Send a Card to a Friend Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with Send a Card to a Friend Day. Send a Card to a Friend Day is an informal observance, typically celebrated annually on February 7th. For more general information about greeting card sending or friendship, you can explore resources from card manufacturers or social connection initiatives.

Understanding Send a Card to a Friend Day in EYFS & KS1

Let's make our friends smile with a special card! 💌😊 Send a Card to a Friend Day is an informal observance, typically celebrated annually on February 7th. While its exact origins aren't widely publicised, it's a day dedicated to encouraging people to connect with friends, both near and far, through the thoughtful and personal act of sending a physical greeting card. It celebrates the profound value of friendship and the simple, often underestimated, joy of receiving a handwritten message or a creative drawing from someone who cares.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderful and tangible theme for exploring friendship, kindness, communication, personal, social & emotional development (PSED), and creative expression. It's about teaching children the importance of nurturing relationships, showing appreciation, and engaging in simple acts of thoughtfulness. This day offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about social connections and empathy both heartwarming and valuable.

Why Is Celebrating Friendship & Thoughtful Communication Important for Young Children?

Integrating Send a Card to a Friend Day and activities that celebrate friendship and thoughtful communication into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) can improve social skills, emotional intelligence, and a sense of community.

• Promotes Positive Relationships: Encourages children to appreciate their friends, understand the qualities of good friendships, and actively nurture these bonds.

• Develops Empathy & Kindness: Provides opportunities for children to think about how their actions (like sending a card) can make someone else feel happy.

• Enhances Communication Skills: Encourages children to express feelings and messages through drawing, writing, or dictating, strengthening their expressive language.

• Fosters Gratitude & Appreciation: Teaches children to recognise and thank friends for their kindness and support.

• Fine Motor & Creative Skills: Activities like drawing, colouring, cutting, and sticking for card making develop fine motor control and artistic expression.

• Understanding Social Etiquette: Introduces the concept of sending greetings and thoughtful gestures.

Engaging 'Send a Card to a Friend Day' Activities for EYFS & KS1 (0-7 Year Olds)

Make Send a Card to a Friend Day a truly heartfelt and creative experience with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on appreciating friends, showing kindness, and communicating thoughtfully! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our extensive 'Kindness and Friendship' resources.

Here's some inspiration for connecting with friends through cards: (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.)

• Card Making Station: Set up a dedicated area with paper, crayons, pens, stickers, glue, and glitter for children to create cards. Provide our 'Friendship' Card Templates' as a starting point.

• "My Lovely Friend" Focus: Encourage children to think about what makes their friends special. Use 'Kindness And Friendship - 'My Lovely Friend' Mark Making' sheets for drawing or writing about their friends.

• Discuss "What Makes a Good Friend?": Have a circle time discussion about the qualities of a good friend (e.g., sharing, listening, being kind). Use 'Kindness And Friendship - 'What Makes A Good Friend' Mark Making' sheets for children to reflect on this.

• Acts of Kindness: Explore various ways to be kind, not just through cards. Use 'Acts Of Kindness' Activity And Display', and 'Acts Of Kindness' Mark Making/Drawing/Writing A4 Sheet'.

• "Thank You" Cards: Focus on gratitude. Have children create 'Thank-You For Being My Friend!' Cards' for friends who have shown kindness.

• Connect and Communicate:

  • Use 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Connect - With Each Other - Activity Prompt Cards' to inspire simple ways children can interact and communicate positively with their friends (e.g., sharing a toy, listening carefully).

  • Highlight 'Let's Show Kindness - Activity Prompt Poster' and 'Let's Show Kindness - Activity Prompt Cards' throughout the day.

• Emotional Understanding: Use 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Sad?' Activity Pack' and 'Emotions - 'Why Is Teddy Happy?' Activity Pack' to discuss how friends can help each other when they are feeling different emotions, and how a kind card can lift spirits.

• Friendship Awards: Recognise acts of friendship and kindness with 'Kindness And Friendship - Display Certificates/Notes' or 'Kind To Me' Display Certificates/Notes'. You could also use 'Fairies - Friendship Fairy (award sheets)' for a magical touch.

• Role Play Friendship Scenarios: Set up a 'picnic' area using 'Outdoor Picnic Area - 'At Our Picnic We...' Display' and encourage children to role-play sharing and friendly interactions.

• Explore More: Many more inspiring resources can be found on our ‘Kindness and Friendship’ page! Plus, investigate greetings cards for a multitude of festivals and celebrations on our ‘Greeting Cards’ page.

These activities offer great inspiration for making Send a Card to a Friend Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering friendship, kindness, communication skills, and emotional well-being.

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

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘Send a Card to a Friend Day’

Many more inspiring resources can be found on our ‘Kindness and Friendship’ page! Plus, investigate greetings cards for a multitude of festivals and celebrations on our ‘Greeting Cards’ page.

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!

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 'Send a Card to a Friend Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by any specific organisation that may officially promote this informal observance. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For more general information about the value of friendship or card sending, you can explore wider social connection initiatives.