August 2026 Events

1st – 7th August: World Breastfeeding Week

NHS guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, continuing up to two years alongside solid foods. In Birmingham, nursing mothers can access free vitamins until their child is one, and children’s vitamins until age four, through local Health Visitors, Nurseries, Children’s Centres and some pharmacies. You can check your nearest distributor here. These can now be ordered direct from public health to your setting. Ask your Startwell consultant for more information. Check out Breastfeeding Network’s Website Here.

5th August: Playday

The Playday 2026 aims to highlight the many ways in which play is beneficial to children and young people. The official campaign theme for this year is “Play – here, there, everywhere”. The 2026 theme highlights the vital importance of creating everyday opportunities for children to play wherever they are—from living rooms, to streets, local parks, and neighbourhoods. Play is a brilliant way for the children to learn about the Startwell characters as you link them into your everyday activities. Active Azra: Encourage children to run, dance, and move! Hold a ” Wake Up Shake Up” with high-energy music or dance the “Around the World” dance by playing Salsa, Reggae, Britpop and Bhangra music.

9th August: Rice Pudding Day

Who knew it existed? But yes, it does, so why not try a rice pudding tasting day where you try it with a range of healthy fruit to see which the children prefer? Check out our Quick Creamy Rice Pudding Family Recipe on the website for a good recipe. Have fun and get tasting but remember to include Micky Me Size and Fay 5 a day.

10th – 16th August: National Allotments Week

National Allotments Week promotes health and wellbeing through community gardening, providing a perfect opportunity for families to combine physical activity with growing fresh, low-cost produce. This activity directly supports 180 minutes of daily physical exercise and the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, aligning with Startwell’s 180 Katie and Fay 5 a Day initiative. This years theme is grow to learn. Fay 5 a Day: Hide real or plastic fruit and vegetables in a “harvesting sensory box” filled with soil, lentils, or black beans. Click here for more on how to apply for an allotment.

10th – 16th August: European Athletics Championships

Taking place right here in Birmingham at Alexander Stadium. Why not host your own mini track-and-field “Play Day or Athletics week” to get children running, jumping, and moving like elite athletes and developing their Sammy Skills.

11th August: National Plum Day

National Plum Day was introduced in 2020 as it’s been identified that plum intake is on the decline as they have become a forgotten fruit, and it is hoped National Plum Day will start to make people rethink the perfection of plums. Plums are bursting with vitamins and minerals and are 1 of Fay’s 5 a day. During the summer months plums are in season so normally are cheaper in the supermarkets and are great as one of your 2 snacks Max. Why not do a plum tasting activity with Fay and Max.

28th August: Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival celebrating protective family bonds, traditionally marked by sisters tying a sacred thread (Rakhi) around their brother’s wrist. In modern celebrations, children often exchange friendship bracelets to honour special relationships. Making pasta or bead bracelets is a fantastic way to celebrate while developing fine motor coordination, perfectly supporting Sammy Skills and Suzy Startwell.

 

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July 2026 Events

July: National Picnic Month

National Picnic Month was formed to celebrate the history of coming together to share food both indoors and outdoors. It also celebrates the way that eating together brings people, cultures, and even countries together. The good news is that picnics can take place in your home, in the garden or in the park. You can have your lunch, snack, or teatime as a picnic. Having a picnic is a fun way to enjoy your environment and can encourage reluctant eaters to try new foods. We have lots of recipes for foods which would work well for picnics. Remember to link in Micky Me Size to ensure we eat the right amount for us. Have a look at our children and family recipes on our website!

4th – 26th July: Tour de France

The Tour de France is the world’s largest bike race. Cyclists travel from all over the world to compete. Bike play is always popular in settings, so this is a great opportunity to extend this interest area. Take this time to learn all about bikes, their components and how to ride them using pedals. You could even set up your own mini tour in your garden and set up a route for the bikes to follow. Remember to link in a Sammy Skills when you do your activities.

6th – 12th July: National School Sports Week

This year’s theme is ‘Belonging’ – making sure that every child feels that there is a place for them in sport. Focussing on wellbeing, enjoyment, fun, inclusivity, and the importance of regular physical activity. The Youth Sports Trust aims to release the potential and fun of sports and how it can improve lives in both a physical and mental health way. Although this says school sports week lots of nurseries across the UK take part. It is an important time to inform parents about the Chief Medical Officers’ Guidelines for children and remember to link in your physical Startwell characters.

July-August: International Animal Days

Throughout July and August there are several national days for Rabbits, Monkeys, Snakes, Lions, Elephants, Dogs and Cats. Why not hold a national animals’ week and learn about a range of animals, their habitats and how they move? Check out our Pinterest pages for yoga animal poses and read a range of stories that the children can act out and copy the animal movements linked to Sammy Skills. This is a great time to link in animals that move fast and encourage children to move as fast as they can and increase their heart rate like 180 Katie.

11th – 12th July: Wimbledon Finals

Wimbledon is the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament. Why not have lots of fun trying out tennis skills in your setting with Sammy skills. The Wimbledon Ball-Boy Dash: Scatter yellow tennis balls or foam balls across the floor. Give the children a basket and call out a movement style—such as sidestepping, shuffling, or tiptoeing—which they must use to go and retrieve a ball or balloon tennis is also great fun and uses a range of locomotor and manipulation skills.

12th – 19th July: The Open Championships

The Open Championship is a Golf tournament that takes place in Southport in England this year. It is called an open tournament as it is open to professionals and amateurs. Sammy skills love’s playing golf as it improves his manipulation skills as well as developing his eye tracking and hand eye co-ordination. Why not let the children in your setting have a go. You don’t need real golf clubs you could make some from cardboard tubes – have fun!

18th July – 2nd August: Festival of British Archeology

Do you have children in your setting that are interested in outdoors, digging or dinosaurs? This is a perfect event to reach out to them to extend their interests and knowledge. Why not create an archaeology dig area where each day you can hide a range of items from painted stones, fossils, dinosaurs or even pretend bones. Have fun and remember to link in Sammy Skills as the children dig and dust off their finds. This year’s theme is archaeology and wellbeing.

24th July – 2nd August: Love Parks Week

Love parks week is a fantastic week to highlight the importance of using our local green spaces and celebrating all the hard work that goes into keeping our parks clean and tidy. Why not do a walk to your local park to explore with the children or send out an information sheet to families letting them know where their local green spaces are. Remember to link in Active Azra and get those belly buttons moving.

25th July – 9th August: National Marine Week

The Wildlife Trust promote National Marine week each year to raise awareness and celebrate all things marine! Visit the Wildlife Watch website for some fantastic activities to try in setting or at home from making seal masks, egg carton crabs and also setting up your own mini rock pools in setting so the children can explore. To link in Active Azra why not listen to some wave and under the water music to get the children moving their belly buttons or create a large water stream/play area outside where children can walk through and dip their toes in and out – the ideas are endless.

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June 2026 Events

1st June: World Milk Day

World Milk Day is celebrated to raise the awareness of the importance of milk as a food source and as part of a well-balanced diet. Milk and milk products are a very important source of essential nutrients, especially calcium. Children should start drinking semi-skimmed milk from 1 year of age. It is good practice to provide three portions of dairy or fortified milk alternatives each day. Having a milk-based dessert or a glass of milk can help to meet this guideline. Milk and water are the only drinks that should be served and consumed in settings, so this is a great day to talk about the importance of milk for strong teeth and bones and link in Smiley Shen for our teeth and Sammy Skills for our bones. Why not undertake a milk-based food preparation activity in setting?

1st – 7th June: Food Safety Week

Food Safety Week is held to promote the importance of good food hygiene. It also looks at the importance of health, hygiene and wellbeing. Talk about how we wash our hands before we eat and prepare food and include children in activities to wash fruit and vegetables before they are eaten. Encourage children to hold and use utensils safely practicing their Sammy Skills. Talk to them about which foods need to be stored in the fridge e.g. milk, cheese, yogurt and link this to Smiley Shen as they help build strong teeth and bones. Also look at what the different food does for us, use the food groups cube card game to help. Remember to link in Micky Me Size. You can use our Eatwell Guide link to help with this. Remember to look at the Food Safety page on our website for ideas on safe cutting practices with children

5th June: World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated on 5th June every year and is supported by the United Nations to encourage awareness and action for the protection of our environment. This year’s theme is “Climate Action “which has a focus on making changes to reduce climate change:

  • Planting and bug hotels – The bee populations are dwindling so ensuring that they have plenty of flowers/plants in your garden is important. Why not set up bug hotels to encourage wildlife to flourish and consider a wildflower area.
  • Walk, scoot or bike ride to setting – these are great ways to reduce the pollution from cars and encourage body awareness and improve physical fitness and skills.
  • Make compost – composting is an amazing and entirely natural way to create nutrient-rich soil. Compost reduces the need for pesticides, which damage the environment.

5th – 8th June: The Big lunch

The big lunch is an opportunity to bring communities together to make connections and to share food or even just a drink. It is supported and ran through the Eden Project Charities and events will be taking place all over the UK. You could do a Big Lunch with children in your setting and focus on the importance of lunchtime and skills needed such as pouring, using knives. Forks, spoons and if your children are going to school this year why not get them practicing carrying their own tray of food back to their table as well as scraping plates. Remember to link in Micky Me Size and Sammy skills.

7th – 15th June: British Heart Week

The aim of British Heart Week is to raise awareness of the symptoms and signs of heart diseases and the importance of getting the right treatment.   With young children we want them to learn that the heart is an muscle that we need to keep healthy and doing their 180 minutes of exercise with 180 Katie each day will contribute towards it. Can you make your heart go boom every day through high energy activities such as running, dancing and jumping games. Look at out  our 180 Katie page for more information and ideas and remember to make sure that staff and parents are aware of the CMO guidelines for early years.

8th – 14th June: Bike Week

Bike Week UK is organised by Cycling UK, they hold organised bike riding activities and events across the UK to raise the awareness that bike riding is a skill for life. It provides an opportunity for cardiovascular exercise which keeps our heart healthy. Remember to link in 180 Katie and Sammy Skills and teach children how to balance, co-ordinate their body movements, ride and pedal which all require a range of fundamental movement skills.

10th – 14th June: Healthy Eating Week

With the recent Department for Education Early Years Nutrition Guidance there has never been a better time to focus on the importance of healthy eating with your children and parents. Why not link in all of the nutrition characters as you explore the different food groups and the importance that they have on keeping our bodies healthy and well. For activity ideas check out our website and Pintrest boards.

11th June: International Day of Play

The United Nations has highlighted 11th June as play day as current research and data shows that children do not play enough and that adults do not see the benefit of play. The Rights of the Child state that “every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child, and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” Why not have an active themed play day with Active Azra where children get to undertake a range of physical play activities throughout the day.

18th June: International Picnic Day

International Picnic Day is a great day to celebrate and engage with eating outdoors. Why not have a teddy bears picnic and eat lunch outdoors. This is a great opportunity to explore packed lunches with families and what makes a healthy packed lunch. We know that families often overpack high sugar and fat foods into lunch boxes. Check out our Healthy Packed Lunch webpage for more information and remember to link in the nutrition characters.

21st June: Father’s Day

Celebrating Father’s Day, why not undertake a Daddy’s Day walk with Active Azra or a fun filled Daddy’s Day stay and play where physical activity takes the lead with a few healthy fruit tasting elements with Fay 5 a day?

21st June: International Yoga Day

International Yoga Day is celebrated to coincide with the summer solstice in India. International yoga day is a day for recognising the importance of yoga from a physical and mental capacity and the benefits it brings in relation to mindfulness. International Yoga Day is a day to raise the awareness of the benefits of yoga for young to old. It is a day to look at meditation, reflection and to try a range of yoga movements. Why not check out our Pinterest pages for lots of yoga cards and ideas sheets for you to follow as a family. Yoga is a great activity to develop balance and core strength. Remember to link in Sammy Skills and even Active Azra.

21st June: Make Music Day

On our Movement, Music and Maths training we talk about the importance of music as a mood lifter and how different genres can help us to move and be more active.  Make music day is a perfect opportunity for you to explore and make music with the children in your care. Spend the day playing, listening, dancing and moving to a range of music from different genres and cultures. Remember to link in Active Azra or 180 Katie as you turn the tempo up and make your hearts go Boom, Boom, Boom as you dance and move.

21st June: National Writing Day

National writing day is a day to encourage people of all ages to use their Sammy Skills and take part in a range of mark making activities.  Why not try a range of large-scale mark making using paint brushes, water spray bottles, large sponges or even mops. Other options are mark making in the mud, foam, sand just to name a few. Remember to use Sammy Skills and share your activities with us through social media. Check out more on National Day of Writing on Literacy Trusts website.

21st – 27th June: World Allergy Awareness Week

The theme of this year’s Allergy Awareness Week is Diagnosis Matters. All settings must be compliant with the allergen EU and UK laws. All nurseries need to make sure that they have a written menu for the food and drink they serve and a list of recipes for the food. Each ingredient needs to be checked to see if it contains one of the 14 most common allergens. Nurseries need to have the allergen information on view for parents to see or somewhere it can be easily accessed. For more information visit the ‘Allergen Information’ page on the Startwell website. You could also book onto our Food and Mealtimes training for a full look at mealtime environments, which is free and available to all early years staff working within the Birmingham area.

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May 2026 Events

May: National Walking Month

The campaign theme for National Walking Month 2026 is the #Try20 challenge, which encourages everyone to incorporate at least 20 minutes of walking or wheeling into their daily routine. These 20 tips give you lots of ideas and tip 10 is to “let kids lead the way”. By walking and being physical it keeps our hearts and body healthy. Remember to link in Active Azra as the character who likes to keep those belly buttons on the move. Walking can have a positive impact on children’s mood, concentration, and creativity. Little Feet part of Living Street which is a UK organisation and charity for promoting walking states that 9 out of 10 children are not meeting their physical activity levels. Early Years settings need to discourage the use of cars and pushchairs and encourage more walking. Why not encourage staff, parents, and children to compete with one another and to be positive Role Models incorporating the role of Suzy Startwell. Living Streets have also created an Early Years Little Feet Challenge, to encourage walking.

May: Local and Community History Month

This is the perfect event to share local knowledge and history with the children and parents in your setting. Why not make it Startwell focussed? Do they know where the local Dentists, Doctors, allotments and parks are? What is the local history in your area or the history of your nursery? Remember to link in your Startwell characters e.g. Smiley Shen with the dentist and Fay 5 a day with the grocery store and why not do a few community walks and link in Active Azra.

1st May: Vesak Day

Vesak, also known as Buddha Day or Buddha’s Birthday, is a celebration traditionally observed by Buddhists and some Hindus. Vesak is the celebration of the birth and passing away of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Temples are decorated with flowers, and offerings of food are prepared. Family and friends also share lovely, colourful cards with each other and share vegetarian food. Why not link in Fay 5 a Day and make some fruit/vegetable art that can be eaten with 2 Snacks Max.

4th – 10th May: Children’s Book Week

Children’s book week is designed to raise the profile of the importance of reading but also the message that reading for pleasure is fun.  Why not try one of our active story sheets to help bring a story to life using a range of physical movements with Sammy Skills. Check out our Active Stories page here.

5th May:  African World Heritage Day

African World Heritage Day was started in 2015 so that the history and traditions of African families can be celebrated. Why not take this opportunity to look at fruits widely cultivated in Africa such as bananas and pineapples linking in Fay 5 a Day and explore traditional African dishes alongside Micky Me Size. You could also try some traditional dances alongside 180 Katie as music and dance is a huge part of culture.

5th May: World Asthma Day

World asthma Day was founded in 1988 to raise awareness on what it is and how it affects the people who have it. There is no cure for Asthma and sadly it can be life limiting in some cases. Why not use this day to talk about how our lungs work and the importance of keeping them active and healthy as exercising can help improve lung function. But remember you must build up exercise and always be aware of children’s conditions and trigger points. Why not start with a few Active Azra exercises from our website and move into 180 Katie where appropriate.

10th May: National Children’s Day

National Children’s Day is an opportunity to embrace childhood and remember the joy of being a child. It provides an opportunity for play, freedom and fun. This day is a reminder to treasure the magic of childhood and advocate for the rights and well-being of every child.

11th-17th May: National Sun Awareness Week

Most people love the sun and children love being outdoors, so we need to be aware of the benefits but also the harm that being in the sun has on our bodies. Firstly, the benefit of the sun is natural vitamin D for our bodies to help promote growth and development of the teeth and bones. New research shows it also offers improved resistance to other certain diseases. To gain extra vitamins including vitamin D make sure families are aware of the FREE vitamins they can get in Birmingham for pregnant women until their child is 1 and for children up to the age of 4. You can check out our Healthy Start Webpage Here. The second part of Sun Awareness Week is to remember to look after our skin and reduce the risk of sunburn. Young children have thinner skin than adults. Remember that everyone regardless of skin tone needs to use a high factor sun cream and stay out of direct sunlight during 10-2pm. Take a look at our Sunshine and Vitamin D resource here.

11th – 17th May: Mental Health Awareness Week

The theme this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is “Action.” Startwell aims to promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing, this is often called mindfulness. Healthy eating, exercising and sleep all play a part in a person’s mental and emotional state. Why not talk to the children about the importance of being kind to others, asking our friends if they are ok and making sure that they are eating, sleeping and being physically active and linking in the appropriate character.

11th May – 11th June: National Smile Month

National Smile Month is the UK’s largest and longest-running campaign to promote good oral health. This year’s theme is 50 years of Smile, it introduces #Smiley monster and the importance of looking after your teeth and smiling. Remember to link in Smiley Shen and focus on 3 Key Messages:
1.            Brush your teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with fluoride toothpaste.
2.            Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks.
3.            Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.
For more information on National Smile Month, check out their webpage, and for how you can promote oral health in your setting take a look at our Smiley Shen page.

18th May – 7th June: June French Open

The French Open is a tennis tournament that was first held in 1891 and played yearly in France. The French Open is a great time to get children interested in tennis and trying out new skills. Remember to link in Sammy Skills as you practice those fundamental movement skills of manipulation as you use bats and balls.

21st May: Outdoor Classroom Day

Outdoor classroom day is a day to promote the importance of being and learning outdoors. The aim is to look holistically at the child and consider the health and education benefits that come from being outdoors. Nurseries and schools up and down the country take part in this event that happens twice a year in May and November. They take part by having all or most of their activities outdoors for the whole day or taking more nature walks to explore the local environment. Why not link in 180 Katie and do your wake up and shake up outdoors or take the children on a nature walk with Active Azra. Share your day with us through our social media links.

21st – 23rd May: Shavuot

Shavuot is a Jewish festival celebrated around 7 weeks after the first day of Passover. Shavuot is known as Harvest Festival, as a former tradition was for Jewish people to bring Bikkurim (the first and finest fruits) to the Temple as a gift to God. Why not link in Fay 5 a day and use this festival to explore a range of fruits with the children from washing, cutting, and eating – try fruits that are unknown to them.

26th May – 1st June: Garden Wildlife Week

Garden Wildlife Week has a focus on learning about the wildlife around us. Can you do a wildlife watch in your garden and make a note of what animals and insects you find. Don’t forget to look under rocks and check out our Pinterest page for ideas on building bug hotels. Once you’ve found/spotted wildlife in your garden Active Azra wants to know can you move round your garden like them e.g. fly like a butterfly, slither like a worm, crawl like a spider. Check out our Outdoor Physical Activity Pinterest page here.

26th – 30th May: Eid Al-Adha

Eid Al-Adha is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah and is one of the holiest festivals in the Islamic calendar. Eid Al-Adha is celebrated with friends and family. Muslims will often attend the Eid prayer and greet each other saying Eid Mubarak, which means ‘Have a blessed Eid’. At Eid families come together to share food to celebrate remember to link in Micky Me Size and try a range of traditional food in your setting.

31st May: Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final

Are the children in your setting interested in kicking balls or scoring goals? The Women’s Adobe FA Cup is England’s top cup competition for women’s football clubs that is just for English teams. This event is a great opportunity to raise the profile of girls and women in football and teach children a range of basic ball mastery skills.  Remember football is a ‘Manipulative Skills’ which makes up part of our Fundamental Movement Skills, so this is a great time to link in Sammy Skills.

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April 2026 Events

5th April: Easter

The Easter bunny has arrived – why not undertake lots of active easter egg hunts where children undertake a physical activity when they find an egg with Active Azra. Remember to talk to the children about the importance of Micky Me Size – eating in moderation and Smiley Shen and how to look after our teeth. Remember not to do chocolate easter egg hunts in setting – look at our Pinterest pages for alternative easter egg hunts instead.

6th – 12th April: Community Garden Week

Community garden week is all about exploring outdoors and having a go at a range of gardening activities. It is a great time to get back into the garden and give it a tidy up and overhaul. Why not involve the children in cleaning, sweeping, tidying the garden and setting up new areas for them to explore? This will keep the children active like Active Azra. It is also the perfect time to introduce a range of skills with Sammy Skills through from digging, weeding, and planting, and remember to link in Fay 5 a Day if you are growing fruit or vegetables. Check out our website and Pinterest for gardening tips and information.

7th April: World Health Day

World Health Day is the starting point for many other health awareness days that you can support in your setting. The focus of the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2026 campaign is ‘healthy beginnings, hopeful futures’.  It focuses on maternal health and health beginnings for newborns. This is an opportunity to promote all of Startwell’s key messages as research says that eating well, good oral health and exercise are important for supporting health and wellbeing. For inspiration, please visit our Characters Pinterest boards.

14th April: Vaisakhi

Vaisakhi is the Sikh harvest festival; it is one of the most significant holidays in the Sikh calendar. Vaisakhi is focussed on community spirit and practising spiritual and physical integration. Celebrations are usually held in the Gurdwaras and on the streets, which are colourfully decorated with orange flags and banners and feature marches and processions. Why not hold your own Vaisakhi procession in the nursery where children can dance and move as they move through the procession. Remember to link in Active Azra.

18th April – 26th April: National Parks Week

National Parks Week is dedicated to raising public awareness of Britain’s national parks. Why not do a local map of parks in your area that parents and children can visit. Remember to link in Active Azra and encourage families to walk and keep their belly buttons on the move as they explore their local area. Remember to take some water and fruit to snack on with 2 snacks Max for the long walks.

23rd April: St George’s Day

Use active storytelling to teach children the tale of St George and the Dragon. Try incorporating the following action movements during the story:
•             Dragon – flying (running with arms spread out and moving in an up and down motion)
•             St Georges horse – galloping
•             St George – sword and shield movements
•             The King’s army – marching towards the dragon and running away from the dragon
•             Princess – dancing and twirling when she returns to the village
This is a great story to get your 180 minutes in and make Katie happy.
Challenge children to make the movements in the story high intensity (how fast can they gallop) to work towards the 60 minutes of high intensity movement over 3-year-olds need each day.

30th April: Stop Food Wastage Day

Days of the Year.com state “Roughly one-third of the food produced globally is either lost or wasted every year.” When we complete mealtime observations in settings it always amazes us how much food is wasted and thrown away. With homes and settings affected by the cost-of-living crisis ensuring food waste reduction is important. This is the perfect time to reflect on Micky Me Size and remember how much food is needed so we stop over cooking and having too much waste. This day also helps us to reflect on what we throw away before it’s even cooked due to use by dates and buying too much.

29th April: International Dance Day

International Dance Day is a fantastic day to look at the genres of music that you play in your setting. Try playing a range of genres to see how the children react to different types of music. Why not link in 180 Katie and see if you can raise those heart rates and make your heart go Boom Boom Boom.

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March 2026 Events

1st March: St David’s Day

St David is the patron Saint of Wales, and 1st March is a celebration of both his life and the Welsh culture. Celebrate the day with children incorporating one or both of Wales’s national emblems – the Daffodil and the Leek. Dancing and dragon displays are a large part of this festival so why not play a range of Welsh music for the children to listen and move to throughout the day? Active Azra is always ready to move and dance along. This is also a great time to introduce children to leeks and explain that they count towards our Fay 5 a day. Some activities that you could do are making a leek and potato soup, chopping up leeks and do leek printing, or a simple leek sensory activity.

March: National Bed Month

Many of you may be wondering why Startwell, who want us to have active lifestyles, is promoting bed month. The answer is because it is so important to get a good night’s sleep. If you are sleep deprived you are less likely to be active and more likely to eat high sugar/fat foods so National Bed Month is an important time to talk about good bedtime routines and the importance that sleep has on our bodies. Take a look at our Sleep Page here.

2nd – 8th March: British Pie Week

We all love a food awareness day and British Pie week is no different. Do you know what the best loved pie is in the UK? Believe it or not its cottage pie. Why not check out our Startwell Cottage Pie or Chicken Polka Dot Pie recipe this week too! Remember to link in Micky Me Size to make sure you are serving me size meals.

2nd March Dr Seuss Day

March 2nd is Dr Suess Day where people read his books and celebrate his life. Dr Suess was best known for his writing, poetry and his quirky cartoons. Why not introduce the children to one of his classics? A favourite of the Startwell team and their children is Green Eggs and Ham. This is a great book to start talking about our food preferences and what food we like. This is an opportunity to encourage children to try new foods or foods they think they don’t like; they may be surprised and enjoy them. Especially since our food preferences change over time! Remember to link in our Startwell Food Characters.

4th March: Holi

Holi is a Hindu festival that is known as The Festival of Colours. It celebrates the arrival of Spring after Winter. It signifies the victory of good over evil and is celebrated to spread happiness, love and colour. Be prepared to get messy and experiment with colour. Can you set up a colour splat area indoors or outdoors where children can throw water balloons filled with paint or undertake splatter painting on a large scale? Can the children dance to Bollywood music with colourful streamers and move like 180 Katie? Check out our 180 Katie Pinterest page for extra ideas.

5th March: World Book Day

Children usually love celebrating this day as they get to dress up in a host of characters from their favourite stories. This year’s theme is Reading for fun. It is a great opportunity to practice a range of different dressing skills and encourage imagination as the children and staff get the opportunity to be someone else for the day.  Lots of settings use different themes for different rooms which can then be developed throughout your meal and snack opportunities. Try linking your themes back to a Startwell character e.g. make pirate boats out of fruit on the snack table with Fay 5 a Day to a book about pirates.

6th March: Global Day of Unplugging

At Startwell we often talk about technology and how lots of children and adults are moving less due to the amount of time spent on technology. Unplugging days have a focus on interacting with people and stepping away from technology. They encourage you to unplug for an hour or more where possible. Early Years Education state “By the age of five, the average young person has spent 3,500 hours in front of a screen and will have spent around 60 per cent of their time sitting while at nursery or other pre-school settings. It’s clear that change is necessary to help young children develop lifelong habits that will allow them to become healthy, happy adults”. Why not have movement focus days linked to the Startwell Physical Characters and encourage the parents to do so at home as well. The World Health Organisation recommend that children under the age of two have no screen time at all, while children aged two and above should be limited to one hour per day, although less is better.

15th March: Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is the day that we get the opportunity to say thank you to our mums for all that they do for us. It is traditional to give cards at Mother’s Day, why not check out our Spring Pinterest page for some new craft and card ideas. Remember if you are undertaking baking activities, look at our Startwell recipes and why not send some healthy recipes home for families to try.  Have Fun!

16th – 22nd March: Nutrition and Hydration Week

This Nutrition and Hydration Week why not create a hydration chart in your setting where children can gain a sticker every time they drink some water? This is also a great initiative to do with staff too! You could take the chance to review your menus to see if they are still meeting Startwell’s and the Department for Education’s guidelines in relation to Early Years nutrition – if you need any help please speak to your Startwell conultant. Children learn by watching those around them, so it’s really important that practitioners are good Suzy Startwell role models and regularly drink water in front of the children and encourage the use of open cups as well as eating healthy meals and using the appropriate cutlery. Do you have our characters with a hydration focus up in your setting? Check out our hydration page here.

17th March: St Patrick’s Day

How about making some delicious Irish soda bread with the children in your nursery? Soda bread is really easy to make and as there is no kneading or proving required it can be ready in as a little as an hour. Bread gives us energy to keep playing and learning so remember to eat your lovely homemade soda bread at snack time with 2 Snacks Max alongside your fruit and vegetables and 5 a day Fay. For an easy recipe try this bbc one!

21st March: Eid al-Fitr

This a Muslim celebration that is expected to fall on the 21st March this year. Muslim families celebrate with lavish meals, exchanging gifts and donating to charity. It’s a time for forgiveness, and people wear their best clothes and decorate their homes. Muslims celebrate the end of the fast, but also to thank Allah for guiding them through the previous month and helping them practise self-control. The ‘Eid prayer’ is also performed at special services at Mosques.

20th March: Oral Health Day

This World Oral Health Day has a focus on how a happy mouth contributes to a happy mind. The campaign will explore the connection between oral health and mental well-being using their mascot Toothie. Take a look at their video on their webpage! Promote the following Smiley Shen key messages with your families:
•             Start brushing teeth from 6 months or when the first tooth appears
•             Brush teeth twice a day, last thing at night and on one other occasion
•             Visit the dentist regularly
•             Reduce sugary foods and offer milk or water to drink

26th March: World Maths Day

World Maths Day is the perfect opportunity to look at maths through movement. Why not have different shaped or numbered sandwiches for tea or make patterns with your fruit at snack time. Link in Mickey Me Size by talking about different sized bodies needing different amounts of food. Or go on a number hunt in the garden or use your cube as a colour or number finding activity. Check out Active Azra’s colour finding cube game on our website. To find out more ways to link maths and movement book onto our Movement, Music and Maths training.

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February 2026 Events

2nd February – 8th February: National Storytelling Week

National storytelling week aims to bring the love of reading to life as people of all ages read stories together using a range of media such as props, story sacks, movement and music. How creative can you be? Let’s get on board with using active stories and use a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces to explore them. Why not collect a range of props and take the children on a journey that they interact and help make. Use open questions as to what should happen next and who would they like to see in the story. Have fun and go as wild and bold as you can. Why not link in Startwell’s ‘I’ve Had Enough’ book to bring the animals to life and talk about Micky Me Size. You can also use yoga cards to make up a story and link the moves together – this is a great activity to develop Sammy Skills. Check out our active stories video here.

National Hedgehog Day

It is a day to remember that UK hedgehog populations are shrinking, and most children have never seen a live hedgehog. Lets use the day to celebrate all things hedgehog – why not make hedgehog bread with 2 snacks Max for snack time or go on a walk with Active Azra to collect leaves and make hedgehog leaf pictures?

6th February: Wear Red Day in line with National Heart Month

Wear red day is a fundraising and awareness day to support children and adults born with congenital heart disease. It’s really easy to take part as all you need to do is wear something red. Why not take this opportunity to use 180 Katie to talk about the importance of a healthy heart and how to make the heart go Boom Boom Boom. It’s surprising how many children do not know where their heart is so this is a great opportunity to talk about the heart and its role in our body. If you can get hold of a stethoscope and listen to their own hearts that will make it all the more exciting and real for them. Remember the need to do 180 minutes of activity daily to keep our hearts healthy.

6th February: NSPCC Number Day

The NSPCC runs a maths focussed fun and fundraising day each year and provides a range of downloadable resources and ideas to help you have fun from dressing up as digits, wearing clothes with numbers or maths themes on, through to going on a number hunt. The resources are suitable from children in nursery right through to schools. The idea behind the event is to celebrate maths whilst any funds raised go towards helping to protect more children from abuse. Could you set up your own maths number hunt with Active Azra – remember to make them search high and low both indoors and outdoors or try making healthy sandwiches and counting the toppings as you slice and add them, how many triangles/squares do you have? A Birmingham school shared with us that counting down from 10 is a key area that children are struggling with – why not try some number rhymes that count down instead of up. See NSPCC’s Number Day webpage here.

9th – 15th February: Children’s Mental Health Week

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week in 2026 will have the theme of “This is My Place”. It was set up by children’s mental health charity Place2Be and shines a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health. It aims to look at reflecting on how children are given a voice and how we listen and respond to them. It aims to look at the importance of good mental health for children and young people and the importance of sharing thoughts and feelings with trusted others. Physical activity is a great way to boost mood so why not try different types of dancing as a way of expressing emotions e.g. high energy dancing or ballet dancing and link in 180 Katie.

10th February: Safer Internet Day

Active Azra wants you to think about the use of technology in your setting but also at home. We know children are using technology for longer and from a much earlier age even though Government guidance recommends no screen time for under 2s. Why not use this day to make parents aware of safe internet messages, recommended screen time and alternative activities they could be doing to keep them active like Active Azra.

10th February: World Pulses Day

Pulses are high in protein, iron, zinc as well as several other essential vitamins and minerals and are a good alternative to meat. Pulses are versatile and can be added into several dishes. Have you tried making hummus with the children? It is a great alternative instead of butter on sandwiches and wraps and provides that important protein source. Have a look at our Hummus family recipe here.

14th February: Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is celebrated on 14th February to show your love to your partner but in recent years this has grown in popularity and people often use it to celebrate their love of their family and pets. Valentine’s Day is often associated with sugary sweets and chocolate but check out our Winter Pinterest board for alternative healthy ways to celebrate it in your setting. It’s also a great time to look at the importance of keeping your heart healthy with 180 Katie.

14th – 21st February: National Nest Box Week

Did you know that there is a shortage of nesting sites for birds? Do you have an area in your outdoor provision that you could add a nesting box? It is a great opportunity to explore nature with the youngest of children and to get them interested in learning about wildlife and a focus on our birds. Can the children help to make bird boxes with Sammy Skills and hang bird feeders in your outdoor areas.

17th February: Chinese New Year

The New Year according to the Chinese Calendar in 2026 is the Year of the Horse – which signifies activity, energy and vitality. Why not have a Chinese themed day full of traditional Chinese food with Micky Me Size, music and dancing with 180 Katie, and encourage the children to move or gallop with Sammy Skills. Remember to gallop using left and right leg rotation.

20th February: National Love Your Pet Day

This event is a great opportunity to start exploring the needs of others and empathy. You can start to look at what living things need and maybe even turn your role play area into a Vets or a Doggy Day care. Remember to talk about the use of outside and the movements that animals make – can the children act out the animal movements? Why not link in Sammy Skills and use a range of animal Yoga poses. Check out our Yoga with Sammy Skills cube game and Sammy Skills’ board on Pinterest for extra ideas.

21st February: Real Bread Week

This is a great opportunity to make and explore bread with the children and talk about it being an energy food for our bodies. Try making bread or having bread in your tuff trays for exploration with our younger children as they poke, prod or even paint it with food colouring. Why not have a bread tasting session at snack time and try different varieties. Remember to link in 2 Snacks Max and maybe even Micky Me Size so we don’t eat too much. Check out our Raisin Bread Rolls childrren’s recipe here.

26th February: Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Launched in the US several years ago Tell a Fairy Tale Day has become really popular in the UK. It provides the perfect opportunity to spend time reading fairy tales and enjoying favourite childhood tales. A fairy tale is a short story that typically features fantasy characters and magic. Fairy tale collections are among the first books read and introduced by parents. But have you seen the mixed up fairy tales range? Why not look at reading these and it is also a great opportunity to make up your own fairy tales with the children or change traditional tales to link them to your setting. Try turning the fairy tales into active stories, we have made Run Gingerbread man run into an active story follow the link and have fun trying it out in your setting.

 

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January 2026 Events

18th January: Winnie the Pooh Day

This is a yearly event but 2026 marks 100 years since Winnie the Pooh was introduced to the world. it is celebrated to mark the author A Milne’s birthday. Could you set up an interactive Winnie display where children bring in their characters from home? Why not hold a teddy bears picnic in your nursery or go out for a walk in the woods with your bears. He is a great character when learning about Micky Me Size, not eating too much.

21st January: World Religion Day

Each year on the 3rd Sunday of January we celebrate and bring together many faiths and religions to focus on uniting people together. Why not have a food focused World Religion Day where you try foods that are linked to certain religious festivals but remember to link in Micky Me Size, so we know when to stop. Or what about linking in 180 Katie as you listen and dance to a range of music linked to different festivals from all around the world, remember to use moderate and high intensity.

23rd – 25th January: Big Garden Birdwatch

Organised by the RSPB, the Big Garden Birdwatch is a great opportunity to explore nature with the children. Why not take a wildlife bird watch walk with Active Azra to see how many birds and what different types you can spot? You could extend this by making bird feeders, pretending to fly and hop around like birds, and reading stories with bird themes. Why not link this into National Nesting Box week in February as there is a shortage of nesting sites for birds.

25th January: Burns Night

Burns night is celebrated in Scotland to commemorate the life of Robert Burns the poet. It is celebrated by reading poems and enjoying a traditional Scottish meal of haggis and pudding. Why not use this day to talk to the children about Scotland, its traditions, have a dance to some panpipes and bagpipes, and share some basic poems or rhymes? Remember to get those hearts going boom boom boom as you move really fast with 180 Katie.

 

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12 Days of Christmas Startwell Challenge

We have created a ’12 Days of Christmas Startwell Challenge’ for you to complete in your setting. Put the poster up in your setting entrance or in your rooms and tick off the numbers around the Christmas tree as you complete the challenges. All of the challenges can be found on the supporting document and there are extra ideas on our Winter Pinterest Board. Why not get families involved and send a copy home or share it via your electronic learning journals or social media pages for them to complete.

We would encourage you to start on the 1st December and complete the challenges Monday to Friday whilst in your setting, finishing on the 16th December. We would love to see photos of you completing the challenges, so either send these across to your consultant or share them via your social media pages and don’t forget tag Startwell.

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December 2025 Events

3rd December: International Day of People with Disabilities

This is an important day across the world as it highlights diversity, inclusivity, and neurodiversity.  There are so many disabilities that affect so many people in different ways so why not have a day celebrating our differences and similarities with a theme of everyone is unique and special to us. Why not try a range of different disability-focussed sports such as visually impaired cricket or football with Sammy Skills where you use a ball with a bell or noise inside to help people locate the ball or sit-down catch and throw. The choice is endless and helps us to appreciate other’s needs, skills and try something new.

3rd December: Elf Day

Elf Day is a fundraising day linked to The Alzheimer’s Society. It involves people dressing up as Elves to raise money to help beat dementia. With Elf on the Shelf being so popular with children it is an easy and fun festive activity for the whole setting. Why not bake/make some healthy Christmas snacks for the children to enjoy with your Elf or try out some of our Pintrest winter board for lots of healthy movement ideas with Azra and festive bakes.

4th December International Cheetah Day

This day is all about raising awareness of how close to extinction Cheetah’s are. Cheetahs are best known for their pace when running. Why not have a day learning all about these wonderful big cats and link in a day focussed on running skills. Running is a locomotor skill that needs to be taught so that children improve their posture and pace as they move. Remember to link in Sammy Skills.

11th December: Christmas Jumper Day

Christmas Jumper Day is an annual charity event to raise money for ‘Save The Children’.  This year it falls on 11th December. So, dig out your most festive jumper, wear it for the whole day and donate. Remember to be like Suzy Starwell and get staff wearing their jumpers too.  100% of the proceeds go to the charity ‘Save the Children’. This would be a fun day to try making healthy Santa Snacks, visit our Winter board on Pinterest for ideas. For more info on Christmas Jumper Day and to sign up, click ere.

14th – 22nd December: Hanukkah

Hannukah is the Jewish Festival of lights. To celebrate Hanukkah on each night a candle is lit in a special menorah. Traditional food that are eaten at Hanukkah festivals and parties with baked potato latkes, applesauce, dairy based foods and brisket but remember Mickey me size says I’ve had enough even when celebrating.

21st December: National Robin Day

This is a Nationwide event that aims to raise the profile of the robin as well as other small birds and how you can help them throughout the winter months. Why not encourage your children and families to wrap up and go on a winter walk that involves bird spotting. A great way to keep active with Active Azra and fun for all of the family. You could also make some bird feeders and hang them in the settings garden. Why don’t you try an Active Azra activity by moving like different types of birds too.

25th December: Christmas Day

Christmas Day takes place on 25th December. Christmas day celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Although Christmas is traditionally a Christian celebration, some non-Christians may choose to still give presents and spend Christmas Day with family and friends enjoying traditional Christmas food. Make sure to look out for Startwell’s 12 Days of Christmas advent activities that will be coming in the November newsletter!

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