International Picnic Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with International Picnic Day. International Picnic Day is an unofficial observance celebrated annually on June 18th. It is a day dedicated to the simple joy of eating outdoors with friends and family. It encourages us to connect with nature, enjoy fresh air, and share a meal in a relaxed, social setting. As an unofficial day, there is no single founding organisation to credit.

Understanding International Picnic Day in EYFS & KS1

Let's pack a basket, grab a blanket, and head outside for a special meal! 🧺🌳🍎 International Picnic Day is a day to celebrate the simple pleasure of having a meal outdoors, whether it's in the garden, at the park, or in a forest. This day reminds us to take a break from our busy lives and enjoy the simple things, like sunshine, fresh air, and tasty food shared with people we care about.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a fantastic theme for exploring healthy eating, food and nutrition, outdoor learning, social skills, and the five senses. It's about empowering children to plan and prepare a meal, encouraging them to be active outdoors, and teaching them about sharing and working together. This day offers wonderful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about food, friendship, and the great outdoors both essential and wonderfully fun!

Why Is a Picnic Theme Important for Young Children?

Integrating International Picnic Day and themes of healthy eating and outdoor fun into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) can be a fun way to build holistic development and foster positive habits.

• Fosters Healthy Eating: Encourages children to try a variety of healthy, portable foods like fruits and vegetables.

• Encourages Outdoor Learning: Provides a fun reason to get outside, connect with nature, and engage in physical activity.

• Develops Social Skills: Teaches children how to share food, cooperate in a group, and talk to each other in a relaxed setting.

• Enhances Practical Life Skills: Involves children in the process of planning, preparing, and packing a meal.

• Builds a Sense of Community: Creates a shared, enjoyable experience that strengthens friendships and a sense of belonging.

Engaging Picnic Activities for International Picnic Day (EYFS & KS1)

Let's get ready for a lovely picnic for International Picnic Day with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on teamwork, healthy eating, and enjoying the outdoors! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated ‘Food’, ‘Teddy Bears' Picnic’, ‘Gardening’, and ‘Healthy Eating’ resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating International Picnic Day 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. Emphasise positive messages about trying new foods and sharing.)

Planning & Preparing for Our Picnic

• Picnic Menu Planning: As a group, get children to decide what to pack for the picnic. Talk about healthy choices like fruit and vegetables and use resources like 'Healthy Plate - Balanced Diet Posters' for inspiration.

• Making Sandwiches & Snacks: Get children involved in making their own sandwiches, cutting out fun shapes with a cookie cutter, or making colourful fruit skewers. This is a great way to build practical skills and encourage healthy eating. Use our 'My Tasty Sandwich - Writing/Drawing/Mark Making' sheets to draw and write about their creation.

• Shopping for the Picnic: Set up a 'Farm Shop Role-Play Pack' where children can pretend to buy the food needed for their picnic, connecting food to its origins.

• Packing the Basket: Use a real picnic basket and have children sort and pack the items needed, such as plates, cups, and food. Use our 'Teddy Bears' Picnic Basket - Drawing/Art & Craft/Playdough Mat' to get children to think about what they would pack.

The Picnic Experience & Outdoor Fun

• Teddy Bears' Picnic: Invite children to bring their own teddy bears and have a 'Teddy Bears' Picnic'! Use our 'Teddy Bears' Picnic - Role-Play Pack', ''Teddy Bears' Picnic' Banner', and 'Teddy Bears' Picnic Masks' to set the scene. You could also use 'My Teddy - Writing/Drawing/Mark Making' to draw and describe their favourite teddy.

• Picnic Games: Play simple outdoor games that don’t require any printables, such as 'I Spy', rolling a ball, or 'What's the time, Mr. Wolf?'.

• Outdoor Area Display: Use our 'Outdoor Picnic Area - Signs' and 'Outdoor Picnic Area - Word Cards' to create a dedicated picnic spot and a lovely display with 'Outdoor Picnic Area - 'At Our Picnic We...' Display'.

• Picnic Story Time: Find a comfy spot outside and read a picture book about a picnic or a story that takes place outdoors.

Learning Through Food & Numbers

• Counting & Sorting: Use real fruits and vegetables to create our 'Fruit & Vegetable 2-Piece Puzzles' or 'Fruit And Vegetable Size Ordering Cards'. You could also get children to count the items in the picnic basket.

• Playdough Fun: Use our playdough mats for a sensory activity, such as 'Teddy Bears' Picnic Playdough Mats - Number Challenge', 'Carrot Create & Count Playdough Mats', or 'Tomato Create & Count Playdough Mats'.

• Healthy Eating Discussion: Use our posters like 'Healthy Plate - Balanced Diet Posters' or '5 A Day - Poster/Chart' to talk about making healthy food choices for a picnic. You could also use our 'Healthy & Unhealthy Snack Sorting Activity' to talk about which snacks are best.

• Creative Expression: Use resources like 'Fruit & Vegetables - A4 Colouring Sheets' or 'Teddy Bears' Picnic - Colouring Sheets' as a mindful, calm-down activity after the fun.

• Explore More: To explore our extensive catalogue of resources on these themes, please visit our ‘Food’, ‘Healthy Eating’, ‘Outdoor Play’, ‘Recycling’, ‘Stay Safe’, ‘Sun Safety’, and ‘Teddy Bears' Picnic’ pages.

These activities offer great inspiration for making International Picnic Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering healthy habits, outdoor learning, and a lifelong love for food and friendship.

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

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

Free EYFS & KS1 ‘Picnic’ and ‘Nutrition’ Activities and Printable Resources:

‘Picnic Area’ educational resources for EYFS and KS1:

EYFS & KS1 ‘Picnic’ and ‘Nutrition’ Activities and Printable Resources in our ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ collection:

Key ‘Nutrition’ & ‘Picnic’ related educational resources topic pages for EYFS and KS1:

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

More Early Years Event Pages for June

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 Picnic Day'. This is an unofficial observance and, as such, there is no single founding organisation to credit.