January Celebrations for Preschool

I’m the kind of person who absolutely LOVES to have a holiday or celebration to look forward to. After the highs of the month of December, that can make January feel a little extra bleak. BUT there’s plenty to celebrate in January too, so if you want to keep the parties coming, here are some special days you might consider commemorating in the classroom this month. All of these dates are from my favorite calendar site; National Today.

January 8th – National bubble bath day. This sounds like the perfect excuse for some soapy sensory fun! Squeeze some bubble bath on a piece of aluminum foil and let children fingerpaint with it and talk about how it smells. Drop a few bath bombs in some warm water at the sensory table, and find some fun books about bubble baths – like Donkeys Can’t Take Bubble Baths and 10 Pigs (links are affiliates).

January 11th – International Thank You Day. After a month of receiving gifts, this is the ideal time to encourage children to write thank you notes. Put out some fun stationary and write down a few basic messages that they can copy. It’s always fun to hear about the people and moments that have had an impact on little ones lives.

January 15th – National Bagel Day. Who doesn’t love a bagel?! Taste test different flavors, make pizza bagels for lunch, and set up a bagel shop in your dramatic play space.

January 19th – National Popcorn Day. Another great food day that kids are sure to love. Try different toppings and talk about when your families like to eat popcorn. Show children popcorn kernels and watch them pop in a popper. Make some popcorn garlands that you can put on the trees outside your windows for the birds.

January 17th – Kid Inventors Day. This day was made for the preschool classroom. Set out a variety of materials and see what the children can come up with. Show them Rube Goldberg inventions, and play Mousetrap, then have a discussion about some of the inventions we use every day and the people who invented them.

January 20th – Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is one that you’re sure to talk about. If you’re looking for ideas that will make this day relevant and appropriate for preschoolers, please be sure to take a peek at some of these previous posts.

January 27th – Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. You probably already have a bubble wrap stash in your supply closet, it’s time to put that to good use! Walk on bubble wrap, use it as a stamp with paints, talk about why we use it for packaging, and wrap up some eggs with different kinds of bubble wrap to see which works best when you drop the eggs.

January 29th – Lunar New Year. There are so many great books available about Lunar New Year – I love any Non-fiction book by National Geographic Kids, and How to Catch a Dragon captures the spirit of the holiday in a way that will resonate with preschoolers. Make some paper lanterns and watch videos of the festivities to help the children see how people in other parts of the world celebrate.

January 31st – National Preschool Health and Fitness Day. I couldn’t leave this one off the list! Start a discussion about why health and fitness is important, and some of the things that kids can do to keep their bodies healthy. The great thing about this holiday is that you can focus on what your class needs the most – handwashing, movement, nutrition – or touch on a little of everything.