World Sleep Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

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

Friday 19th March 2027 (TBC)

Understanding World Sleep Day in EYFS & KS1

Let's snuggle up and learn all about sleep! 😴✨ World Sleep Day (WSD) is an annual event organised by the World Sleep Society and observed on the Friday before the Spring Equinox each year. The main goal of this day is to celebrate the wonderful benefits of getting good, healthy sleep. It also aims to draw everyone's attention to how important sleep is and how sleep problems can affect our health, how well we learn, and how we get along with others. The day also encourages us to think about how to prevent and manage sleep problems.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a gentle yet vital theme for exploring health and well-being, personal, social & emotional development (PSED), self-care routines, and understanding the human body. It's about helping children understand why sleep is so important for their growing bodies and busy brains, and how establishing good sleep habits can make a big difference to how they feel and learn every day. This day offers meaningful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about sleep and healthy routines both practical and comforting.

Why Is Learning About Sleep Important for Young Children?

Integrating World Sleep Day and lessons about sleep into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) helps their awareness of their overall health, well-being, and ability to learn effectively.

• Supports Growth & Development: Highlights that sleep is essential for their bodies to grow and repair, and for their brains to process information.

• Enhances Learning & Memory: Helps children understand that good sleep makes it easier to concentrate, remember new things, and perform well in school.

• Boosts Mood & Emotions: Teaches children that enough sleep helps them feel happier, less grumpy, and better able to manage their emotions.

• Promotes Healthy Habits: Encourages the establishment of consistent bedtime routines and healthy sleep environments.

• Understanding Well-being: Connects sleep to a broader understanding of what it means to be healthy, alongside diet and exercise.

Engaging Sleep & Well-being Activities for World Sleep Day (0-7 Year Olds)

Let's make sleep a celebrated part of our day for World Sleep Day with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on understanding the importance of rest, creating calm routines, and appreciating how sleep helps us! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our 'Sleep' and 'Mental Health' resources, as well as broader 'Healthcare' themed materials.

Here's some inspiration for promoting healthy sleep 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.)

• Introduce Sleep's Importance: Begin by talking about what sleep is and why we need it. Use 'Sleep' Banner' for a calming display and 'Amount Of Sleep' Poster' to discuss how much sleep children need at different ages.

• Calming 'Sleeping Area': Designate a quiet, cosy 'Sleeping Area' in your setting, marked with the 'Sleeping Area' Sign'. This could be a reading nook or a space for quiet reflection and rest during the day.

• Discuss Bedtime Routines: Talk about what children do before bed. Create a visual timetable of a simple bedtime routine (e.g., bath, pyjamas, brush teeth, read a story, sleep). This helps children understand the sequence of events.

• "How Does Sleep Make You Feel?" Discuss how children feel after a good night's sleep (energetic, happy, ready to learn) versus when they haven't slept enough (tired, grumpy, finding it hard to concentrate). Connect this to explaining how sleep helps our brains stay healthy and happy.

• Dream Drawings/Stories: Encourage children to draw pictures of their favourite dreams or tell short stories about what they dream about. This can be a fun, creative way to engage with the topic.

• "What Helps Me Sleep?": Ask children to think about things that help them feel sleepy and calm (e.g., a quiet room, a favourite blanket, a soft toy).

• Relaxation Activities: Introduce short calming activities before nap time or quiet time, such as listening to soft music, gentle stretches, or quiet breathing exercises.

• Poorly Teddy & Rest: Link sleep to overall health. If a 'Poorly Teddy' (from our 'Medicine' resources) is tired, talk about how rest and sleep are important for getting better.

• Healthy Habits Connection: Discuss how sleep is part of being healthy, just like eating healthy food (see 'Food' pages) and exercising (see 'Exercise' page).

• Healthcare Professionals & Sleep: Briefly mention that doctors (from 'Doctor's Surgery Role-Play Pack') can sometimes help if people have trouble sleeping, just as dentists ('Dentist Dramatic Role-Play Pack') help with teeth and optometrists ('Optometrist Dramatic Role-Play Pack') help with eyes. This subtly links sleep to the broader healthcare system.

• 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’, or ‘Sun Safety’ pages. Our 'Science' pages also cover aspects of how our bodies work.

These activities offer great inspiration for making World Sleep Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering health awareness, self-care routines, emotional well-being, and an understanding of the vital role sleep plays in our lives.

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

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

‘Sleep’ educational resources for EYFS and KS1:

‘The Human Body’ 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 Sleep Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the World Sleep Society, which organises 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 sleep for global health, please visit their website at www.worldsleepday.org.