calling out +3 -1 +5 -2 until you and your child are ready for another activity.