World Teachers’ Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with World Teachers’ Day. World Teachers’ Day is an international day held annually on October 5th. It was established in 1994 by UNESCO, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Education International (EI). For official information and to learn more about the celebration, please visit the UNESCO website (www.unesco.org/en/days/teachers).

Monday 5th October 2026

Understanding World Teachers’ Day in EYFS & KS1

Hooray for our teachers! 🍎 World Teachers’ Day is a significant international day observed annually on October 5th. Established by UNESCO in 1994, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Education International (EI), it celebrates the vital role of teachers around the world. The day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. It's a day to appreciate and acknowledge the invaluable contributions teachers make to education and development globally.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderful and tangible theme for exploring appreciation, community helpers, learning, and kindness. It's about recognising the hard work and dedication of the adults who guide their learning every day, fostering respect, and understanding the importance of education. This day offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about gratitude and social contribution both meaningful and heartwarming.

Why Is Teaching About Teachers & Appreciation Important for Young Children?

Integrating themes around teachers and appreciation into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) help develop an understanding of community roles, and cultivating a sense of gratitude. Recognizing the efforts of educators helps children develop respect for those who support them and for the learning process itself.

• Social-Emotional Development: Expressing gratitude and understanding the roles of others contributes to emotional intelligence and positive social interactions.

• Community Understanding: Teachers are key "people who help us" in a child's community, linking to broader societal roles.

• Respect for Learning: Highlighting the work of teachers can deepen a child's appreciation for their own education and the effort involved in teaching.

• Empathy: Children learn to consider the feelings and hard work of others, developing a more empathetic outlook.

• Positive Relationships: Fostering appreciation strengthens the bond between children and their educators, contributing to a more positive learning environment.

Engaging Teacher Appreciation Activities for World Teachers’ Day (0-7 Year Olds)

Make World Teachers’ Day a truly appreciative and special experience with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on saying "thank you," celebrating learning, and recognising the wonderful people who teach them! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by the extensive range of printable resources we have available, especially those on our People who help us and Kindness and Friendship pages.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating teachers 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.)

• Create Thank-You Notes/Cards: Encourage children to draw pictures or write simple messages to their teachers, teaching assistants, or other school staff. Use our ‘End of year - Thank-you for caring!’, ‘Thank-you for helping me shine!’ or ‘Thank-you for helping me grow!’ as inspiration for messages of appreciation.

• "Our Wonderful Teacher/TA" Portrait/Drawing: Have children draw portraits of their teacher or teaching assistant, focusing on details like their hair, clothes, and a big smile.

• Role-Play "School": Set up a "classroom" role-play area using our Classroom role-play pack. Children can take turns being the "teacher" or "teaching assistant," mimicking positive behaviours they observe. Our Teacher Pack and Teaching Assistant Pack can enhance this.

• Discuss "People Who Help Us Learn": Have a discussion about all the different ways teachers and teaching assistants help them every day (e.g., reading stories, helping with maths, listening, making them feel safe). Use our ‘People who help us’ resources to identify and celebrate various helpers.

• "What Makes My Teacher Happy?" Activity: Brainstorm with children about things that make their teacher smile or feel happy, reinforcing the idea of positive emotions and kindness (linking to Emotions and Feelings).

• Kindness Chain for Teachers: Children write or draw kind things their teacher does on paper strips, then link them together to create a "Kindness Chain" to present to them. Our Kindness and Friendship resources are relevant here.

• "Teacher/TA Puppet Show": Use our People who help us - lollipop puppets to create a small puppet show about the daily life of a teacher or the importance of school.

• Teacher Appreciation Display: Create a special display to celebrate teachers. Use our People who help us - banners to head up the display. You could feature photos of the staff and children's thank-you notes.

• "If I Were a Teacher..." Writing/Drawing: For older EYFS/KS1 children, encourage them to draw or write about what they would do if they were a teacher for a day.

• Role Play Challenges: Use our People who help us - role play challenge cards to inspire specific scenarios involving teachers and other helpers.

• Planning Support: For broader planning, use Planning - topic plan ideas - People who help us.

• Explore Related Pages: For more comprehensive support, visit our dedicated pages:

  • Emotions and Feelings

  • Kindness and Friendship

  • People who Help Us

These activities offer great inspiration for making World Teachers’ Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering gratitude, respect, and an appreciation for the important role of educators.

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

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

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

More Early Years Event Pages for October

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!

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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 Teachers’ Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by UNESCO, the ILO, or Education International, which established this day. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information and to learn more about the celebration, please visit the UNESCO website at www.unesco.org/en/days/teachers-day.