Amiable Activities 

Try the free group activity below with your clients. The amiable activity page usually focuses on activities that are thought provoking, service oriented, goal directed or event oriented. They are useful in the geriatric setting or with adults in a variety of settings. Each month or every other month a new free activity is posted. Joi our mailing list to hear about web updates and events. Would you like to suggest an activity or game? Visit our feedback page by clicking on the button above. To order group activity products from Therapy Resources Inc. visit the Store.

Read the information then try the activities below

Happy Birthday to You! Mildred J. Hill

June 27 1859

The song Happy Birthday to You was composed by a schoolteacher named Mildred J. Hill. She was born on June 27, 1859 in Louisville, Kentucky. Mildred wrote the melody while she worked in a kindergarten school where her sister was the principal. Her sister Patty Smith Hill wrote the lyrics. The song was originally called "Good Morning to All" and was a greeting song used in the nursery school. The lyrics were first published in a book entitled Song Stories for the Kindergarten  in 1893. 

The song became more popularly known as good morning to you and at some point a second verse was added with the words Happy Birthday to You. This amended version appeared first in a songbook published by Robert Coleman in 1924. In some references it is claimed that Patty Smith Hill composed the second verse and in others it indicates that the author is unclear. However the second verse soon became widely popular and Happy Birthday is the most often sung song in the world. 

There was some controversy surrounding the copyright to the song. Jessica Hill sister to Mildred and Patty obtained the copyright in 1935 to the song "Happy Birthday" and under the current laws the copyright will remain intact until 2030. Who currently holds the rights is also the subject of discussion as you'll find out if you research further. Copyright protection helps to insure that when the song is used for commercial purposes, such as movies and TV shows,  the copyright holder will be paid royalties. If the song is performed in public a license should be obtained, However singing "Happy Birthday" at a family gathering is not copyright infringement. 

Activities: 

Share the story of Happy Birthday with the group. Visit the following sites to learn more: 

Happy Birthday We'll Sue (tells the story and explores the controversy and urban legend)

Fun Facts About Happy Birthday info from Ibilblio.

Exposing the Happy Birthday Story site an OP/Ed article. 

Listen to the chord progression and read again about the song at the Songtrellis site. 

Watch a movie or two during the month in which Happy Birthday is sung. Visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) site to get some movie ideas. 

Talk about birthdays and birthday parties in general. Have a reminiscing group about them. Discuss birthday traditions from other parts of the world find some information at this Kids Parties site. 

Have a birthday party for Happy Birthday, Mildred J. Hill and your group. Find some new party game ideas at Party Games Central (PGC) or try some non competitive games like those in the Co OP Games Manual or Co Op Parlor Games books. 

Try using one or two of the exercises from Drawing On The Past such as number 5 Gift Box or number 20 Celebration Cake to stimulate more discussion about Birthday parties or parties in general . Use one of the Storylines 2 outlines  (such as Celebrate a Holiday or Anonymous Gift) to have the group tell a story about Birthdays or Parties.  

   "The value of a man resides in what he gives, And not in what he is capable of receiving."

 - Albert Einstein