Children's Day: a group of children cheering and putting their arms up in the air.

Children’s Day traditions and tips on planning a family day out

Children's Day is a day dedicated to children around the world. Children are not only a great asset, but they are also our future. Where did Children’s Day originate? When is Children's Day? In this guide we will give you a helpful overview of Children's Day. We will also look at the different traditions, tell you why there are two different Children's Days and give you some tips on fun activities for the whole family. You'll also find some great gift ideas for Children's Day.

Gifts for Children’s Day: a young girl playing with colourful modelling clay on a table.

When is Children’s Day?

Every year Children's Day is celebrated around the world. On this special day, children take centre stage and it is a special day that is celebrated by family and friends. In some countries there are even two Children's Days a year and some countries even celebrate both of them. There is International Children's Day on 1st June and World Children's Day on 20th September. The question is why are there two different dates?

International Children’s Day

International Children's Day is celebrated on 1st June and this bank holiday has been around since 1950. However, the origin of this bank holiday dates back to 1925 when representatives from different countries met in Geneva for a conference about the wellbeing of children. On this day, towns and schools organised various programmes and festivities for the whole family. One of the highlights of this special day was surprising your children with gifts. This special day still has the tradition of giving gifts and it also continues to bring joy to children.

World Children’s Day

World Children's Day was established in 1954 by the United Nations. This bank holiday is dedicated to children’s rights and wellbeing. On 20th September lots of towns, associations and children's aid organisations organise events for families. At these events, information is provided about children's rights, charities and the organisation’s different aims. Schools also take part in fundraisers such as fun runs. Today, World Children's Day is celebrated in over 145 countries.

Children's Day activities: a young girl taking part in a charity fun run on World Children's Day.

Children’s Day ideas and tips on days out and fun activities

Children's Day is a great opportunity to spend time as a family. Some families prefer to spend a day at home together, whilst others enjoy doing handicrafts or going on a family day out. Below we have put together a helpful list of great ideas for family days out and activities for Children's Day.

Children's Day outdoor activity ideas

If your family enjoys spending time outdoors, then going on a walk or a hike is the perfect outdoor activity. Have a look at local walking trails in your area and explore new trails and enjoy the views of the beautiful countryside. The most exciting part of walking in the countryside is playing little games and taking part in challenges such as guessing the names of the different flowers and plants or who can create a beautiful daisy chain. These types of activities help children to interact with their surroundings and to learn new things whilst having fun.

Children’s Day outdoor activity ideas:

  • Gardening

  • Building a treehouse

  • Spending a night in a tent

  • Going on a scavenger hunt

  • Going on a tree top or a zip wire course

  • Going to an adventure playground

Tip

If you are planning to go walking with younger children make sure to choose a shorter trail and take regular breaks. You can go on a longer walk with older children, but make sure to choose a trail that suits their walking abilities.

Children's Day family days out: a family getting ready to go on a walk.

Trying something new

Does your family enjoy trying new things? Then Children’s Day is the perfect opportunity as a family to give a new fun activity a go. If the weather is going to be good, you could try canoeing or kayaking which is great fun for everybody and they are also suitable for beginners. You could visit a lake and give stand-up paddle boarding a go, which is a fun activity for older children. This requires good balancing skills and is sure to be a lot of fun for the whole family.

If the weather isn’t going to be very good, you could visit a climbing centre. Indoor wall climbing gives children the chance to try something new and exciting. This will help them to improve their balance and coordination skills. Another great idea for Children's Day is to attend a taster dance or martial arts lesson. By doing so, your child can try something new and if they enjoy it this could be their new hobby.

Children’s Day activity ideas:

  • Go on a bike ride

  • Visit a farm

  • Playing minigolf

  • Attending a cooking course for children

  • Going on a museum tour

  • Spending the day at a theme park

You can also spend the afternoon getting creative as a family by doing some arts and crafts. This is a fun way to spend Children’s Day and a lot of fun will be guaranteed. You can find creative ideas and tips on how to find great gifts for Children's Day below in the following articles:

Creative activities for Children's Day: homemade crafts on a table.

Creative arts and crafts ideas with step-by-step instructions

Arts and crafts are a great activity to do on Children's Day as you can enjoy spending time together as a family and you can make something creative. If you are still looking for a creative arts and crafts idea for this Children’s Day, you will find some inspiration and great ideas in the article below. In this article you will find step-by-step instructions on how you can make a fish, jellyfish or a dreamcatcher out of natural materials in no time at all. We will also show you how to make some butterflies out of old toilet paper rolls.

Children’s Day craft ideas
Children’s Day gifts: a mum giving her daughter a gift on Children’s Day.

Children’s Day gift ideas

Traditionally, children receive gifts from family and friends on Children's Day, but choosing the right gift can be tricky. To help you choose the perfect Children’s Day gift, we have put some helpful gift ideas together to help you get inspired. Gifts that match the child’s hobbies or interests are a great choice. In the article below, you will find some helpful information on choosing the right gift for younger and older children as well as teenagers.

Children’s Day gift ideas

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References

https://kidsinthemiddle.org/ways-to-celebrate-national-childrens-day/

(last accessed on 21/02/2023)

https://thenewageparents.com/childrens-day-around-the-world/

(last accessed on 21/02/2023)

https://www.unicef.org/world-childrens-day

(last accessed on 21/02/2023)

Image sources

iStock.com/mediaphotos

iStock.com/Halfpoint

iStock.com/zeljkosantrac

iStock.com/VioletaStoimenova

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