Happy Tooth Fairy Day!
This Sunday, February 28, marks an important holiday for imaginaries, thought wanderers, and creative dreamers everywhere—not to mention children! Tooth Fairy Day is a fun holiday to remember the importance of whimsy and imagination in childhood. Here are ten things you can do to celebrate with your little one.
10. See the new Tooth Fairy movie. Your kids will get a chuckle while Dad catches a hockey flick and Mom can ogle Dwayne Johnson—everyone wins! Not interested in the movie? Try another fairy-related film, such as any of the Tinkerbell series, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, Peter Pan (the newest film version is delightful!), Fairy Tale: A True Story, Thumbelina, Ferngully, or even some Smurfs episodes.
9. Host a fairy tea party. Family Fun magazine recently ran a wonderful how-to about doing this, including making fairy bowers, wands, treats, and more. This is definitely something we’ll be doing in our household!
8. Make fairy crafts. From simple drawn fairies to magic wands to fairy dust, there is a plethora of amazing things you can make. Try your hand at a fairy house. For a very simple fairy wand that I’ve always loved, glue two jewel stars back to back with hot glue at the tip of an iridescent pipe cleaner. Simple, yet very effective and fun to play with!
7. Dress up as fairies. What could be more fun? Make or buy your own wings and make your costumes as wild or as pretty as you like. Full costumes are available at many party supply stores, too.
6. Create your own fairy. Make up his or her name, outfit, personality, special powers—every detail. Write a story about your fairy. Maybe you could even make him or her into a comic book/strip!
5. Read plenty of fairy stories. Ask your librarian for help if you need it. Try Fairy Houses, How to Find Flower Fairies, and Fairyopolis. Older readers might appreciate a teen series such as Tithe.
4. Learn a fairy song. Loreena McKennit’s “The Mummer’s Dance” makes for a great fairy ring dance, and there are many other New Age singers who perform music about magical folk as well.
3. Make something to keep teeth in. Whether it’s a special box or pillow or even a simple envelope, have something dedicated to just holding teeth that have fallen out before the tooth fairy can get to them.
2. Leave a meal out for the fairies. If you’re into earthy religion or even simply mythological concepts, you might already offer sweets to the fairies during Midsummer and other holidays. Delve into some mythology texts and explore the fairy world together and find out more about fairies in a historical perspective.
1. Celebrate, no matter your age. Even if your children believe they’ve outgrown the Tooth Fairy, remind them that it’s the magic and wonder of childhood that’s so important with this tradition by continuing to hold little rituals—such as the tea party above—as well as new ones for milestones, birthdays, and coming-of-age events. My mother always told us that Santa Clause was the spirit of Christmas (once we stopped believing) and we can do the same thing with Madame Fairy, who is one of the many spirits of childhood.
