World Lion Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is not officially affiliated with Big Cat Rescue and National Geographic, who collaborated to launch World Lion Day. For official information about lion conservation efforts, please visit reputable organisations such as National Geographic at www.nationalgeographic.com or Born Free Foundation at www.bornfree.org.uk. You can also find information about Big Cat Rescue at www.bigcatrescue.org.

Understanding World Lion Day in EYFS & KS1

Roar! World Lion Day, celebrated annually on August 10th, is a powerful global initiative dedicated to celebrating the majestic lion and highlighting the urgent need for its conservation. It was launched in 2013 by the co-founders of Big Cat Rescue and National Geographic.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides an exciting and impactful theme for exploring wild animals, conservation, and biodiversity. It's about inspiring awe and wonder for these magnificent big cats, fostering empathy for endangered species, and understanding the vital role we all play in protecting our planet's wildlife. This day offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about global conservation both captivating and accessible.

Why Is Teaching About Lions & Conservation Important for Young Children?

Integrating lessons about lions and other wild animals into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is incredibly important for fostering scientific curiosity, ecological understanding, and a deep appreciation for the natural world. During their early years, children are naturally drawn to powerful and intriguing animals.

• Biodiversity and Habitats: Learning about lions introduces children to different animal species and their unique habitats (like the African savannas), highlighting the vast array of life on Earth.

• Conservation Awareness: It presents a tangible example of a vulnerable species, helping children grasp the concept that some animals face threats and need our protection. This fosters an early sense of environmental responsibility.

• Empathy and Respect: Understanding the challenges lions face in the wild cultivates empathy for animals and encourages respectful attitudes towards all living creatures.

• Scientific Inquiry: Exploring lion characteristics (their roar, manes, hunting behaviour) can spark curiosity about animal biology, adaptations, and behaviour. Our 'Lion Pack' is a great starting point for this.

• Literacy and Numeracy: Animal themes naturally lend themselves to learning new vocabulary, counting, and data representation, as seen in many of our animal and zoo animal resources.

Engaging Lion & Animal Activities for World Lion Day (0-7 Year Olds)

Making World Lion Day a truly magnificent success is easy with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on discovery, creativity, and celebrating the "king of the jungle" and other wild animals! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by the extensive range of printable resources we have available.

Here's some inspiration for bringing the power of the lion and the importance of conservation into 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.)

• Lion Roar & Movement: Start the day with a mighty lion roar! Encourage children to move like lions – prowling silently, pouncing, or stretching. Use our 'Wild Animal Sounds Mat - Phase 1 Phonics' to explore different animal sounds, including a lion's roar.

• Lion Art & Mindfulness Colouring: Provide opportunities for children to draw or paint lions. Focus on their powerful features. Additionally our 'Lion - Colouring (Mindfulness)' is perfect for a calm, focused activity. You can also find lions in our 'Animals of the World Mega Colouring Pack'.

• Lion Body Parts Exploration: Discuss the different parts of a lion's body, especially their strong teeth, sharp claws, and majestic mane. Use our 'Lion - Body Parts (Free Sample)' and 'Lion Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets' to guide this learning.

• "Feed the Lion" Counting: Integrate numeracy by having children "feed" a pretend lion cutout with a certain number of "food" items. Our 'Feed the Lion Counting Puzzles' supplement this, and you can also use 'Feeding the Animals - Draw Their Food' for drawing.

• Zoo Role-Play: Set up a 'At the Zoo Dramatic Role Play' area! Children can pretend to be zookeepers or visitors. Provide animal masks (our 'At the Zoo Animal Masks' - full colour & colouring versions') or puppets (our 'At the Zoo Animal Lollipop Puppets' - colour and colouring versions) for imaginative play. Explore concepts like 'Match the Feeding Times - Puzzle' within the role-play.

• Animal Height Comparison: Compare children's heights to different animals using our 'Animal Height Chart Display' or the 'Animal Height Colouring & Drawing' activity. How tall is a lion compared to a child?

• Favourite Animal Pictogram: Have children choose their favourite animal (or favourite big cat!) and create a simple pictogram using our 'Our Favourite Animals' Pictogram' or our 'My Favourite Animal Sheets'.

• Animal Word & Alphabet Games: Expand vocabulary using our 'At the Zoo - Animal Word Cards'. Explore the alphabet with our 'Animal Alphabet Horizontal Flashcards/Posters - Upper & Lower Case' or 'Animal Alphabet/Initial Sound Puzzles'. Our 'Animal Alphabet Multimats - Playdough, Whiteboard & Pen or Loose Parts' offer versatile learning. Try 'Animal Initial Sound Match Game' and 'Animal Description Cards - Phase 1 Sounds' for phonics fun.

• Numeracy with Animals: Our 'Animal Number Multimats - Playdough, Whiteboard & Pen or Loose Parts' and 'Colour & Count Zoo Animal Posters (1-20)' provide diverse ways to practice counting and number recognition.

• Zoo Animal Puzzles & Matching: Use our 'At the Zoo - Animal 2-Piece Puzzles', 'Zoo Animals and Their Footprints Puzzle Matching Game/Activity', and 'Zoo Animal Snap Cards' for problem-solving and recognition.

• Design Your Own Zoo Animal: Encourage children's creativity with our 'Design Your Own Zoo Animal Sheets', letting them imagine new creatures.

• Conservation Discussion: Talk about why lions are endangered and what we can do to help protect them (e.g., protecting their habitat). Use 'At the Zoo - Animal Fact Cards' to learn more about lions and other animals.

• Planning Support: Don't forget to check out our 'Planning - Topic Plan Ideas - Animals' for broader context and more ideas.

These activities offer great inspiration for making World Lion Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering a sense of wonder for wild animals and the urgent need for their conservation

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

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

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

More Early Years Event Pages for August

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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 'World Lion Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by Big Cat Rescue or National Geographic. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this day. For official information, please refer to reputable online sources, and for broader lion conservation efforts, consider exploring organisations such as National Geographic at www.nationalgeographic.com or Born Free Foundation at www.bornfree.org.uk. You can also find information about Big Cat Rescue at www.bigcatrescue.org.