World Refill Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with World Refill Day. World Refill Day is a global day of action organised by the non-profit City to Sea. It is celebrated annually on June 16th. The day aims to get people to think about how they consume and dispose of single-use plastic, encouraging them to switch to reusable options. It promotes the simple idea of refilling reusable bottles, cups, and containers, making it easy to live with less waste. For official information and details, please visit the website: www.refill.org.uk/world-refill-day.

Tuesday 16th June 2026

Understanding World Refill Day in EYFS & KS1

Let's learn how to be super waste-reducing heroes on World Refill Day! 💧♻️

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderfully practical and crucial theme for exploring the environment, recycling, waste reduction, sustainability, and understanding the world. It’s about empowering children to feel they have a role in protecting our planet and teaching them that making small, positive choices can make a big difference. This day offers planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities & invitations that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about waste reduction and caring for our world wonderfully hands-on!

Why Is Learning About 'Refilling' Valuable for Young Children?

Integrating World Refill Day and themes of reducing waste and recycling into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) helps develop sustainable habits and builds a lifelong connection to nature.

• Fosters Environmental Responsibility: Teaches children that their actions have an impact on the world around them.

• Encourages Practical Action: Provides simple, tangible ways for children to contribute, like using a reusable water bottle or lunchbox.

• Introduces the '3 R's': Helps children understand the concepts of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

• Builds Community: Shows children the power of working together with friends and family to make a positive change.

• Sparks Creativity: Inspires children to think about how they can reuse materials in new ways (e.g., junk modelling).

Engaging ‘Refill’ & Recycling Activities for World Refill Day (EYFS & KS1)

Let's celebrate World Refill Day by exploring how small everyday choices can help care for our environment. These planning ideas, provision enhancements and learning opportunities encourage children to think about reusing, refilling and reducing waste while developing an appreciation for the resources we use every day.

Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated ‘Recycling’, ‘The Environment’, and ‘Water’ resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating World Refill Day in your setting. The following ideas may be adapted for various EYFS and KS1 settings. In EYFS, these ideas are best viewed as invitations to explore and enhancements to provision rather than activities every child is expected to complete. Practitioners may choose to follow children's interests and questions about waste, recycling, water and caring for the environment, using these resources flexibly. In KS1, some ideas may also be used within more structured teaching sequences where appropriate. Printable resources to support the following ideas may be found further down this page.

(Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity or enhancement and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken. Encourage positive environmental action and focus on the empowering message that small changes can make a difference.)

♻️ Exploring Waste, Recycling & Reuse

World Refill Day provides opportunities for children to think about what happens to everyday materials and how we can reduce waste.

Children might:

• Explore different recyclable materials.

• Sort objects by material type.

• Learn new environmental vocabulary.

• Discuss how items can be reused rather than thrown away.

• Create new objects from old materials.

Resources such as the Recycling Centre Dramatic Role Play Pack, Sort Recycling Cards Activity, Junk Modelling Challenge Sheets, Recyclable Materials Word Cards, and Cut, Sort and Stick Recycling Activities on our ‘Recycling’ page can help support these explorations.

Additional Provision Enhancements

• Create a recycling investigation station.

• Set up sorting baskets for different materials.

• Compare reusable and disposable items.

• Encourage children to identify recyclable materials around the setting.

• Create class displays showing how materials can be reused.

• Develop simple environmental role-play scenarios.

🌍 Caring for Our Planet

World Refill Day links naturally to broader discussions about caring for the Earth and using resources thoughtfully.

Children might:

• Explore the idea that Earth is our shared home.

• Discuss ways people can help the environment.

• Consider how everyday choices affect nature.

• Learn that small actions can make a positive difference.

• Celebrate environmental responsibility.

Resources including Earth Game, Earth – Our Home! Multimats, and Earth Upper & Lower Case Alphabet Puzzle Games on our ‘Environment’ page can help support these discussions.

Additional Provision Enhancements

• Create a "How We Help Our Planet" display.

• Encourage children to share environmental ideas.

• Explore photographs of natural environments.

• Create transient art using natural materials.

• Develop class pledges about caring for the Earth.

• Use storybooks that promote environmental awareness.

🛍 Refill, Reuse & Reduce

The central message of World Refill Day is that reusing and refilling items can help reduce waste.

Children might:

• Explore reusable bottles, cups and containers.

• Compare reusable and single-use items.

• Learn why refill stations are becoming more common.

• Discuss simple ways to reduce waste.

• Consider alternatives to disposable products.

Resources on our ‘Environment’ page such as Don't Use Plastic Bags! Posters, Don't Use Plastic Bags! Colouring Posters, Design A Bag For Life, and Keep Plastic Out Of The Oceans! Posters can help support these conversations.

Additional Provision Enhancements

• Create a pretend refill station in role play.

• Decorate reusable water bottles or cups.

• Investigate different types of containers.

• Explore how shops are reducing packaging waste.

• Create reusable shopping bags through art and design.

• Discuss items children already reuse at home.

💧 Water, Refills & Everyday Sustainability

World Refill Day provides an excellent opportunity to discuss water and healthy habits.

Children might:

• Talk about where drinking water comes from.

• Explore the importance of staying hydrated.

• Discuss why many people choose reusable water bottles.

• Learn simple ways to avoid wasting water.

• Investigate water through play and exploration.

Additional Provision Enhancements

• Create a water investigation station.

• Explore filling and refilling containers in water play.

• Compare different bottle and container sizes.

• Discuss when and why we drink water.

• Observe water usage during daily routines.

• Carry out simple floating and sinking investigations.

You may wish to refer to resources on our ‘Water’ page.

🧰 Creative Reuse & Junk Modelling

Children often enjoy discovering how everyday objects can be transformed into something new.

Children might:

• Build models from recycled materials.

• Create inventions from reusable objects.

• Design useful items from "junk" materials.

• Explore problem solving through construction.

• Develop creativity through open-ended making.

Resources on our ‘Recycling’ page such as Junk Modelling Challenge Sheets, Recycling Symbol Fine Motor Sheets, and Recycling Symbol Multimats can help support these experiences.

Additional Provision Enhancements

• Create a maker-space using recycled resources.

• Build vehicles, habitats or inventions from reusable materials.

• Challenge children to create something useful from waste items.

• Design bird feeders or planters from containers.

• Create collaborative recycled sculptures.

• Encourage children to explain the purpose of their creations.

📚 Stories, Songs & Environmental Awareness

Stories and songs can help children develop a deeper understanding of environmental themes.

Children might:

• Explore books about caring for the planet.

• Learn songs about recycling and reusing.

• Discuss characters who help the environment.

• Retell environmental stories through role play.

• Create their own environmental stories.

Additional Provision Enhancements

• Read environmental picture books together.

• Create storytelling baskets linked to sustainability themes.

• Develop environmental role-play scenarios.

• Encourage children to make books about helping the planet.

• Use puppets to explore environmental challenges and solutions.

• Create simple class songs about recycling and reusing.

🌿 Taking Positive Action

World Refill Day is ultimately about helping children understand that they can make a positive contribution.

Children might:

• Help tidy outdoor spaces.

• Look after plants and wildlife.

• Reduce waste in everyday routines.

• Share environmental ideas with others.

• Celebrate positive actions already happening within the setting.

Additional Provision Enhancements

• Create an environmental challenge board.

• Develop a class "Green Team."

• Undertake a simple, supervised litter pick where appropriate.

• Plant flowers for pollinators.

• Monitor recycling efforts across the setting.

• Celebrate children's environmental achievements.

🔍 Explore More

To support your World Refill Day learning and encourage deeper exploration of sustainability and environmental responsibility, you may wish to explore our resources linked to:

Recycling • The Environment • Water

You may also enjoy exploring related themes such as:

Ocean • Forest School • Gardening • Habitats • Wildlife

These ideas and provision enhancements offer meaningful ways to celebrate World Refill Day in EYFS and KS1 settings. By encouraging children to think about reusing, refilling and reducing waste, practitioners can help nurture environmental awareness, responsible habits and a lifelong appreciation for caring for our planet. ♻️🌍💧🌿

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

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

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

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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 Refill Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by City to Sea, which organises this annual event. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information and details, please visit the City to Sea website: www.citytosea.org/worldrefillday.