National Nestbox Week | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with National Nestbox Week. For official information, resources, and to learn more about this initiative, please visit the website: www.nestboxweek.com.

Understanding National Nestbox Week in EYFS & KS1

Let's give our feathered friends a home! 🐦🏡 National Nestbox Week is an annual event in the UK, organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). It typically runs from February 14th to 21st. This special week aims to encourage everyone – from individuals to schools and communities – to put up nest boxes in their gardens and local green spaces. It highlights the crucial importance of providing vital nesting and roosting sites for wild birds, especially as natural habitats and traditional nesting places become scarcer due to urban development and habitat loss.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this week provides a fantastic and tangible theme for exploring wildlife conservation, animal habitats, life cycles, understanding the world, and caring for nature. It's about introducing children to the needs of local birds, fostering empathy for wildlife, and understanding how human actions can positively impact the environment. This week offers wonderful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about ecology and environmental stewardship both practical and deeply rewarding.

Why Is Teaching About Birds & Nestboxes Important for Young Children?

Integrating lessons about birds and nestboxes into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) fosters their connection with local wildlife, helps their understanding ecological needs, and develops an early sense of environmental responsibility.

• Understanding Habitats: Teaches children about the specific needs of birds for shelter, food, and safe places to raise young.

• Biodiversity Awareness: Introduces children to common garden birds, encouraging observation and appreciation of local wildlife.

• Life Cycles: Provides a natural context for learning about bird life cycles, from egg to chick to adult.

• Environmental Stewardship: Highlights how humans can actively help and protect local wildlife through simple actions like putting up nestboxes and providing food.

• Observation Skills: Encourages children to watch birds in their natural environment, noting behaviours and features.

• Empathy & Care: Fosters a sense of compassion and responsibility towards living creatures.

Engaging Bird & Nestbox Activities for National Nestbox Week (0-7 Year Olds)

Make National Nestbox Week a truly observant and hands-on experience with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on learning about birds, their homes, and how to help them! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated 'Birds' and 'Helping Wildlife in Winter' resources.

Here's some inspiration for supporting our feathered friends 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.)

• Design a Bird Box: Encourage children to design their own bird box. Use our 'Decorate A Bird Box Multimat - Playdough, Loose Parts, Art & Crafts' for a creative and hands-on activity. Discuss what birds might need in a home.

• Garden Birdwatch: Conduct a simple birdwatch in your outdoor area or local park. Use our 'Garden Birdwatch Mat', and 'Garden Birdwatch Checklist'. Encourage children to 'UK Birdwatch Draw What You See - Binoculars' or 'Birdwatch Draw What You See - Branch'.

• Learn About UK Garden Birds: Introduce common garden birds. Use 'UK Garden Birds Colouring'. Learn about different bird features with 'Blackbird Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets', 'Blue Tit Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets', 'Pigeon Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets', 'Magpie Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets', 'Robin Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets', and 'Sparrow Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets'. Children can also 'Design Your Own UK Garden Bird Sheets' or reflect on 'My Favourite Garden Bird Sheets'.

• Birds Display: Create a 'Birds' display using our 'Birds - Display Banner'.

• Helping Wildlife in Winter (as relevant to Nestbox Week timing): Discuss how we can help birds, especially in colder months, by providing food and shelter. Use 'Helping Wildlife In Winter - Banner', 'Helping Wildlife In Winter' Cards', 'Helping Wildlife In Winter' Poster', 'Helping Wildlife In Winter - Illustrations Activity' and 'Helping Wildlife In Winter - Feeding Poster'.

• Feed the Birds Activities: Engage fine motor skills while discussing bird feeding. Use 'Feed The Robin Pencil Control Mats', 'Feed The Robin Pencil Control Activity Sheets', and 'Feed The Squirrel Pencil Control Mats', 'Feed The Squirrel Pencil Control Activity Sheets'.

• Bird-Themed Numeracy & Literacy:

  • Counting: Use ‘UK Birds Number Slice Puzzles (1-5 & 1-10)', 'UK Birds Number Slice Puzzles - Colouring (1-5 & 1-10)', 'Birds - 0-20 Counting Display Posters/Cards', 'Birds - 0-20 Colour And Count Display Posters/Cards', 'Feed The Sparrow Counting Puzzles', and 'Winter Robin/Worms Number/Counting Activity'.

  • Alphabet: Use 'Winter Robin Alphabet Display Posters/Flashcards' and 'Winter Robin Alphabet Colouring Cards'.

• Bird Puzzles & Games: Our 'Birds - Silhouette Puzzles', 'UK Garden Bird 2-Piece Puzzles', and 'Garden Birdwatch Egg Match Game' and 'Garden Birdwatch Picture Snap Cards Game' provide fun for problem-solving and social play. 'Woodland Birds - Egg Match Puzzles' are also relevant.

• Life Cycles: Briefly touch on the life cycle of a bird. Our 'Endless Life Cycle Puzzles’ can introduce the concept more broadly.

• Woodland & Wider Animals: Contextualise birds within wider animal themes. Use resources on our Woodland page.

• Explore More: Please visit our ‘Birds’ page to browse our entire collection of educational materials on this theme!

These activities offer great inspiration for making National Nestbox Week a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering environmental awareness, compassion for wildlife, scientific inquiry, and a genuine love for nature.

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

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘National Nestbox Week’

Free Bird related activities for EYFS & KS1:

Helping Wildlife in Winter activities for EYFS & KS1:

Bird related activities for EYFS & KS1:

Please visit our ‘Birds’ page to browse our entire collection of educational materials on this theme.

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

More Early Years Event Pages for February

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 'National Nestbox Week'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), which organises this event, other than providing their official website as a source of information about the initiative. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, resources, and to learn more about supporting wild birds, please visit their website at www.bto.org/about-birds/nests/nestboxes.