A kindergarten teacher explained why cupcakes aren’t the best treat for parents to bring to their kids’ school birthday celebrations. She’s now getting a ton of hate online.
For some people, celebrating a birthday at school was a fun part of their childhood. If your birthday fell on a weekday, or if your parents just wanted to do something nice for you and your classmates, they may bring in cake, cupcakes, or another sweet treat to commemorate with the class.
(Though who remembers those kids whose parents would instead bring them a fast-food meal, making them lunch royalty that day?)
This is an especially convenient way to celebrate if your child is younger or most of their friends are from school. No need to rally all the kids and parents outside of school if it’s not necessary or out of budget.
But if you’re gonna go this route, Ann Brackemyer (@kbcrayons), kindergarten teacher and mom of four, has a simple suggestion. She shared the suggestion in a TikTok with more than 2 million views.
“I love to celebrate birthdays in my classroom, but I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but please don’t bring cupcakes,” Brackemyer says.
She explains that they make a “ginormous mess,” and the kids “honestly don’t eat them that great.” Honestly, even adults don’t do a great job with cupcakes. The sheer amount of frosting they are topped with makes them an inherently messy dessert. So we understand why they’re even harder for kids to eat.
Better options
Instead of cupcakes, Brackemyer offers several other alternatives:
- Cookies: They can be any cookies your kids like. But sugar cookies with sprinkles are a classroom favorite.
- Donuts: They come in a variety of sizes and flavors. They can also be decorated in fun ways.
- Ice cream cups: They are a good option if your teacher has a freezer in their room or in the breakroom. It just requires a bit of extra coordination.
- Just about any Little Debbie snack: While Cosmic Brownies are a favorite, any other snack will do. And you can even bring a variety of boxes.
- Rice Krispies Treats: These were recommended by a parent in the comments section who said they’re easy to make and not too messy to eat.
“I love to celebrate birthdays in my classroom and encourage birthday treats. I find in my years teaching the suggestions I have given work better and the children enjoy them more,” Brackemyer told the Daily Dot in a direct message,
@kbcrayons Lets talk birthdays in the classroom! 🎉. These are some great options for birthday treats. 🎂🥳🎊🎈🎉 Keep it simple. #kindergarten #kindergartenteacher #kindergartenlife #backtoschool2024 #teacher #tiktok #teachertok #teachersoftiktok #kindergartenmom #kindergartenbirthday #birthdaytreats #walmart ♬ original sound – KBcrayons
Be mindful of restrictions
It’s important to check your school or district’s policy on bringing outside food into the classroom for celebrations since some may prohibit it or have specific rules, like only allowing store-bought food vs. homemade.
One of the most common things to take into consideration is allergies. Some kids may be allergic to nuts, gluten, or lactose, among other allergies.
Aside from allergies, there may be certain things that their parent may not want them to eat.
The kindergarten teacher has gone viral before for explaining why Target’s fidget toy pencil pouch is a distraction in class.
People in the comments section had mixed reactions to Brackemyer’s video.
“Send cupcakes!!!!!!!!!!! extra frosting,” a top comment read.
“As a preschool teacher bring anything spaghetti if you want!!! whatever I can do to make your child happy,” a person wrote.
“She’s giving suggestions..they all seem helpful i don’t get why yall are so upset,” another said.
“Some of y’all in the comments dont understand the difference between ‘here are some suggestions that go smoother in my experience’ and ‘you have to do these or the teacher hates you’” a commenter added.
The Daily Dot reached out to the school teacher for comment via Instagram direct message.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
