World Kidney Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with World Kidney Day. For official information, themes, and resources, please visit the World Kidney Day website: www.worldkidneyday.org.

Understanding World Kidney Day in EYFS & KS1

Let's learn about our amazing kidneys and how to keep them healthy!💧🧡 World Kidney Day (WKD) is a global health awareness campaign celebrated annually on the second Thursday of March. It's a joint initiative by two important organisations, the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF). The main goal of this day is to raise awareness about how important our kidneys are, and to reduce the number of people who get kidney disease and other health problems connected to it, all around the world. Each year, there's a special theme to help people focus on a particular aspect of kidney health.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a focused and practical theme for exploring the human body, health and hygiene, healthy living choices, understanding the world (science and our bodies), and personal, social & emotional development (PSED). It's about introducing children to one of their vital organs in an age-appropriate way, helping them understand what kidneys do, and teaching them simple ways to keep their kidneys (and whole body!) healthy. This day offers wonderful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about health and basic anatomy both essential and engaging.

Why Is Learning About Kidneys & Health Important for Young Children?

Integrating World Kidney Day and lessons about our kidneys into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) can help with early understanding of health, promoting well-being, and empowering them with knowledge about their own bodies.

• Understanding the Body: Introduces children to internal organs and their basic functions, helping them understand how their body works.

• Promotes Healthy Habits: Highlights the importance of drinking water and making healthy food choices to keep kidneys functioning well.

• Empowerment: Gives children basic knowledge about their health and how they can contribute to their own well-being.

• Reduces Anxiety (about body functions): Normalises bodily functions like 'weeing' by explaining the scientific process in simple terms.

• Early Science Concepts: Provides a real-world context for early scientific inquiry related to biology and human anatomy.

Engaging Kidney & Health Activities for World Kidney Day (0-7 Year Olds)

Let's investigate the incredible work our kidneys do every day for World Kidney Day with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on understanding our bodies, making healthy choices, and appreciating these vital organs! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our extensive 'The Human Body', 'Medicine', and other 'Health' related resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating kidney health 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.)

• Introducing the Kidneys: Start by showing children where their kidneys are and talking about their basic function – cleaning our blood and making us 'wee'. Use 'The Human Body - Weeing Poster' to explain the process simply.

• Kidney Playdough Fun: Use 'The Human Body - Kidney Playdough Mats' for a hands-on way to explore the shape and location of kidneys. Children can mould playdough kidneys and place them on the mats.

• "Colour, Cut and Stick" Kidneys: Engage fine motor skills and reinforce learning with 'The Human Body - Colour, Cut And Stick - Kidneys'.

• Why is Water Important? Conduct a simple "filtering" experiment with water, a funnel, and coffee filter paper to show how kidneys clean. Discuss how drinking plenty of water helps our kidneys do their job well.

• "Healthy Drinks" Tasting: Offer children small samples of water, milk, and diluted fruit juice, discussing how these drinks are good for our bodies and kidneys.

• Explore Other Body Parts: Contextualise the kidneys within the whole human body. Use our extensive 'The Human Body' resources.

• Healthcare Role Play: Connect kidney health to broader healthcare. Set up a 'Doctor's Surgery' or 'Hospital' role-play area using 'Doctor's Surgery Role-Play Pack', 'Dentist Dramatic Role-Play Pack', and 'Optometrist Dramatic Role-Play Pack'.

• Poorly Teddy & Getting Better: Use the 'Medicine' resources to talk about what happens when we feel poorly and how doctors and medicine can help us get better. 'Poorly Teddy - A4 Posters', 'Medical Word Mat', 'What Happened To Teddy? - Critical Thinking', 'X-Ray Multimats', 'Patient Detail Sheets', 'When I Got Hurt' Sheets', and 'When I Was Ill' Sheets'.

• Health Literacy & Numeracy: Use 'Plaster Alphabet Display Cards', 'Medical Word Cards', 'Plaster Counting Puzzles (1-10)', 'Plaster Alphabet Colouring Cards', 'Ambulance Letters And Sounds Game - Phase 2 & 3 Phonics', and 'Colour Match Medicine Bottles' to embed health themes into learning.

• Explore More: For a comprehensive collection of healthcare teaching and learning resources, 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’ or ‘Science’ pages.

These activities offer great inspiration for making World Kidney Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering health awareness, understanding of the human body, healthy habits, and scientific curiosity.

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

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘World Kidney Day’

Free ‘The Human Body’ resources for EYFS & KS1:

‘Kidney’ and ‘Weeing’ educational resources for EYFS and KS1:

(Also includes additional ‘The Human Body’ system printables.)

‘Medicine’ educational resources for EYFS and KS1:

‘Healthcare’ related role play packs for Early Years Nurseries, Classrooms, Preschools & Childminders:

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

(For a comprehensive collection of healthcare teaching and learning resources, 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’ or ‘Science’ pages.)

More Early Years Event Pages for March

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 'World Kidney Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) or the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF), which jointly organise this event. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, themes, and to learn more about the importance of kidney health and preventing kidney disease, please visit their website at www.worldkidneyday.org.