World Turtle Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with World Turtle Day. World Turtle Day is celebrated annually on May 23rd. It was established in 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of all species of tortoise and turtle. The purpose of the day is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and to encourage human action to help them survive and thrive. It highlights the threats they face globally, such as habitat destruction, illegal pet trade, and entanglement in fishing gear, and promotes conservation efforts. For official information and how to get involved, please visit the American Tortoise Rescue website: www.worldturtleday.org

Saturday 23rd May 2026

Understanding World Turtle Day in EYFS & KS1

Let's dive into the fascinating world of turtles and tortoises and learn why these ancient creatures need our help! 🐢🌊

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderful and engaging theme for exploring animals (especially reptiles, sea creatures, and pets), habitats (ocean, desert, wetlands, gardens), conservation, life cycles, responsible pet ownership, the environment, and understanding the world (the natural world). It's about introducing children to the beauty of marine and terrestrial life, fostering empathy for vulnerable creatures, and teaching simple actions they can take to make a difference in protecting animals and their homes. This day offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about wildlife conservation, animal care, and ocean health both essential and wonderfully captivating!

Why Is Learning About Turtles and Tortoises Important for Young Children?

Integrating World Turtle Day and themes of marine life, land animals, and conservation into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) builds an early appreciation for nature, developing responsible habits, and laying the groundwork for future environmental stewardship.

• Promotes Empathy & Respect: Helps children develop care and concern for all living creatures, particularly those facing threats, whether in the wild or as pets.

• Introduces Conservation Concepts: Explains, in an age-appropriate way, the importance of protecting animals and their diverse habitats.

• Enhances Knowledge of Biodiversity: Expands children's understanding of different animal types (reptiles, fish) and how various environments support life.

• Fosters Environmental Responsibility: Inspires children to think about how their actions (e.g., reducing plastic, keeping habitats clean, responsible pet care) can impact animals.

• Supports Scientific Inquiry: Encourages observation, questioning, and learning about animal characteristics, life cycles, and ecosystems.

• Encourages Positive Action: Shows children that even small actions can contribute to bigger conservation efforts for both wild and pet turtles/tortoises.

Engaging Turtle & Tortoise Activities for World Turtle Day (EYFS & KS1)

Let's ‘shell-ebrate’ turtles and tortoises and learn how to be their best friends for World Turtle Day with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on appreciating these unique creatures, understanding their challenges, and thinking about how we can help them thrive! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated ‘Animals’, ‘Under the Sea’, ‘Reptiles’, ‘Pets’, and ‘Endangered Animals’ resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating World Turtle Day 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. Emphasise respect for animals and their habitats.)

• Discovering Turtles & Tortoises:

  • Focus on the 'Sea Turtle Pack' to learn specific facts about sea turtles and their life in the ocean.

  • Use 'Turtle Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets' to help children identify and label parts of a turtle's anatomy.

  • Introduce children to other reptiles with 'Reptile Posters'. Discuss what makes a reptile a reptile and compare turtles and tortoises.

  • For tortoises, use 'Pets Fact Cards' to find specific information about tortoises as pets, and 'Pet Descriptions Game' to describe a tortoise.

  • Use 'Animal Sorting Game/Activity' to sort animals by habitat or type (e.g., ocean animals vs. land animals).

  • Create a display featuring diverse animals, including turtles and tortoises, using 'Animals Of The World' Display Banner & Headings'.

• Habitats, Life Cycles & Conservation:

  • Ocean Habitats: Transform your space into an ocean environment using 'Under The Sea' Display Banner (Realistic Style)' or 'Under The Sea' Display Banner & Borders (Cartoon Style)'. Explore marine life with 'Sea Animal Word Cards (Realistic Style)', 'Sea Animals Word Mat (Realistic)', and 'Sea Creatures Colouring (Realistic)' or the cartoon versions. Go on an 'under the sea' themed scavenger hunt or sensory bin with 'Water Play - Find Sea Animals Cards' and 'Water Play - Under The Sea Alphabet (Free Sample)'.

  • Land Habitats (for Tortoises): Discuss different land habitats where tortoises live (e.g., deserts, grasslands). This links to pages like ‘Habitats’ or ‘Wildlife’.

  • Life Cycles: Discuss the life cycle of turtles/tortoises using 'Turtle Egg Find Game'.

  • Conservation: Talk about the threats both turtles and tortoises face (e.g., plastic in the ocean for sea turtles, habitat loss for tortoises, responsible pet ownership). This links to our ‘The Environment’ and ‘Recycling’ pages. Discuss how we can help keep oceans, beaches, and land clean for animals.

• Responsible Pet Ownership (for Tortoises):

  • Engage in role-play at a 'Veterinary Surgery Role-Play Pack' to simulate caring for pets, including a pretend tortoise. Discuss what a vet does and why animals need check-ups.

  • Use 'Our Pets' Banner', 'Pets Word Mat', 'Pet Word Cards', and 'Pets Colouring' to talk about different types of pets and what they need to be healthy and happy, applying this specifically to tortoises if appropriate for your setting.

  • Utilise 'Pets - 'My Pet Can' Drawing/Writing/Mark Making Sheets' for children to draw or write about their ideal pet, or a tortoise.

  • Explore 'Pets 2-Piece Puzzles' and 'Pets 2-Piece Puzzles - Colouring' to learn about different animals commonly kept as pets.

• Numeracy & Literacy with Turtles & Tortoises:

  • Practise counting with 'Turtle Egg Find Game'.

  • Use 'Sea Animal Counting Multimats', 'Sea Animal Counting 0-10 (Realistic)', 'Sea Animal Number Slice Puzzles', 'Sea Animal Numbers 0-30 (Realistic Style)', 'Under The Sea 100 Square (Cartoon)', 'Sea Animal Counting 0-10 (Cartoon)', and 'Sea Animal Numbers 0-100 (Cartoon Style)' for number recognition and counting activities.

  • For tortoises, use 'Pets Number Multimats - Playdough, Whiteboard & Pen Or Loose Parts' with tortoise figures or pictures for counting.

  • Engage with 'Sea Animal Alphabet (Realistic)' for letter recognition.

  • Play games like 'Sea Animal Snap Cards (Realistic Style)' or 'Sea Theme Dice Game (1-6)'.

  • Discuss favourite animals (including turtles and tortoises) and tally them using 'Our Favourite Animals' Pictogram'.

• Creative & Developmental Activities:

  • Encourage drawing with 'Drawing Sea Animals'.

  • Use 'Animal Multimats - Playdough, Loose Parts, Art & Craft' and 'Animal Border Sheets' for creative expression with animal themes.

  • Engage with phonics using 'Animal Sound Mat - Phase 3', 'Animal Sound Cards - Phase 3', and 'Animal Sound Cards - Phase 3 (Colouring)'.

  • Plan a broader animal topic using 'Planning - Topic Plan Ideas - Animals'.

• Explore More: You may like to explore additional pages covering relevant and/or connected themes such as ‘Animals’, ‘Under the Sea’, ‘Reptiles’, ‘Pets’, ‘Endangered Animals’, ‘Ocean’, ‘Habitats’, ‘Life Cycles’, ‘The Environment’, and ‘Beach School’.

These activities offer great inspiration for making World Turtle Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering compassion for wildlife and pets, environmental awareness, conservation understanding, and a lifelong sense of responsibility for our planet's creatures.

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

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

Free ‘Turtle’ and ‘Tortoise’ printable resources and activities:

‘Turtle’ printable resources and activity ideas in our ‘Animals’ and ‘Under the Sea’ topics:

‘Tortoise’ printable resources and activity ideas in our ‘Pets’ topic:

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

More Early Years Event Pages for May

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 Turtle Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), which established this annual observance. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information and how to get involved, please visit the American Tortoise Rescue website: www.tortoise.com/.