This is a sponsored blog post and I was compensated by Build-A-Bear Workshop. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All three of my kids love teddy bears so with National Teddy Bear Day happening on September 9th, I knew they would love celebrating with a Teddy Bear Picnic! There’s no right or wrong way to throw one, but here are my tips on how to throw a teddy bear picnic!

Food

There are so many great food ideas for a teddy bear picnic! From teddy bear sandwiches (made with a bear cookie cutter) to a teddy graham cracker snack mix, my kids loved having a teddy bear themed meal. Of course, they loved ending their meal with a treat of gummi bears!

Activities

There are a few different things you could do during your teddy bear picnic! You could watch a movie featuring a favorite bear – Winnie the Pooh, Brother Bear or Paddington – and reading books is definitely a must at a teddy bear picnic. A few of my favorite books include:

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Where’s My Teddy?

Corduroy

Biscuit and the Lost Teddy Bear

Do Super Heroes Have Teddy Bears?

Coloring is always fun during a picnic too and I’ve got a fun teddy bear coloring page just for you! Click on the photos below to print!

Teddy Bears

Of course, you have to get your teddy bears in on the action. While my kids have their beloved teddy bears (my son still has one from when he was born which means it’s 9 years old!) it’s always fun to get a new one and what better time is there than National Teddy Bear Day on September 9th? Head to Build-A-Bear Workshop on September 8th or 9th and guests can make their own limited-edition National Teddy Bear Day Bear for only $5.50, plus tax. Build-A-Bear Workshop will also offer Traditional Cocoa Bear online for $10.50 at buildabear.com.

In honor of National Teddy Bear Day and the brand’s 20th birthday, which will be officially celebrated in October, Build-A-Bear is donating 20,000 furry friends to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The company will also donate 1,000 furry friends to Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada, as well as 6,000 furry friends to Childhood First and other children’s charities in the United Kingdom. Throughout the National Teddy Bear Day celebration on Sept. 8 and 9, Guests of Build-A-Bear Workshop stores can also donate to Boys & Girls Clubs of America at checkout.

You’re never too old for a teddy bear, and in a recent survey commissioned by Build-A-Bear, a number of surprising furry-friend findings were uncovered:

• The Majority Hugs. Across generations, more than half of all respondents surveyed mentioned they still own a stuffed animal! 40% of respondents sleep with their stuffed animal by their side.
• Keepsake Teddy. 56% of respondents have owned (and held onto) their favorite stuffed animal for more than two decades. Additionally, more than 70% said they plan to keep their stuffed animal forever (72%).
• Memories of Comfort. 30% of respondents said a feeling of comfort was the first memory that came to mind when thinking about a childhood stuffed animal, followed by the memory of the person who gave it to them (22%), and the stuffed animal’s appearance (19%).
• Home is Where the Bear Is. Adults living in the southern United States are most likely to have a stuffed animal (75%), followed by residents of the Midwest (72%) and Northeast (70%).

I have fond memories of the teddy bears I had when I was a child and only wish I had been able to hold on to them! I know that I’ll encourage my kids to hang on to theirs for when they get older.

There’s a few ways you can participate in National Teddy Bear Day in addition to throwing a Teddy Bear Picnic!

• Visit buildabear.com/national-teddy-bear-day/ to learn more about the in-store event and find a nearby Build-A-Bear Workshop location.
• Follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and share a favorite teddy bear or Build-A-Bear Workshop memory with hashtag #NationalTeddyBearDay and @BuildABear.

Win it!

Thanks to Build-A-Bear Workshop, I’m giving one lucky reader a $100 gift card to pick out some teddy bears of their own! Enter the Rafflecopter form below.

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