International Day of Families | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with International Day of Families. For official information, themes, and resources, please visit the United Nations website: www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-of-families.

Friday 15th May 2026

Understanding International Day of Families in EYFS & KS1

Let's celebrate all the wonderful people who make up our families! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦💖 International Day of Families is a special day celebrated every year on May 15th. It was started by the United Nations in 1993 because they wanted everyone to remember how important families are all over the world. This day is a chance to learn about different kinds of families, and to understand how families help us grow and learn. Every year, the United Nations picks a special theme to help us think about different things that families do and the challenges they might face, but also all the joy they bring!

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderfully personal and empathetic theme for exploring families (diverse structures and roles), relationships, kindness and friendship, emotions and feelings, and personal, social & emotional development (PSED). It's about helping children understand who makes up their family, the special bonds they share, and how to show love and kindness to those closest to them. This day offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about family love and belonging both essential and heartwarming!

Why Is Learning About Families Important for Young Children?

Integrating International Day of Families and themes of family bonds and kindness into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is helpful for nurturing healthy family relationships, developing social-emotional skills, and promoting empathy.

• Celebrates Family Diversity: Acknowledges that families come in many shapes and sizes, and that all families are special.

• Fosters Positive Relationships: Encourages appreciation, respect, and kindness among family members and close friends who are "like family."

• Develops Sense of Belonging: Helps children feel secure, loved, and part of a supportive unit.

• Enhances Emotional Literacy: Provides opportunities to discuss feelings like love, joy, and comfort within family contexts.

• Promotes Communication: Encourages children to talk about their families and the special people in their lives.

• Reinforces Kindness: Directs focus on specific acts of kindness and appreciation towards family members and friends.

Engaging Family & Kindness Activities for International Day of Families (0-7 Year Olds)

Let's give our families a big hug and celebrate for International Day of Families with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on family, friendship, and kindness! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated 'Families' and 'Kindness and Friendship' resources, as well as broader 'Emotions and Feelings' and 'All About Me' themed materials.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating International Day of Families in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)

• Celebrate All Types of Families:

  • Discuss different types of families and who lives in each child's home. Emphasise that "family" means the special people who love and care for us.

  • Use 'Families - Topic Display Banners' to decorate your space, celebrating diverse family structures.

  • Have children create their own 'Families - 'My Family' Picture Frame Booklet' or 'My Family' Booklet', allowing them to represent their own family.

  • Engage with 'Families - 'Family' Themed Colouring Sheets', 'Families - Posters', 'Families - Make A Family Member - Playdough Mat', and 'Families - Draw A Family Member'.

  • Encourage drawing and writing about family members with 'Families - 'My Family' Vertical Writing/Drawing Sheets’, 'Families - 'My Family' Horizontal Writing/Drawing Sheets', and 'Families - 'My Family' Vertical Writing/Drawing Sheets'.

• Kindness and Friendship Within Families:

  • Focus on what makes a good family member or a good friend. Use 'Kindness And Friendship - ‘What Makes A Good Friend’ Mark Making'.

  • Encourage children to perform 'Acts Of Kindness' Activity And Display', and record them on 'Acts Of Kindness' Mark Making/Drawing/Writing A4 Sheet'.

  • Have children make cards for their family members or special friends who are like family, using 'Friendship' Card Templates', 'Thank-You For Being My Friend!' Cards', or 'Thank-You For Being Kind!' Cards - Horizontal'.

  • Celebrate kindness with 'Kindness And Friendship - Display Certificates/Notes' and 'Kind To Me' Display Certificates/Notes'.

  • Reinforce positive social interactions with 'Be The Reason Someone Smiles Poster'.

  • Link to collaborative play activities like 'Outdoor Picnic Area - 'At Our Picnic We...' Display' or 'Beach - Who Will Share This Shell?'.

• Emotional Understanding & Connection:

  • Discuss the range of emotions experienced in family relationships (e.g., happiness when playing together, sadness when missing someone, joy when sharing).

  • Use 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Sad?' Activity Pack' and 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Happy?' Activity Pack' to explore feelings.

  • Introduce resources that encourage connection, like 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Cards'.

  • Discuss worries and coping mechanisms using 'When I Feel Worried - Prompt Templates' and 'Mental Health - 'Healthy Minds' Poster’.

• All About Me & Our Place in the Family:

  • Have children talk about themselves and their family members (linking to ‘All About Me’).

  • Use 'Transitions - 'This Is Me' Sheets - Black And White' for self-reflection.

• Creative & Play-based Activities:

  • Integrate general creative resources, such as 'Hearts Counting Puzzle/Activity/Game' and 'Colour Mixing Experiment Sheets/Display’.

  • Set up a "home corner" where children can role-play family scenarios using 'Houses And Homes - Home Corner Mark Making Pack'.

• Explore More: You may like to explore additional pages covering relevant and/or connected themes such as ‘All About Me’, ‘Birthdays’, ‘Emotions and Feelings’, ‘Food’, ‘Handwashing and Hygiene’, ‘Holidays, Vacations and Travel’, ‘Houses and Homes’, and ‘The Little Red Hen’.

These activities offer great inspiration for making International Day of Families a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering family bonds, kindness, empathy, and positive social-emotional development.

To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘International Day of Families’

Free ‘Family’ & ‘Kindness’ related EYFS & KS1 resources:

‘Family’ & ‘Kindness’ related EYFS & KS1 resources:

Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or Connected themes

More Early Years Event Pages for May

Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children

Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!

SEARCH ‘LITTLE OWLS Resources’ USING THE FOLLOWING MENU BUTTONS…

Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'International Day of Families'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the United Nations, which proclaimed this observance. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, themes, and resources, please visit the United Nations website: www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-of-families.