Public Service Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with Public Service Day. Public Service Day is an international observance designated by the United Nations General Assembly. It is celebrated annually on June 23rd to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community. The day highlights the essential role of public services in society and the contributions of public servants in making our communities better places to live. For official information and details, please visit the United Nations website: www.un.org/en/observances/public-service-day.

Understanding Public Service Day in EYFS & KS1

Discover the heroes who help our community every day for Public Service Day! 👩‍🚒👨‍🏫👮‍♀️

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderfully inspiring and crucial theme for exploring community roles, people who help us, kindness and friendship, and understanding the world. It’s about encouraging children to appreciate the jobs people do, fostering a sense of gratitude, and helping them understand how different roles work together to create a safe and happy community. This day offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about community helpers, empathy, and social responsibility both essential and wonderfully fun!

Why Is Learning About Public Service Important for Young Children?

Integrating Public Service Day and themes of community helpers into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is useful for fostering social awareness, developing gratitude, and building a sense of belonging in their community.

• Fosters Gratitude and Respect: Helps children appreciate the people who work to help them every day.

• Builds Community Awareness: Teaches children about the different roles within a community and how they are interconnected.

• Develops Social Understanding: Encourages children to see things from other people's perspectives and understand their jobs.

• Encourages Kindness: Inspires children to think about how they can also help others and be a positive part of their community.

• Reduces Fear: Makes roles like police officers or doctors seem friendly and approachable through play and discussion.

Engaging Public Service Activities for Public Service Day (EYFS & KS1)

Time to celebrate our community heroes for Public Service Day with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on learning about different jobs, appreciating the people who do them, and having fun with role play! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated ‘People Who Help Us’, ‘Medicine: Doctors and Nurses’, ‘Kindness and Friendship’, and ‘Stay Safe’ resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating Public Service 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 your best and celebrating everyone's ideas.)

Exploring People Who Help Us

• Community Helper Visit: Invite a local police officer, firefighter, doctor, or nurse to visit the setting (with permission) to talk about their job. They could even bring their uniform or tools to show the children.

• Matching Game: Use our 'People Who Help Us - 2-Piece Puzzles' to match community helpers with their tools or vehicles.

• Making 'Thank You' Cards: Encourage children to make 'thank you' cards or drawings for a specific community helper (e.g., a postal worker, the school caretaker) to show their appreciation.

• Classroom Role Play: Use our 'Classroom Role-Play Pack' to help children understand the important role of a teacher and teaching assistant.

• Word & Poster Fun: Use our resources like 'People Who Help Us - Word Mats' and 'People Who Help Us - A4 Posters' to identify and talk about different public service roles.

Role Play & Imaginative Play

• Doctor's Surgery: Set up a 'Doctor's Surgery Role-Play Pack' or 'Nurse Pack' to help children act out or learn about the roles of doctors and nurses. Use the 'Poorly Teddy - A4 Posters - Labelled' for added fun.

• Firefighter Fun: Create a 'fire station' with a box for a fire engine. Use our 'Firefighter Pack' to learn about those who put out fires and help people.

• Post Office Play: Use our 'Post Office Role Play Pack' to write letters, weigh parcels, and deliver them to each other, helping children understand the role of a postal worker.

• Veterinary Role Play: Set up a 'Veterinary Surgery Role-Play Pack' and use soft toy animals as patients. Talk about how vets help animals and how we can care for our pets.

• Building a Community: Provide building blocks and construction materials and challenge children to build models of places in the community where public services work, like a hospital, a fire station, or a school.

Literacy & Communication

• Lollipop Puppets: Use our 'People Who Help Us - Lollipop Puppets' to put on a puppet show about different community helpers. This is a great way to talk about their jobs and what they do.

• 'What Do They Do?' Activity: Use the 'People Who Help Us - Role Play Challenge Cards' or 'People Who Help Us - A4 Posters & Description Match' to help children match a person with their job description.

• Story Time: Read picture books about community helpers, like "A Day in the Life of a Police Officer" or "I Want to Be a Vet."

• Explore More: To explore our extensive catalogue of resources on these themes, please visit our ‘People Who Help Us’, ‘Medicine: Doctors and Nurses’, ‘Construction’, ‘Kindness and Friendship’, and ‘Stay Safe’ pages.

These activities offer great inspiration for making Public Service Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering an appreciation for community helpers, empathy, and a lifelong understanding of the world around us.

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

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘Public Service Day’

Free EYFS & KS1 ‘Public Service’ and ‘People Who Help Us’ related activities and printable resources:

EYFS & KS1 ‘Public Service’ and ‘People Who Help Us’ related activities and printable resources:

EYFS & KS1 ‘Public Service’ and ‘People Who Help Us’ related Role-Play Packs:

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 'Public Service Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the United Nations, which observes this annual day. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information and details, please visit the United Nations website: www.un.org/en/observances/public-service-day.