🌏 January Cultural Calendar for Early Childhood
Welcome to a brand new year of discovery, diversity, and celebration! January offers a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to a range of global and local cultural events, quirky days, and meaningful moments. Each day below is an invitation to spark curiosity, nurture empathy, and build connections. Let’s dive in!
🌱 1st–31st January – Veganuary
Veganuary encourages people to try a vegan lifestyle for the month of January. In early childhood, this can open conversations about food choices, sustainability, animals, and respecting different family traditions or dietary needs.
Encourage conversations around healthy eating, animal welfare, and sustainability. Children can explore plant-based foods through pretend play or cooking activities.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Respect for the environment | Principle – Respect for diversity
🐾 1st–31st January – Walk Your Dog Month
A great opportunity to explore pets, animal care, and physical wellbeing! Children can share stories about their pets or participate in dramatic play vet clinics or animal shelters.
Explore animal care, pet safety, and empathy through books, role play, or creating animal-themed art.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Care for living things | Outcome 3 – Health and wellbeing
🎉 1st January – New Year’s Day
Marking the start of a new calendar year, this can be a reflective moment to talk about time, growth, and traditions. Create a “New Year Wishes” wall with children’s hopes and ideas for the year ahead.
Start the year by reflecting on past experiences and setting gentle intentions with children—like kindness goals or a “wishing tree.”
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 1 – Sense of identity | Outcome 5 – Communication and symbolic expression
📚 1st January – Public Domain Day
This is when many books, music, and artworks enter the public domain. Celebrate by reading classic stories or exploring music and art that are now freely accessible.
Celebrate storytelling! Revisit old classic tales now in the public domain, and invite children to create their own versions.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Literacy and creativity
🌿 2nd January – World Introvert Day
A chance to honour quieter children and talk about different personality types. Create quiet zones, offer small group experiences, and celebrate introverted learners.
Honour the quieter children by offering calm, cozy corners, solo play opportunities, and one-on-one connection.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 1 – Sense of self | Practice – Responsiveness to children
⠿ 4th January – World Braille Day
This day celebrates Louis Braille and his invention of the braille system. Explore inclusive communication methods and introduce tactile activities for sensory development.
Learn about braille through tactile exploration, sensory trays, or inclusive communication methods.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Communication | Principle – Equity and inclusion
🍝 4th January – World Spaghetti Day
Get messy with spaghetti or explore cultural foods through pretend play and cooking experiences. Invite children to talk about their favourite meals at home.
Messy play meets culture! Explore spaghetti play by cooking your own pasta from scratch and have a feast, set up a pretend cooking in the home corner, research spaghetti recipes or have families share their favourites.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Cultural respect | Outcome 4 – Imaginative exploration
🪴 10th January – Houseplant Appreciation Day
Celebrate indoor plants and their role in healthy environments. Children can water plants, observe growth, and learn about care routines.
Plant care promotes responsibility and environmental awareness. Children can water, pot, and name their plants!
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Environmental responsibility | Practice – Learning environments
🧹 11th January – Clean Off Your Desk Day
Perfect for starting the year fresh! Involve children in organising and caring for their learning spaces. Builds independence and community responsibility.
Involve children in tidying their spaces—boosts independence and ownership of their environment.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 3 – Independence | Practice – Learning environments
🦆 13th January – Rubber Duckie Day
A whimsical day for water play and bath-time toys! Use rubber duckies to spark sensory exploration and storytelling.
Celebrate bath-time fun with water play, floating experiments, and duck-themed counting games.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 4 – Imagination | Outcome 5 – Representation and symbols
🪁 14th January – International Kite Day
Kites offer a great STEAM opportunity. Make and fly kites, explore wind, or learn about cultural festivals like Makar Sankranti.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Cultural awareness | Outcome 4 – Design and exploration
🌐 15th January – Wikipedia Day
Explore what a “wiki” is and look at how we share knowledge. Children can help make a “Class Wiki Wall” with facts, drawings, and things they’ve learned.
Start a “class wiki wall” by collecting facts, drawings, or children’s knowledge on different topics.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Communication and information sharing
🐿 21st January – Squirrel Appreciation Day
Fun way to explore animals, habitats, and seasonal changes. Even though squirrels aren’t native to Australia, children can learn about animals from other ecosystems.
Learn about native and international animals. A great excuse for nature play and habitat exploration.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Understanding the natural world
🤗 21st January – National Hug Day
Celebrate kindness and emotional connection. Great for discussing consent, personal space, and how we show care and affection.
Talk about ways to show love and care—role play greetings, discuss personal space, and model empathy.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 1 – Relationships | Principle – Secure, respectful relationships
📚 24th January – International Day of Education
Recognising the role of education in peace and development. Celebrate by reflecting on how children learn and involving families in your learning community.
eflect on the value of education. Engage families in sharing how they support learning at home.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 4 – Lifelong learning | Practice – Partnerships with families
🎶 25th January – Triple J Hottest 100 Day
A cultural snapshot of Australian music! Explore musical preferences, rhythm, and movement. Create your own classroom music countdown.
Explore rhythm, sound, and movement! Make a class playlist or music station.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 5 – Music and movement | Outcome 1 – Belonging
🖤💛❤️ 26th January – Yabun Festival / Invasion Day / Survival Day / Change the Date
This is a complex and emotional day. It’s essential to approach with cultural sensitivity. Many early learning services choose to highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through stories, art, and truth-telling. Attend or stream the Yabun Festival and create respectful experiences with guidance from local Elders.
Approach this day with truth-telling, compassion, and cultural sensitivity. Honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through art, stories, music, and family engagement.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities. Cultural competence | Principle – Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander perspectives
🍫 27th January – Chocolate Cake Day
Get baking (or pretend baking)! Cooking experiences are rich in literacy, maths, and sensory engagement.
Involve children in pretend baking, measuring, and storytelling around food.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 4 – Problem solving | Outcome 5 – Language and communication
🧱 28th January – National LEGO Day
Celebrate construction and creativity! Offer Duplo and LEGO-based building stations, and invite children to design their own structures.
Offer building provocations with Duplo, LEGO, or natural loose parts. Encourage collaborative design.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 4 – Confidence and creativity | Outcome 5 – Representing ideas
🧩 29th January – Puzzle Day
Puzzles help develop concentration, perseverance, and spatial awareness. Offer a mix of collaborative and solo puzzles for different challenge levels.
Puzzles are great for focus, persistence, and spatial awareness. Include a mix of solo and group puzzles.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 4 – Involved learners | Practice – Learning through play
🐍 29th January – Lunar New Year (Year of the Snake)
Celebrate the Lunar New Year through stories, traditional foods, cultural crafts, and the symbolism of the snake. A great time to invite families to share their traditions.
Celebrate with dragon dances, lanterns, red envelopes, or traditional storytelling. Involve families to share cultural customs.
🧠 EYLF Links: Outcome 2 – Respect for diverse cultures | Principle – Partnerships with families
🌟 Let January Inspire Meaningful Moments
From quirky celebrations to deeply reflective dates, January is a great time to start the year with intention, inclusion, and inspiration. Which day will you explore with your children?
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