World Laughter Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with World Laughter Day. World Laughter Day is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of May. It was founded in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria, the founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement. For more information on the Laughter Yoga movement and the origins of this day, you can visit their official website: www.laughteryoga.org.

Sunday 3rd May 2026

Date varies annually (typically first Sunday in May)

• 🤔 What is World Laughter Day?

  World Laughter Day is a global event that celebrates the power of laughter to bring people together and support wellbeing.

  It was founded by Dr. Madan Kataria, who believed that laughter can:

  • improve happiness

  • reduce stress

  • strengthen connections between people

  The day encourages us to recognise how something as simple as laughter can support both emotional and physical wellbeing.

• 😄 Understanding World Laughter Day in EYFS & KS1

  World Laughter Day offers a joyful opportunity to explore:

  • emotions and feelings (especially happiness and joy)

  • social interaction and relationships

  • communication and language (through humour, storytelling and shared experiences)

  • wellbeing and mental health

  This theme can support:

  EYFS:

  • PSED (relationships, confidence, emotional understanding)

  • Communication & Language (conversation, humour, expression)

  • Expressive Arts & Design (creative and imaginative play)

  KS1 (National Curriculum):

  • PSHE (well-being, relationships, emotions)

  • English (speaking, listening, storytelling, humour)

  • PE (movement, expressive activity)

• 🌱 A Developmentally Appropriate Approach in Early Years

  In high-quality EYFS practice, special dates such as World Laughter Day are used:

  • flexibly

  • in response to children’s interests

  • to enhance provision and interaction

  The ideas below are:

  • optional

  • adaptable

  • intended to support adult thinking

  👉 Find out more about developmentally appropriate practice in EYFS by exploring our ‘Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite’.

  Pathways available for:

  ↪ Babies | birth-18 months

  ↪ Toddlers | 18-36 months

  ↪ Preschool | 3-4 years

  ↪ Reception | 4-5 years

  ↪ Childminder | Mixed-Age Care

• 💛 Why Laughter Matters for Young Children

  Exploring laughter and humour can support development in meaningful ways:

  😊 Emotional Wellbeing

  Laughter helps children feel relaxed, happy and secure.

  🤝 Social Connection

  Sharing laughter supports friendships and relationships.

  🗣️ Communication & Language

  Humour encourages expressive language, storytelling and turn-taking.

  🌈 Positive Outlook

  Children begin to associate joy with shared experiences.

  🎨 Creativity & Imagination

  Silly ideas and playful thinking support creative development.

🌿 EYFS: Provision & Child-Led Ideas

These ideas are not activities to be planned or completed. They support wellbeing, connection and communication through everyday interaction and play.

• 👶 Babies (0–18 months)

  Laughter is rooted in connection, responsiveness and shared moments.

  Babies may:

  • smile, laugh or vocalise in response to familiar adults

  • enjoy repetition (peekaboo, songs, facial expressions)

  • respond to tone, rhythm and movement

  Adults can:

  • engage in face-to-face interaction

  • repeat playful exchanges

  • use warm tone, exaggerated expression and gentle rhythm

  • follow the baby’s cues and pause for response

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Babies (0–18 Months)’ hub page.

• 🚶 Toddlers (18–36 months)

  Toddlers explore humour through repetition, movement and surprise.

  Children may:

  • repeat actions they find funny

  • enjoy silly sounds, movements and anticipation

  • laugh during physical or sensory play

  Adults can:

  • join in without directing

  • allow repetition and variation

  • introduce playful anticipation (“Ready… steady… go!”)

  • model simple language linked to the moment

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Toddlers (18–36 Months)’ hub page.

• 🧒 Preschool (3–4 years)

  Children begin to understand humour and share it socially.

  Children may:

  • tell simple jokes or funny stories

  • use imagination to create humour in play

  • laugh with peers and seek shared experiences

  Adults can:

  • extend language and ideas

  • support turn-taking in conversations

  • model humour that is inclusive and kind

  • encourage imaginative and social play

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Preschool (3–4 Years)’ hub page.

• 🎓 Reception (4–5 years)

  Children develop awareness of humour, audience and social context.

  Children may:

  • create and share jokes with intent

  • understand that humour can affect others

  • explore different types of humour (word play, stories, exaggeration)

  Adults can:

  • support discussion about what is funny and why

  • guide children to consider others’ feelings

  • model appropriate humour

  • extend vocabulary and storytelling

  👉 Additional curriculum & planning support for this age group may be found on our ‘EYFS Planning for Reception (4–5 Years)’ hub page.

• 😄 Key Principle Across EYFS

  Laughter and humour develop through:

  • warm relationships

  • shared moments

  • playful interaction

  • responsive adults

🌱 Environment Enhancements & Invitations (EYFS)

These are optional enhancements that may be added to provision if they align with children’s interests.

• 😄 Supporting Laughter Through the Environment

  You might enhance provision by:

  • creating spaces that invite shared interaction and connection

  • including mirrors for children to explore facial expressions

  • providing open-ended props that encourage playful, imaginative use

  • allowing time for movement, repetition and spontaneous play

  • responding to moments of shared humour as they arise

• 🎭 Role-Play & Imaginative Play

  You might enhance provision by:

  • adding simple props to a role-play area (e.g. hats, soft toys, familiar objects)

  • creating opportunities for children to act out familiar or humorous scenarios

  • supporting playful storytelling and pretend play

  Resources that may support this include:

  • Role-play and home corner materials

  • Small world and imaginative play resources

• 🗣️ Language, Interaction & Communication

  You might enhance provision by:

  • introducing simple, playful language during interaction

  • responding to children’s sounds, words and expressions

  • modelling humour through tone, repetition and exaggeration

  Resources that may support this include:

  • Joke Cards

  • Joke Illustration Activity Sheets

• 🏃 Movement & Playfulness

  You might enhance provision by:

  • encouraging movement-based play (e.g. silly walks, expressive movement)

  • providing space for physical, energetic exploration

  • following children’s lead in playful, active moments

  Resources that may support this include:

  • Expressive Movement resources

  • Movement challenge cards

• 😊 Emotional Connection & Wellbeing

  You might enhance provision by:

  • creating calm, welcoming spaces where children feel safe to express joy

  • supporting positive interactions between children

  • modelling kindness and inclusive humour

  Additional resources:

  • Emotions and Feelings

  • Kindness and Friendship

  • Mental Health

• ✨ Key Reminder

  Laughter does not need to be planned.

  It emerges through:

  • connection

  • play

  • shared moments

  • responsive adults

📘 KS1 Learning Activities for World Laughter Day

In Key Stage 1, World Laughter Day can support more structured learning around wellbeing, communication and creativity.

• 😂 Telling and Sharing Jokes

  Children can:

  • explore simple jokes and riddles

  • predict punchlines

  • share jokes with peers

  You may use:

  • our ‘Joke Cards’ to introduce age-appropriate humour

  This supports:

  • speaking and listening

  • comprehension

  • confidence in communication

• ✏️ Creating Our Own Jokes

  Children can:

  • create simple jokes or funny captions

  • draw and illustrate humorous ideas

  You may use:

  • ‘Joke Illustration Activity Sheets’

  This supports:

  • creativity

  • language development

  • early writing skills

• 🤣 Laughter Games & Speaking Activities

  Children can:

  • take part in simple drama games (funny walks, silly voices)

  • build and retell humorous stories

  • explore performance and expression

  You might include:

  • short group games

  • partner activities

  • speaking and listening opportunities

• 💛 Exploring Emotions & Wellbeing

  Children can:

  • discuss what makes them laugh

  • explore how laughter affects how we feel

  • reflect on positive relationships

  Explore resources:

  • Emotions and Feelings

  • Mental Health

  • Kindness and Friendship

  • Families

  • All About Me

• 🎨 Creative Expression

  Children can:

  • draw or write about funny experiences

  • create “happy memory” artwork

  • respond to music through movement

  This supports:

  • expressive arts

  • emotional literacy

  • communication

• 🌍 Explore More Resources | EYFS Enhanced Provision & KS1 Activities

  You may wish to explore:

  • Emotions and Feelings

  • Kindness and Friendship

  • Mental Health

  • All About Me

  • Families

  These can support both provision and learning conversations.

• 🧠 Using Special Dates Thoughtfully

  A helpful question: “What does this add for the children in front of me?” If it supports:

  • connection

  • joy

  • meaningful interaction

  → include it

• 😄 In Summary

  World Laughter Day offers opportunities to:

  • build relationships

  • support emotional wellbeing

  • encourage communication and creativity

  In the EYFS, these experiences are most effective when they are:

  • child-led

  • play-based

  • responsive

  In KS1, they can be:

  • structured

  • discussion-based

  • creatively explored

• 🔓 How to Access Resources

  We offer a range of resources to support practitioners across EYFS and KS1, including printable materials and in-depth curriculum and pedagogy guidance.

  🟢 Free Membership

  You can access a selection of free resources by creating a free account.

  This includes:

  • selected printable resources

  • sample materials

  • weekly support emails for those who opt-in

  👉 [Create a free account]

  🟡 Premium Membership (Printables)

  Our Premium Membership provides access to our full library of printable teaching and provision resources.

  This includes:

  • themed resources (e.g. Gardening, Emotions, Seasons)

  • continuous provision materials

  • activity cards, displays and printable packs

  These resources can be used flexibly to support:

  • provision enhancements

  • small group work

  • classroom organisation

  👉 [View Premium Membership]

  🟣 Professional Membership (Curriculum & Pedagogy)

  Our Professional Membership provides access to our full Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite (Birth–5).

  ~ In addition to Premium Printable Provision access.~

  This includes:

  • age-specific pathways (Babies, Toddlers, Preschool, Reception)

  • planning guidance and templates

  • observation and assessment support

  • SEND and inclusion guidance

  • inspection-ready documentation

  These documents are designed to support:

  • confident decision-making

  • consistent practice across teams

  • clear articulation of EYFS pedagogy

  (KS1 curriculum coming soon!)

  👉 Visit EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite

  👉 [View Professional Membership]

  🧠 Choosing What Works for You

  You do not need to use everything at once.

  Many practitioners:

  • start with free resources

  • build their printable provision over time

  • use pedagogy documents to support team understanding and leadership

  Choose what best fits your setting, role and stage of development.

👉 To explore more early years events, visit our Special Dates Calendar.

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

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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 'World Laughter Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by Dr. Madan Kataria or the Laughter Yoga movement, which established this event. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For more information on the Laughter Yoga movement and the origins of this day, please visit their official website: www.laughteryoga.org.