7 easy-to-prepare surprise ideas that will make kids happy

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my whole disclosure here.

Inside: Preparing surprises for kids is an awesome way to make them feel loved! Here is a list of our favorite surprise ideas. They are easy to put into practice and they will bring kids a lot of joy!

Last year, when we celebrated our son’s fourth birthday, we really wanted to prepare something special for him.

So instead of a traditional birthday gift, we decided to offer him a surprise trip to San Diego where we visited some awesome places that I knew he would love.

And it was amazing!

I feel that this was the best gift that we could have chosen for him and I am very happy that everything came out as we dreamed.

If you are curious to find out all the details about how we planned this surprise, you can read all about it here: The best birthday surprise that I ever prepared for my child.

This has been by far the biggest surprise that I’ve prepared for him until now. But I also like to prepare little surprises for him anytime I have the chance.

I am a big fan of surprises because I think that they make childhood more magical and are a great way to show our kids how much we love them!

This is why I want to share with you a list of easy and awesome surprise ideas that you can prepare for your child anytime.

It’s really simple to prepare little surprises that make children happy! And it is totally worthwhile!

Here are some of our favorite ideas.

1. Offer your child an invitation to a special mom-child date.

Kids love to get some special attention and a nice invitation will make them look forward to going on a date with you!

If you want some inspiration, here is a great list of ideas for kids of all ages: 20 awesome date ideas that will make kids feel happy.

2. Plan a “yes day” for your child

Every kid will certainly enjoy this!

A “yes day” is a day when you accept all the child’s ideas and proposals, even if they are unusual (like eating breakfast on the kitchen countertop).

You can still set some rules that the child is not allowed to break, like not doing dangerous things. But letting the child decide what you’ll do can be really fun for both of you!

If you are not prepared for a full day of this, you can start with a “yes morning” to see how it goes.

3. Decorate your house to surprise your child

The best way to plan the surprise at home is to prepare everything after the child falls asleep. This way you’ll make sure that the surprise is ready in the morning.

Here are some easy ideas to try:

Decorate the bathroom mirror with a lovely message for the child. You can use a window marker or a dry-erase marker.
Hide a note in a balloon and invite the child to pop it. The note inside can be an invitation to a surprise activity or just a love note from you.
Fill the living room with balloons at night and the child will discover them first thing in the morning.
Hide sweet notes for the child all over the house, in places where you know that the kid will easily find them throughout the day.

4. Plan a free day in the middle of the week

If you are a working mom, planning a free day in the middle of the week can be a great way to surprise your child!

You can follow the same morning routine as usual and just before arriving at (pre)school, tell your child that you will spend the whole day together! I’m sure that any child will love this surprise!

During the day you can plan a lot of nice activities that you don’t usually have the chance to do together during the week (like visiting a museum, going to the zoo, participating in a workshop, eating lunch together).

5. Plan a surprise playdate

Talk with the parents of some of your child’s best friends and plan a surprise playdate. The surprise of seeing their friends coming by unexpectantly will bring kids a lot of joy!

6. Plan a special family game night or a movie night

There are many ways to make a family night special:

plan a movie marathon with your child’s favorite movies
buy (or borrow) a new board game and discover it together
invite your child’s best friend to join you for a game night or a movie night.

7. Prepare a surprise celebration

Tell your child that you are planning a special celebration at dinner time. You don’t need a special occasion to celebrate!

You can simply tell your child that you want to celebrate the joy of having such a wonderful child. Or you can prepare a little “birthday” party for their favorite stuffed animal (or doll).

Here are some ideas to make the dinner more special:

Prepare your child’s favorite meal for dinner.
For dessert, bake (or buy) a mini-cake or some delicious muffins.
If you have some party supplies in the house (like hats, balloons, confetti, party plates, etc), use them to create a special atmosphere during dinner.
Prepare a handmade card with a lovely message for your child.
Built a nice fort using a table, a blanket, and some decoration and celebrate inside it.

I’m pretty sure that your child will be super happy to attend this special dinner! And you’ll have a great time too!

I hope that you liked this list of ideas and that it will inspire you to prepare nice surprises for your kids!