Schools in our area are closed for anywhere between two weeks until April 27th. That means there are a lot of families that are stuck at home and there’s no guarantee that kids will actually be back at school in may – only time will tell. Many parents have reached out needing ideas on how to stay busy and entertained for 2-6 weeks, especially if no one is leaving the house, or at least the neighborhood. So let’s take our kids on a daily adventure!
This means even just setting aside an hour each day could be a fun activity, a learning video, or something else related to the day itself.
Because an exhaustive list of holidays, historic events and major birthdays would be overwhelming and cumbersome, we have put together a highlight list of fun holidays and major events for every day through May. Plus, there are some activity ideas so that each day your family has something to learn, do, or play.
Please also see our comprehensive guide for staying at home here: https://karacarrero.com/how-to-survive-if-your-family-is-stuck-at-home/
Daily Adventure Activity Guide: Holidays & Events to Observe March to May
PLEASE remember that while we are giving some holidays and some activity ideas, that there are going to be even more ways to stay busy and events we don’t cover in our list. Plus, we may list a few holidays for a day, but only give one activity. Please be creative and let the events and holidays spark ideas on how to stay busy that day! We want to make this daily holiday list fun, but also educational when possible. Because why not have fun while you’re learning?
Also, we use affiliate advertising and may earn from qualifying purchases. This is through games or activities we may recommend throughout this post. Thank you!
Grab the printer friendly version of the March-May Silly Holidays and Historic Studies Activity Guide. Includes space to plan your own ideas!
Please note: at the bottom of this post are month-long ideas not included in the printable guide.
| Date | Holiday[s], Birthdays, or Historical Events | Activity idea |
|---|---|---|
| March 13 | National K9 Veterans Day | Learn all about the history of using dogs in war |
| March 14 | Pi DayPotato Chip Day | Bake a pie at 1:59pm. Then it’s 3.14159Try your hand at making your own chips in a dehydrator, on the stove or in the oven. We like making stovetop rosemary sweet potato chips. |
| March 15 | Red Nose day270: Saint Nicholas, historic basis for Santa is Born | Do a study on who St/ Nicholas was and plan out ways you can help others modeled after him. |
| March 16 | National Artichoke DayNational Corn Dog Day | Try a new food or even try to make your own corn dogs. |
| March 17 | St. Patrick’s Day | Try out one of these leprechaun traps. |
| March 18 | Awkward Moments DayBiodiesel Day | No better excuse, especially as a parent, to be really awkward all day. Maybe don’t even tell the kids until lunch! |
| March 19 | National Let’s Laugh DayNational Poultry Day | Have your kids write out their own jokes. |
| March 20 | French Language DayInternational Day of HappinessNational Ravioli DaySpring Equinox | – Spring Thaw Sensory Bin– Plant a flower bed– Other Spring Activities |
| March 21 | International Day of ForestsNational Common Courtesy DayNational French Bread DayWorld Down Syndrome DayWorld Poetry Day | – Learn about local trees in your area or play a tree game like Arboretum or Photosynthesis.– Write different kinds of poems about spring or being stuck at home. |
| March 22 | National Goof Off DayWorld Water Day | – Play with water– Older kids can explore what water actually is chemically |
| March 23 | National Puppy DayWorld Meteorological Day | – Play with your dog if you have one or learn about a specific dog breed– Start keeping a weather journal.– Learn about the clouds and the seasons. |
| March 24 | National Cheesesteak DayWorld Tuberculosis Day | – Make cheesecake from scratch– TB is a leading cause of death in the world. Research it together. |
| March 25 | International Waffle Day | Make waffles, have waffle fries, play WIFFLE ball. |
| March 26 | National Spinach Day | Plant some seeds or eat it. |
| March 27 | National Spanish Paella Day196 BC Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. | Learn all about the Rosetta stone or at least find something from another language to study. |
| March 28 | 1881 Barnum and Bailey Establish “Greatest Show on Earth” | – Watch the Greatest Showman or Dumbo.– Host a pretend Circus. |
| March 29 | National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day | – Talk to your kids about how and why to support smaller businesses. Make a plan of how to do it more. |
| March 30 | National Doctors DayThe Terra Cotta Army was discovered in 1974 | – Write a thank you letter to your family doctors! Play Pandemic the Game… see April 7 for more on the game. – Learn some Chinese history.– Watch Mulan. |
| March 31 | World Back-up DayThe Eiffel Tower officially opened in Paris in 1889 | – Back up your family photos and important files and talk to your kids about it. – Watch Ratatouille and AristoCats |
| April 1 | April Fools DayNational Walking Day | – Go on a walk |
| April 2 | National Burrito DayNational PB&J DayWorld Autism Awareness Day | Learn all about neurodiversity |
| April 3 | National Find a Rainbow DayWorld Party Day | Try one of these rainbow science experiments. |
| April 4 | 1968: MLK Jr. was assassinated | Discuss his work, his legacy, and his impact. |
| April 5 | National Deep Dish Pizza Day | Play Pizza Party. Also a good time to learn with real pizzas to work on fractions. |
| April 6 | 1652: Cape Colony, the 1st European settlement in South Africa, established by Dutch East India Company1483: Raphael was born | Use some of Raphael’s art to inspire your own art day. |
| April 7 | World Health Day | Study viral outbreaks, maybe even play Pandemic. It’s cooperative so younger kids can join in. |
| April 8 | National Empanada DayPassover | Learn about Passover and make Chocolate Toffee Matzo. |
| April 9 | National Winston Churchill Day1865: Robert E. Lee Surrenders to end the Civil War in the US. | Read a historical fiction book about the Civil War. |
| April 10 | Good FridayNational Siblings Day | Look through old pictures of siblings with each other, especially you as kids with your siblings and show your own children. Talk about how you grew up. |
| April 11 | National Pet Day | Talk about how to care for a pet. |
| April 12 | EasterNational Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day | Discuss the history of Easter and what it means for your family. |
| April 13 | National Make Lunch Count DayNational Scrabble Day | Play scrabble of course. Maybe even work on having spelling words incorporated. |
| April 14 | 1828: First American Dictionary issued for publication1841: 1st Detective Story Published – Edgar Allen Poe | Write your own mysteries together. Maybe even play an escape room game at home. |
| April 15 | National Laundry DayTax Day | Man…what a not-fun day. But a good one to watch movies and get caught up on laundry and even talk about money and how to make wise choices. |
| April 16 | National High Five DayWear PJs to work day | PJs and Hive fives, sounds like a great day. Maybe even finish folding from yesterday. |
| April 17 | National Cheese Ball Day1492: Columbus signs contract to find the “Indies” 1947: Jackie Robinson has his first major league hit | Do a mini-study on Columbus or Jackie Robinson. Lots of great movies even a free story included with Prime video. |
| April 18 | National Haiku Poetry DayNational Velociraptor Awareness DayNational Lineman Appreciation Day | We have haicubes the game and love it, but even simply writing haikus all day could be a fun challenge. |
| April 19 | National Garlic Day1770: James Cook first finds Australia.1775: “Shot Heard Round the world” Start of the American Revolution. | – What a fun time to learn about Australia and its unique animals. We’ve been watching crocodile hunter lately. – Listen to schoolhouse rock song about the start of the revolution and maybe do a learning day. |
| April 20 | Chinese Language DayNational Look Alike Day | – Dress up exactly the same if possible. – Look up how to write and say Chinese words. Jane Thai has some great books and ebooks that are bilungual Chinese/English |
| April 21 | 753: Romulus and Remus found Rome1918: The “Red Baron” shot down in WWI | – Do a small learning unit on both! Even just watching a short video on YouTube. – Watch Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron |
| April 22 | Earth dayNational Jelly Bean Day | I used to host a yealry event and have TONS of resources: ttps://karacarrero.com/earth-day-resources/ |
| April 23 | National Picnic DayWorld Book Day | Take some books on a picnic, even onto the patio or into the backyard. |
| April 24 | National Arbor DayNational Pigs in a Blanket Day | – Time to get in the kitchen and make pigs in a blanket. – Could be fun to prune a tree or bush together, learn about native trees, or play a game. |
| April 25 | National DNA DayNational Telephone DayWorld Malaria Day | – Study your heritage of family tree. – Learn about the science behind DNA.– Call a loved one.– Learn about how malaria is spread, where, and how to prevent it. |
| April 26 | National Pretzel Day1986: Chernobyl Disaster | – Play Meltdown and/or learn about how it happened and how life is coming back after decades of being barren. |
| April 27 | 1791: Samuel Morse, inventor of the Morse Code born. | Use this Morse Code Translator to write out messages to each other and to learn it together. |
| April 28 | National Superhero Day1758: James Monroe, US President born198: Oskar Schindler born – subject of Schindler’s list. | – Dress up like a superhero– Make up your own superhero– Draw a comic book– Watch Schindler’s list for teens |
| April 29 | International Dance DayNational Shrimp Scampi Day | Have a dance party or make up your own new moves. |
| April 30 | Honesty DayNational Raisin Day1789: George Washington inaugurated as first US president | Learn ALL ABOUT George Washington. https://karacarrero.com/revolutionary-war-reading-field-trip-guide/ |
| Date | Holiday[s], Birthdays, or Historical Events | Activity idea |
|---|---|---|
| May 1 | May Day1920: Babe Ruth hits 50th career home run. | Play “Baseball” indoors with a sock or indoor snowballs. |
| May 2 | Free Comic Book DayNational Brothers and Sisters Day | Make a comic book together, maybe even with a superhero you invented earlier this week. |
| May 3 | 1469: Machiavelli, writer of “the Prince” Born1903: Bing Crosby Born1937: Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer Prize for “Gone With the Wind” | – Listen to Bing Crosby music.– Start Reading Gone with the Wind |
| May 4 | Star Wars Day | Make LEGO Baby Yoda or maybe even try your hand and Star Wars Snowflakes. |
| May 5 | Cinco De MayoNational Teacher day | – Eat tacos, learn about the history of the day.– In school or not, write a thank you note to a teacher. |
| May 6 | National Nurses Day | Play Pandemic again from the Health and Doctors days, reach out to the nurses you know! |
| May 7 | National Tourism Day | Make a list a research all the places you and your family dream of going. Also consider making a scrapbook of previous vacations or going through pictures together. |
| May 8 | National Have a coke Day1980: The World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated | Learn about the impact of smallpox on history. So many fascinating ways to learn about it. And… Play pandemic again. |
| May 9 | World Migratory Bird Day | Look and listen for birds around your house. Play Wingspan. |
| May 10 | Mother’s DayClean Your Room DayNational Shrimp day | The kids may not enjoy it, but this one seems great, celebrate mom and have the kids clean their rooms too?! |
| May 11 | National Eat what you want day330: Constantinople becomes the capital of the Roman Empire | Listen to the song Istanbul not Constantinople. And learn about the history of the amazing city. Even just look at the beautiful pictures! |
| May 12 | National Limerick Day | Write a poem like this of your own. This poetry style has 5 lines with lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyming and lines 3 and 4 rhyming. It usually starts with “There was a…” and ends with a name, place, or person. Lines 1, 2, and 5 should have 7-10 syllables and lines 3 and 4 should have 5-7 syllables. The last line should be a little farfetched. Like there was an old lady who lived in a shoe. |
| May 13 | Fair Trade DayInternational Hummus DayNational Apple Pie Day | Back a pie, eat some hummus, talk about where they were made and came from and you’ll cover all 3. |
| May 14 | National Buttermilk Biscuit Day1804: Lewis and Clark expedition sets out from St Louis for Pacific Coast | Here’s a fluffy biscuit recipeAnd then there are so many fun and unique ways to learn about Lewis and Clark. Look at journals, watch documentaries, play a game. Discoveriesis a nice one. |
| May 15 | International Day of FamiliesNational Chocolate Chip DayNational Pizza Party Day | Play pizza Party again if you have it. And then obviously spend the day as a family eating pizza and making chocolate chip cookies. |
| May 16 | National Armed Forces Day | Choose a branch of the military to learn about. Play Battleship, Axis & Allies, or another war game. |
| May 17 | National Walnut Day1861: First color photograph | Make it a photography day! |
| May 18 | National No Dirty Dishes Day1804: Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed Emperor of France by the French Senate | Get caught up on dishes – hand wash them together even. |
| May 19 | National Endangered Species Day | Go through a list of endangered species and pick one or two to learn a LOT more about. Rhinos are a great one. Some zoos also offer online visits, so you could look to see what is being offered. |
| May 20 | 1609: Shakespeare’s Sonnets are first published in London.1862: US Homestead Act becomes law to provide cheap land to settle the American West1990: Hubble Space Telescope sends its 1st photographs from space | – Read some Shakespeare of course.– Dive into the history of the American West or even find some modern homesteaders online to see what people are doing today. My favorite family has a youtube channel called White House on the Hill. They’re in Missouri and even raise Emus! – Look at the stars at night after studying space during the day |
| May 21 | 1927: Charles Lindbergh lands first solo Atlantic flight in his aircraft “Spirit of St. Louis” | – Watch UP– Read about the Spirit of St. Louis. Explore the Smithsonian online. |
| May 22 | National Maritime Day | Play Battleship! |
| May 23 | National Taffy Day1785: Benjamin Franklin announces invention of bifocals | – Learn about Franklin. Visit some of the museums online. Here’s more from the Franklin Institute. |
| May 24 | National Scavenger Hunt Day | Plan ahead and you can do a bunch of fun activities that require a big scavenger hunt to find! Ideas: – Scavenger hunt slime– Clean up the house while playing a scavenger hunt game. |
| May 25 | Memorial Day | |
| May 26 | National Paper Airplane Day | Don’t just make paper airplanes, make a launchertoo! |
| May 27 | National Sunscreen Day1837: James Butler known as “Wild Bill” Hickok, the American Cowboy was born. | – Watch a western. – Pretend to be cowboys– Learn about Wild Bill |
| May 28 | National Hamburger Day | – Pretend or real, make some burgers. Grill outside if you can. |
| May 29 | Learn About Composting Day | – Compost with kids– How to Compost– In a world of trash, how to teach kids to be low-waste |
| May 30 | 1431: Joan of Arc burned at the stake1934 Alexei Leonov, Russian cosmonaut is born. (He was the first person to walk in space). | – Do a quick lesson or find a video on each of them. – Talk about weightlessness and space travel. |
| May 31 | National Macaroon Day | Hopefully by this point, you can go out and enjoy Macaroons together. |
Grab the printer friendly version of the March-May Silly Holidays and Historic Studies Activity Guide. Includes space to plan your own ideas!
Other month-long holidays, observances, and events to learn and celebrate
March
National Women’s History Month.
- Find a coloring page of famous women to color and learn about each day like Susan B. Antony, Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, and more. Here’s A Hundred Famous Women to learn about!
- Talk about the women in your family and genealogy that have had a huge impact and why.
National Crafting Month – no better reason to do even a simple craft every day for the rest of the month. Because… it’s celebrating!
National Celery Month. Eat your fill. Or don’t if you don’t like it.
National Frozen Food Month. Sounds funny to celebrate it, but if you’re stuck at home, maybe make it a point to make ahead and put away one freezer meal per day. Lots of fun and learning can be had in the kitchen anyway.
National Nutrition Month. Here’s a “Cut the Junk” printable we made a few years ago that we enjoyed!
March 15-21 is Poison Prevention week. This is a great time to make sure that your home is safe and secure while also discussing with your family how to be safer around chemicals, medications, and more.
March 30-April 4 is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week.
April
Keep America Beautiful month – Do something outside at your home to beautify your own property. Maybe even help out at a local park too.
National Humor Month – Write and keep a family joke book .See who gets the most laughs.
National Garden Month – Plant seeds! And maybe even plan out your garden plot. Here are more resources from us and from my husband’s site:
- https://karacarrero.com/learning-about-seeds-tot-school/
- https://karacarrero.com/natural-pesticides-organic-gardening/
- https://karacarrero.com/garden-ideas/
- https://rehabitathome.com/garden-tips-tricks/
National Inventors Month – Pick 2-6 famous inventors and don’t just learn about them, but try to replicate their work! A few that are obvious would be Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Alexander G. Bell, and others.
May
May 1-7 National Pet week
Food Allergy Action Month – children need to know what allergies are and how to help their friends even if they have no known allergies. Even just a brief discussion about what they are, what to do if suddenly they or a friend shows signs, and to never wait.
Related: https://karacarrero.com/prevent-choking/
National Strawberry Month – wouldn’t it be awesome to try a new strawberry treat even weekly throughout May?!
National Teen Self-Esteem Month – children’s mental health is becoming increasingly important, especially in the tween and teen years. Just make a mental note to talk to your kids about their fears and their excitement this month. Letting them express feelings in a safe way is a great asset to you as a parent!
Use these moments to connect as a family!
Research shows that read aloud time has great benefits for kids of all ages and so does engaging in game play. (No, not video games, board games!) Grab our free download of discussion questions and the benefits of reading together. It will be great to reference while you’re going through the daily holidays activities. Click the images of the printables to get it.
Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 5 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
Rachel
How do I download the printer friendly version?
Kara Carrero
If you input your email address, and click “get the download” it will be sent directly to your inbox.
Jackie
I absolutely love this list!! But I can’t figure out how to print it. Can you please help?
Kara Carrero
Hi Jackie! I am SO GLAD you love the idea. In the post above there are two sections that mention you can get a printable copy with a red button that says “get the download”. If you have any other difficulties, please let me know.