Birthday parties get most of the planning attention, but for many children, the birthday morning is the part they remember. Waking up to something different, being the centre of attention at breakfast, the feeling that the day belongs to them: it's a small window with a lot of magic in it.

The best traditions are simple enough to repeat every year. Repetition is what turns an idea into a tradition, and it's what children look forward to. Here are some ideas to choose from, with an official touch from the Department of Birthdays.

Decorate overnight

Few things beat waking up to a transformed room. Decorations don't need to be elaborate: a few balloons outside the bedroom door, a banner over the breakfast table, streamers across the doorway. The effect is all in the surprise.

Some families tape streamers across the bedroom doorway for the birthday child to burst through. Others fill the bedroom floor with balloons while they sleep. Just keep the path to the bathroom clear, and keep balloons away from very young children, as burst pieces can be a choking hazard.

A special breakfast

Breakfast is an easy place to start a tradition: a favourite meal, pancakes in the shape of the new age, a candle in a muffin, or simply the birthday plate, a special plate that only comes out once a year. The tradition is the point, not the menu.

If school-day mornings are rushed, move the special breakfast to the nearest weekend and keep the weekday morning to one small surprise. Nobody has ever complained about a birthday that lasts all week.

Measure and mark

A pencil mark on a doorframe, a growth chart or a photo in the same spot each year all create a record that becomes more precious with time. Children love seeing how far they've come, and grown-ups love it even more.

Pair it with a birthday interview: the same handful of questions every year, written down or recorded. What's your favourite food? Who's your best friend? What do you want to be when you grow up? What was the best thing about being the age you just were? The answers, read back years later, are pure gold.

Make it official

Children love ceremony, and a birthday is the perfect excuse. An official proclamation, read aloud at breakfast, gives the day a formal start: hear ye, hear ye, this child is hereby declared one year older, with all the privileges that entails.

The Bureau's Official Birthday Proclamation from the Department of Birthdays does exactly this. It confirms the new age, certifies that wisdom has increased by exactly one year and lists the traditional birthday privileges, with an ornate border and the Keeper of Candles' seal. Read it like a town crier. Volume is part of the ceremony.

Kept in a folder year after year, the proclamations become their own record of childhood.

Birthday privileges

Many families give the birthday child a few special privileges for the day. They needn't cost anything:

• Choosing what's for dinner.
• Being excused from one chore.
• Picking the music in the car.
• Staying up fifteen minutes later than usual.
• Choosing the family activity or film for the evening.

Classroom and summer birthdays

Children with summer birthdays sometimes miss out on classroom celebrations. A half-birthday celebrated during the school year is a lovely fix, and the Department of Birthdays recognises half-birthdays as fully official.

Teachers who'd like every child to have the same moment can make a proclamation for each birthday through the year and read it aloud at morning circle. It's quick, inclusive and doesn't involve cake.

A letter from you

Some parents write a short letter every birthday, sealed and saved for when the child is older. It doesn't need to be long: what they were like this year, what made you laugh, what you're proud of. It takes ten minutes, and years later the collection is a treasure.

Including siblings

Birthdays can be tough for brothers and sisters who aren't the centre of attention. A small role, such as helping decorate, carrying the breakfast candle or reading part of the proclamation aloud, helps everyone feel part of the day.

Traditions that grow with them

As children get older, some traditions change shape. A seven-year-old might still adore the balloons; a ten-year-old might prefer a special outing with one grown-up. Letting the birthday child help design next year's morning keeps the traditions feeling like theirs.

Keep it about them

Ultimately, the best birthday morning is one where your child feels seen. A list of traditions is only useful if it fits your family. Pick one or two ideas, repeat them every year and let them grow into something your child might one day do for their own family.