Fireworks Activities & Resources

Theme collection · Fireworks & Bonfire Night

Colour, light &
little discoveries

Explore fireworks through colourful marks, playful sounds, patterns, movement and conversation.

Find creative invitations, counting games, early writing resources and planning support for your setting or home. Choose a few ideas that connect with the children’s interests, whether you are exploring Bonfire Night or noticing light and colour at another time.

Quiet ways to join in are welcome too: look at pictures, draw, move or share a familiar rhyme. There is no need for loud sounds or a real display.

01 / Explore the theme

Start with something free

Two Fireworks samples to try with Free Access. Use the covers to explore each resource before choosing your download.

Firework Colour Checklists — Free Sample - cover preview
Free Access

Firework Colour Checklists — Free Sample

Try a colour-spotting checklist with pictures, a recording or a prepared colour hunt. Tick the colours together and talk about what you notice.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

Firework Size Ordering Cards — Free Sample - cover preview
Free Access

Firework Size Ordering Cards — Free Sample

Try arranging firework pictures by size and talk about big, small, bigger and smaller.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

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02 / Explore the theme

Create, move & explore

Make swirls, shapes and bursts of colour with dough, drawing, collage and movement. These are optional starting points: children can change an idea, invent their own marks or simply explore the materials.

Firework Playdough Mats - cover preview
All Access

Firework Playdough Mats

Roll, shape and arrange dough on firework outline mats, using the pictures as starting points for patterns and hand movements.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

A4 Firework Outlines — Collage & Loose Parts - cover preview
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A4 Firework Outlines — Collage & Loose Parts

Large blank firework shapes provide a starting point for collage and arranging loose parts, with room for children’s own colour and pattern choices.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

Fireworks Activity Challenge - cover preview
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Fireworks Activity Challenge

Six movement cards invite children to move like fireworks. Explore actions, descriptive language and taking turns, indoors or outside.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

Fireworks Fine Motor Pencil Control Sheets - cover preview
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Fireworks Fine Motor Pencil Control Sheets

Follow dotted firework lines to practise controlled pencil movements. Offer these alongside broader drawing and mark-making opportunities.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

Fireworks Colouring Pack - cover preview
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Fireworks Colouring Pack

A collection of firework colouring sheets for exploring colour choices and adding individual detail.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception · Selected KS1 uses

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03 / Explore the theme

Colours, counting & maths games

Choose from colour matching, size ordering, puzzles and number games. Offer a manageable number of pieces and focus on the mathematical idea that matters for your children.

Fireworks Counting Puzzles (1–10) - cover preview
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Fireworks Counting Puzzles (1–10)

Match each numeral to the correct quantity of fireworks. Use the pieces for counting and subitising, or leave them uncut for number ordering.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

Fireworks Dice Game - cover preview
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Fireworks Dice Game

Roll a 1–6 die and find the matching piece to build a firework picture. Choose dots or numerals for individual play or a turn-taking game.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

Firework Colour Sorting - cover preview
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Firework Colour Sorting

Match firework cards to six coloured splats. Select fewer colours when useful and build colour vocabulary through a simple sorting game.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

Firework Explosion 2-Piece Puzzles - cover preview
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Firework Explosion 2-Piece Puzzles

Match two halves of a firework burst. These 11 simple puzzles encourage close looking at colours, patterns, similarities and differences.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

Firework Numbers 0–20 - cover preview
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Firework Numbers 0–20

Firework numerals for a number line, ordering and missing-number games, or matching a chosen number to a collection of objects.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception · Selected KS1 uses

Firework Colour Match Game - cover preview
All Access

Firework Colour Match Game

Match each firework burst to the rocket of the same colour. Play together to practise colour recognition and taking turns.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

Rocket Countdown Game - cover preview
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Rocket Countdown Game

Build rockets in a memory game that brings together turn taking, shape recognition and number ordering. Add a firework sound when a rocket is complete.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

Rocket / Explosion Match Sheets - cover preview
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Rocket / Explosion Match Sheets

Match rockets and bursts by colour, then explore one-to-one counting and finding one more using the progressively varied sheets.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

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04 / Explore the theme

Talk, sounds & early writing

Share ideas, play with words and sounds, and give children a reason to draw or write. Adults can record children’s words; independent writing is one way to take part.

For early reading: use the CVC word-building game only with letter-sound correspondences children already know, alongside your chosen phonics approach.

My Fireworks Senses Poem - cover preview
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My Fireworks Senses Poem

Use the senses prompts to talk, draw, make marks or write descriptive words and sentences about fireworks. Adults can scribe children’s ideas.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception · Selected KS1 uses

Fireworks Draw & Write - cover preview
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Fireworks Draw & Write

Drawing and writing sheets offer different amounts of space for children to record a firework experience through pictures, marks or words.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception · Selected KS1 uses

My Fireworks Senses Booklet - cover preview
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My Fireworks Senses Booklet

Invite children to draw, make marks or write about their senses. Use the prompt pages separately or combine them into a small booklet.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception · Selected KS1 uses

Firework Alphabet - cover preview
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Firework Alphabet

Lower-case letters on firework bursts for displays and letter activities. Choose letters and sounds that children already know for matching games.

Suggested use: Reception · Selected KS1 uses

Firework Rhythms - cover preview
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Firework Rhythms

Use sound cards of different lengths as visual cues for short and long sounds. Combine them to make and repeat simple firework rhythms.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

Fireworks CVC Word Builder Game - cover preview
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Fireworks CVC Word Builder Game

Build and blend simple CVC words in a firework-themed game. Select letter–sound correspondences children have been taught and discuss real and nonsense words.

Suggested use: Reception · Selected KS1 uses

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05 / Explore the theme

Safety & people who help

Use the picture cards and posters for adult-supported conversations, then explore the role of firefighters through the wider Firefighter Pack.

A note for adults: these printables support discussion. Check current fire-service advice when planning any real event. Sparklers should not be given to children under five. Read London Fire Brigade’s fireworks advice.

Firefighter Pack - cover preview
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Firefighter Pack

Explore the firefighter’s role through information posters, drawing and writing sheets, creative mats and simple puzzles.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception · Selected KS1 uses

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06 / Explore the theme

Rhymes & night-sky connections

Enjoy Twinkle Twinkle Little Star through singing, pictures, sequencing and illustration. These are related night-sky resources; use them when the connection interests the children.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star — Large Sequence Cards - cover preview
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Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star — Large Sequence Cards

Large illustrated cards to sequence the rhyme, support shared singing or create an interactive display.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star — Cut & Match Cards - cover preview
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Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star — Cut & Match Cards

Cut-and-match sequence cards for putting the nursery rhyme in order and retelling it together.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star — Illustration Activity - cover preview
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Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star — Illustration Activity

Blank illustration frames paired with lines from the rhyme invite children to draw their own pictures and talk about the words.

Suggested use: Preschool · Reception

Nursery Rhyme Puzzles - cover preview
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Nursery Rhyme Puzzles

Match two parts from familiar nursery rhymes. Different puzzle shapes help children check the matches as they play.

Suggested use: Toddlers with adult support · Preschool · Reception

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07 / Explore the theme

Theme & project planning

Adult-facing support for toddlers and preschool children. These broader projects offer possible connections with light, celebrations and people who help us; they are not a required Fireworks teaching sequence.

Light, Dark & Celebrations — Toddler Project Planner - cover preview
All Access · Open preview

Light, Dark & Celebrations — Toddler Project Planner

A sensory project for 18–36 months, supporting language, confidence and early scientific thinking through light, dark and celebrations.

For adults · Toddlers (18–36 months)

People Who Help Us — Toddler Project Planner - cover preview
All Access · Open preview

People Who Help Us — Toddler Project Planner

A play-led project for 18–36 months, supporting community awareness, relationships, role play and language.

For adults · Toddlers (18–36 months)

Who Helps When…? — Preschool Theme Pack - cover preview
All Access · Open preview

Who Helps When…? — Preschool Theme Pack

A six-week theme for 3–4-year-olds exploring community, problem-solving and staying safe.

For adults · Preschool (3–4 years)

Celebrations Around the World — Preschool Mini Theme - cover preview
All Access · Open preview

Celebrations Around the World — Preschool Mini Theme

A flexible two-week theme for 3–4-year-olds, exploring belonging, traditions and why people celebrate through meaningful play.

For adults · Preschool (3–4 years)

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08 / Choose a starting point

Choose by age & setting

Use these suggestions flexibly, guided by children’s interests, confidence and support needs. The links take you to the covers on this page.

Babies & toddlers

For babies, keep the focus on shared singing, faces, gesture and interaction. For toddlers, use the dedicated planning resources to choose suitable experiences.

Preschool / nursery

Begin with colour, talk, movement and making. Offer adult support and select materials for the children using them.

Reception

Build on what children already know: compare, count, describe and represent ideas in different ways.

Childminders, mixed ages & selected KS1 uses

Share one invitation with different ways to join in. Older children might explain a pattern, compose a short poem or develop their own written account.

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10 / Make it your own

Using the Fireworks theme

A theme can offer a shared starting point while leaving room for children’s own experiences and ideas.

What is Bonfire Night?

Bonfire Night, also called Fireworks Night or Guy Fawkes Night, is associated with 5 November and the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. With young children, follow their questions and keep explanations brief and sensitive.

Historical background from UK Parliament

How can I add Fireworks to continuous provision?

Choose one or two relevant additions to familiar spaces: colourful marks at the creative table, a picture to talk about, or a counting puzzle alongside number play. Observe what the children do with them and adapt from there. There is no need to theme every area or print every resource.

Explore Continuous Provision & Play

What if a child dislikes loud sounds or bright displays?

Offer quiet choices such as pictures, drawing, gentle movement or familiar singing. Let children watch, join in, pause or choose something else. They can explore colour and pattern without recordings, flashing effects or sudden bangs.

Can I use these resources for another celebration?

Some colour, pattern and sound resources can be useful when fireworks arise in children’s experiences. Keep the meaning of each celebration clear, listen to families’ perspectives and use the relevant collection for its wider context.

Browse Festivals & Celebrations

Are the resources editable?

The Fireworks topic resources are listed with editable Word and PDF options. Check each resource page for the formats supplied. The cover links let you take a closer look before opening a resource.

Which resources are free?

The two samples in Start with something free are available with Free Access. All Access membership includes every resource on the site. You can also type free into this page’s search to find the samples.

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Membership

All Access membership unlocks every resource on the site. Free Access lets you explore and download a selection of free resources. Explore membership options.

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