International Day of Friendship | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is not affiliated with the United Nations, the official organisers of the International Day of Friendship. For official information, please visit the United Nations' website: www.un.org/en/observances/friendship-day

Thursday 30th July 2026

Understanding International Day of Friendship / World Friendship Day in EYFS & KS1

International Day of Friendship (also known as World Friendship Day), observed annually on July 30th, is a heartwarming occasion dedicated to celebrating the power of friendship and its importance in fostering peace and understanding across cultures. For young children, it's a perfect opportunity to explore what it means to be a good friend, how we connect with others, and the joy that strong bonds can bring.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderfully positive theme to focus on personal, social and emotional development (PSED). It's about encouraging empathy, teaching social skills, and celebrating the unique relationships children form with their peers. This day offers great planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activity invitations that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about kindness and friendship both meaningful and fun.

Why Is Teaching About Friendship & Kindness Valuable for Young Children?

Integrating lessons about friendship and kindness into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) fosters their social-emotional development, building positive relationships, and creating a harmonious learning environment. During their early years, children are actively learning how to interact with the world and those around them.

• Social Skills Development: Learning how to share, take turns, listen, and resolve conflicts are fundamental social skills that are essential for successful interactions and future relationships.

• Empathy and Understanding: Exploring the concept of friendship helps children put themselves in others' shoes, understand different feelings, and respond with compassion.

• Emotional Well-being: Having friends and experiencing acts of kindness contributes significantly to a child's sense of belonging, self-worth, and overall happiness.

• Communication: Friendship encourages children to communicate their needs, feelings, and ideas effectively, both verbally and non-verbally.

• Building Community: Celebrating friendship within your setting fosters a strong sense of community and mutual respect among children and adults alike.

• Positive Behaviour: Focusing on what makes a good friend naturally promotes positive behaviours like sharing, helping, and including others.

Engaging Friendship & Kindness Activities for World Friendship Day (0-7 Year Olds)

Making International Day of Friendship a joyful and heart-warming success is easy with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on connection, communication, and celebrating the bonds we share! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by the printable resources we have available.

Here's some inspiration for nurturing friendship and kindness in your setting. The following ideas may be adapted for various EYFS and KS1 settings. In EYFS, these ideas are best viewed as invitations to explore, investigate and engage in meaningful play rather than activities every child is expected to complete. Practitioners may choose to follow children's interests. In KS1, some ideas may also be used within more structured learning opportunities where appropriate.

Printable resources to support the following ideas may be found further down this page.

(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.)

• Friendship Circle Time: Gather children to discuss "What makes a good friend?" Use our 'Kindness and Friendship - ‘What makes a good friend’ Mark Making' sheet to help them draw or write their ideas. Encourage them to share examples of when a friend was kind to them.

• Acts of Kindness Challenge: Brainstorm simple acts of kindness children can do (e.g., helping a friend, sharing a toy, giving a compliment). Our ‘Acts of Kindness’ Activity and Display' can be used to track or celebrate these. For creative expression, use the ‘Acts of Kindness’ Mark Making/Drawing/Writing A4 Sheet'.

• "My Lovely Friend" Creations: Provide materials for children to draw or mark-make pictures of their friends. Our 'Kindness and Friendship - 'My lovely friend' Mark Making' is perfect for this. They can then share their creations and say why that person is their lovely friend.

• Creating Friendship Cards: Encourage children to make or decorate cards for their friends or for someone they appreciate. Our 'Friendship' Card Templates' offer a great starting point. They can also use our ‘Thank-You For Being My Friend!' Cards' to express gratitude.

• Connection and Movement Activities: Use our 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Cards' to inspire activities that promote teamwork and connection, like group games or cooperative building tasks.

• Kindness Display & Certificates: Recognise and celebrate acts of kindness and good friendship. Use our 'Kindness and Friendship - Display Certificates/Notes' or ‘Kind to Me' Display Certificates/Notes' to acknowledge children's efforts in being thoughtful friends.

• Role-Play Friendship Scenarios: Set up scenarios where children can practice being good friends, sharing, or helping each other. Discuss different ways to solve conflicts or invite someone to play.

• "Let's Show Kindness" Prompts: Our 'Let's Show Kindness - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Show Kindness - Activity Prompt Cards' can be displayed to remind children about different ways to demonstrate kindness throughout the day.

• Friendship Bracelets/Chains: A classic activity where children can make simple friendship bracelets or paper chains, discussing how each link represents a friend or an act of kindness.

• Singing Songs about Friendship: Incorporate songs that celebrate friendship, helping, and being kind. This is a wonderful way to reinforce positive messages through music.

These activities offer great inspiration for making International Day of Friendship a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering valuable social and emotional skills.

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 Friendship/World Friendship Day’

Many more inspiring resources can be found on our ‘Kindness and Friendship’ page!

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

More Early Years Event Pages for July

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!

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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 Friendship / World Friendship Day'. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United Nations or any official organisers of this specific international observance. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this day. For official information, please visit www.un.org/en/observances/friendship-day.