National Children’s Day UK | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with National Children’s Day UK. National Children’s Day UK takes place annually in May and is a key initiative of the Save Childhood Movement. It is dedicated to celebrating childhood and advocating for children's rights and well-being. The day aims to highlight the importance of creating a healthy, happy, and sustainable future for all children, reflecting on their physical, emotional, and social needs. It promotes a holistic view of childhood, encouraging families, schools, and communities to reflect on children's fundamental rights and what is needed to ensure they thrive. For official information, themes, and how to get involved, please visit the National Children's Day UK website: www.nationalchildrensdayuk.com.

Understanding National Children’s Day UK in EYFS & KS1

Let's dedicate a special time to celebrate every child in the UK and think about what they need to be safe, healthy, and happy! 🌟👧👦

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides an incredibly broad and foundational opportunity to explore all aspects of a child's health, safety, well-being, emotions, physical development, rights, and understanding of the world around them. It's about empowering children to know that they are important, loved, and have a voice, while also teaching them how to keep themselves safe and healthy. This theme offers endless planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about personal safety, health, and happiness both essential and deeply meaningful!

Why Is Focusing on Children's Well-being and Safety Important for Young Children?

Integrating a focus on National Children's Day UK themes—which encompass health, safety, and well-being—into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is crucial for their holistic development and future thriving. It aligns directly with the aims of the Save Childhood Movement, ensuring children's rights are understood and upheld.

• Promotes Overall Health: Teaches children about physical health, hygiene, healthy eating, and the importance of exercise.

• Builds Safety Awareness: Equips children with essential knowledge about personal safety, road safety, sun safety, and how to identify trusted adults.

• Fosters Emotional Resilience: Helps children understand and manage their emotions, develop coping strategies, and know it's okay to ask for help.

• Develops Self-Esteem & Rights: Empowers children to understand their own value and their right to be safe, heard, and cared for.

• Encourages Social Responsibility: Teaches them to look out for themselves and others, fostering a sense of community and kindness.

• Supports Holistic Development: Covers aspects of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth, providing a strong foundation for life, and ensuring all areas of a child's development are nurtured.

Engaging Health & Safety Activities for National Children’s Day UK (EYFS & KS1)

Let's celebrate children by focusing on their health, safety, and happiness for National Children’s Day UK with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our extensive range of 'Health', 'Safety', 'Food', 'Mental Health', 'Handwashing & Hygiene', 'Road Safety', 'Sun Safety', and 'Safeguarding' resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating National Children's Day UK 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 that this is about keeping children safe and helping them thrive, recognising their rights.)

• Healthy Bodies, Happy Minds:

  • Set up a 'Doctor's Surgery', 'Dentist', or 'Optometrist' dramatic role-play area using 'Doctors Surgery Role-Play Pack', 'Dentist Dramatic Role-Play Pack' and 'Optometrist Dramatic Role-Play Pack'. Children can learn about check-ups and how medical professionals help us.

  • Use 'Poorly Teddy - A4 Posters - Labelled' and 'Medical Word Mat' to discuss different body parts and ailments in a fun, accessible way.

  • Focus on Teeth & Oral Health with resources like 'Brush Your Teeth Morning And Night Poster' and 'Clean Your Teeth Pencil Control Sheets'.

  • Discuss Healthy Eating using 'Healthy Eating - Display Banner', 'Healthy Plate - Balanced Diet Posters', '5 A Day - Poster/Chart', and the wide range of 'Fruit & Vegetables' resources. Have children 'Draw A Healthy Meal'.

  • Explore The Human Body using posters like 'The Human Body - Moving (Skeleton) Poster' and 'The Human Body - Heart Playdough Mats'.

  • Encourage physical activity with 'Dinosaur Activity/Movement Challenge - Cartoon' or 'Exercises - A4 Cards'. Discuss how exercise makes us feel happy and healthy.

• Staying Safe and Secure:

  • Road Safety: Discuss how to be safe near roads using 'Road Safety Word Mat', 'Road Safety Colouring', 'Stop Look Listen' A4 Posters', and 'Road Signs - Display & Role-Play'. Role-play walking to a 'Bus Stop Dramatic Role Play Pack’.

  • Sun Safety: Teach children about protecting themselves from the sun with 'Sun Safety Poster', 'Sun Safety Items - Posters', and 'Heat Health - 'Drink Some Water' Visual Communication Aid'.

  • Safeguarding: In age-appropriate ways, introduce the idea of trusted adults and how to ask for help if they feel unsafe. Refer to 'EYFS Framework - Child Record Forms' and 'Safeguarding And Welfare - Choking Prevention In EYFS Settings Poster' for practitioner awareness.

  • Handwashing & Hygiene: Reinforce routines with the many 'Wash Hands - Sing...' songs and posters like 'After Using The Toilet...Wash Your Hands!' Poster'.

• My Rights, My Voice, My Feelings:

  • Mental Health & Emotions: Use 'Mental Health - 'Healthy Minds' Poster' and 'Mental Health - Mood Booster Activity Cards' to discuss feelings.

  • Explore emotions with 'Emotions - 'I Am Feeling...' - Emoji Cards', 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Sad?' Activity Pack', and 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Happy?' Activity Pack'.

  • Encourage connection and kindness with 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Show Kindness - Activity Prompt Poster'.

  • Introduce simple mindfulness activities using 'Mindfulness - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Mindfulness - Activity Cards'.

  • Discuss the importance of sleep with 'Mental Health - 'Sleeping Area' A4 Sign' and 'Mental Health - 'Sleep' Banner'.

  • Help children express themselves and their unique qualities using 'All About Me' resources (from the linked page).

• Connecting with Our World:

  • Discuss their family and the people who care for them, fostering a sense of belonging and community.

  • Use the general 'Food' resources to talk about food journeys and healthy eating for a healthier planet.

• Explore More: Please visit our dedicated ‘Exercise’, ‘Handwashing & Hygiene’, ‘Eye Health’, ‘Teeth & Oral Health’, ‘Food’ (Fruit & Vegetables plus Balanced Diet), ‘Mental Health’, ‘Sun Safety’, ‘Road Safety’, or ‘EYFS Framework’ (Safeguarding) pages to explore our extensive catalogue of Health and Safety resources.

These activities offer great inspiration for making National Children’s Day UK a meaningful and impactful theme in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering health literacy, safety awareness, emotional intelligence, and a deep sense of well-being and self-worth in every child, aligning with the core principles of the Save Childhood Movement.

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

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘National Children’s Day UK’

Free ‘Health’ and ‘Safety’ resources for EYFS & KS1:

The following is a small selection of our inspirational ‘Health’ and ‘Safety’ resources for EYFS & KS1:

(Please visit our ‘Medicine’, ‘The Human Body’, ‘Exercise’, ‘Handwashing & Hygiene’, ‘Eye Health’, ‘Teeth & Oral Health’, ‘Food’ (Fruit & Vegetables plus Balanced Diet), ‘Mental Health’, ‘Sun Safety’, ‘Road Safety’, ‘Science’ or ‘EYFS Framework’ (Safeguarding) pages to explore our extensive catalogue of Health and Safety 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 'National Children’s Day UK'. National Children’s Day UK takes place annually in May and is a key initiative of the Save Childhood Movement. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the Save Childhood Movement. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, themes, and how to get involved, please visit the National Children's Day UK website: www.nationalchildrensdayuk.com.