International Children’s Book Day - School library activities

 International Children’s Book Day is the perfect spark for creativity. Celebrated every April 2^nd , —the birthday of the beloved storyteller Hans Christian Andersen—,  it invites children to step into stories, imagine without limits, and transform reading into a playful, hands-on adventure.

Established in 1966 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the day shines a spotlight on the magic of books and their power to inspire young readers. Each year, a different country takes on the honour of sending a special message to children everywhere, accompanied by an illustrated poster.

This year, the Netherlands was entrusted with this role, represented by the award-winning author and poet Rian Visser, who shared her beautiful poem “The Language of Images.”

At our school, we marked the day with creative library activities for 4^th- and 5^th-graders.

In the 4th grade, the poem was read aloud while the students kept their eyes closed—free to picture the images painted by the poet’s words through the lens of their own imagination. This exercise reminded us that literature comes alive only when the reader actively participates in shaping its meaning. This was followed by a discussion, and the students were asked to transform their inner visions into drawings, with each one being a unique interpretation of the verses.

As the poet herself concludes in her final lines:

“…These words belong to you

even though they came from me”.

In the 5th grade, the activity took on a different twist. After reading the poem, the students explored the variety of ways in which books enrich our lives—sparking off imagination, enhancing our creative thinking and opening new worlds. The learners were invited to create visual metaphors for books such as a lighthouse showing the way, a match igniting creativity or a window to the outside world. Through their illustrations, they captured the symbolic light books bring, the values they nurture, the horizons they broaden, and the inspiration they offer , making us see the world with new eyes.

Because, after all, books are like the magical fairy dust of stories: they can lift us up and make us fly!

 

Panhellenic Day against School Violence and Bullying

 

On the Panhellenic Day against School Violence and Bullying, which is celebrated on 6^th March, a creative activity can be carried out in the English class of 5^th or 6^th-graders in order to raise awareness against all forms of bullying, be it physical, verbal, relational/social or cyberbullying.

The learners are provided with a variety of anti-bullying slogans written in folded strips of paper and they are asked to pick one each but not show it to their classmates. They have to read it silently and illustrate it in the best way possible trying to convey the essence of the message through their drawing. They are informed in advance that they have to leave some space in order to write their message at a later stage.

The teacher sets a time limit for the illustrations during which he puts up the slogans on the classroom walls. When the time limit is over he/she shuffles the drawings and distributes them randomly among the learners, taking care not to leave any student holding his/her own creation. The learners, having been given a piece of blue-tack, have to walk around the classroom, read the slogans and stick the drawing they are holding under the one they think it illustrates.

A whole-class discussion follows to verify or disprove the learners’ hypotheses and finally the students are given their own pictures again in order to write down their slogan.

At the end all these drawings are put up on a school wall/noticeboard so as to draw attention to the issue in an attempt to sensitise all the learners of the school community.

International Children’s Book Day 2022

 What better way to spark imagination than a day devoted not just to stories, but to reflecting on the magic they awaken within us?

International Children’s Book Day, held every year on April 2nd to mark the birthday of the renowned storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, is a celebration designed to spark off imagination and creativity in young readers. The occasion encourages children to dive into stories, explore new worlds, and experience reading as an exciting, interactive adventure.

First launched in 1966 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the event highlights the powerful charm of books and their ability to inspire a love of reading. Each year, one country is chosen to share a special message with children around the globe, along with a beautifully illustrated poster to mark the celebration.

This year Canada had the honour, represented by the poet Richard van Camp, and his poem “Stories are wings that help you soar every day.” (https://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/activities/international-childrens-book-day/2022-icbd-canada)

His poem was read aloud to fifth graders who reflected on it and, separated in groups, brainstormed relevant ideas trying to think of ways in which books transform our lives.

To add a pinch of suspense the whole process took the form of a competition since each team read the statements they had come up with and took a point only for the ones which were not included in the list of another group. The groups had to tick the common sentences so as to avoid repletion during their presentation.

Finally they made a class poster with their ideas. Together, their ideas formed a tapestry showing just how deeply stories can kindle creativity!

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European Day of Languages 2019

 The European Day of Languages, commemorated on 26^th September, is the perfect excuse for students to unleash their creativity while playing with words, colours, and ideas in an attempt to celebrate communication and diversity.

When young learners come together in groups to write words like “mother” , “thank you” or “peace” in different languages, they do much more than simply practise vocabulary — they get a glimpse into cultures, values, and traditions from around the world. Working in groups allows them to explore, exchange knowledge, discover linguistic similarities, and appreciate differences while fostering teamwork and mutual respect.

Designing bookmarks with their favourite English words, which is another such creative activity for even younger learners, turns language learning into a personal journey. By choosing words they like and decorating them with colours or drawings, learners make a personal statement and build a deeper emotional connection to the language.

Such activities cultivate imagination, collaboration, and intercultural awareness. They help learners see language not just as a school subject, but as a living bridge between people. Celebrating the European Day of Languages in this way promotes joy in learning, boosts confidence, and reminds us all of the power of words to unite communities across borders.

International Day for the Elimination of Racism

 March 21^st serves as the date for numerous global commemorations such as World Poetry Day, World Down Syndrome Day, International Day of Forests, International Colour Day and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

To celebrate the latter during a session of English at school you can devote a teaching hour in order to raise learner awareness against racism, especially if you work in an intercultural school or if you have multicultural classes.

A task which taps on learner perceptions, imagination and creativity is to provide half the students with the first part of anti-racist slogans and the other half with the ending. Learners will have to find their match, with whom they will form a pair, by asking around, something which will help them practise vocabulary and syntax at the same time. Once feedback is provided by the teacher, the learners in each pair will work individually to illustrate their slogan according to their perception. This means that there will be two illustrations of the same slogan, something which will bring to light similarities or differences in human perception and creative expression.

In the photos you can have a look at some samples from two different schools, the first one being an intercultural school mainly with Roma learners.

World Children’s Day

 

November 20^th is celebrated as the World Children’s Day since it is the day on which the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was issued.

To celebrate it creatively in an English classroom we can organise a Children’s Rights Gallery walk as follows:

The teacher separates the learners in groups and hands out worksheets on which there are basic children’s rights in one column and a simple explanation in the other in a mixed-up order. The students should confer with their group in orderto do the matching.

Afterwards they have to walk around the classroom, on the walls of which the teacher has put up photos to illustrate each right. They have to do the matching by noting down the capital letter in front of each photo beside the correct right on their worksheets.

Finally they can each pick a right and illustrate it.

Below you can have a look at some of my students’ illustrations as well as the worksheet and photos used for the gallery walk.

European Day of Languages 2018

 Celebrated on September 26th every year since 2001, the European Day of Languages highlights the importance of language learning and cultural diversity. It is a day that reminds us of how languages connect people, open windows to new experiences, and enrich our understanding of the world.

To mark the European Day of Languages in a more creative way, the 6^th-grade learners worked together in groups in order to piece together the map of Europe in the form of a puzzle. Each group was given an A4-size part with certain countries, which they coloured collaboratively in the shades of their national flags. Piece by piece, the map came to life, a colourful reminder of the rich diversity of languages and cultures across our continent.

Subsequently they were given photocopies with the country names and the word for “good morning” in each European language. They had to correlate the names with the countries and glue them on the map and, additionally, they were asked to find the nationality related to each country, write it in the space around the map and stick the relevant “good morning” word below it.

The activity not only promoted vocabulary expansion, teamwork, creativity and geographical knowledge, as they connected each country with its name and flag, but also encouraged curiosity, respect, and appreciation for Europe’s cultural heritage!

You can have a look at their creation below!

International Children's Book Day

April 2nd, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, is the International Children's Book Day (ICBD).

Every year a different country is the international sponsor and writes a message about it.
This year the country is Latvia.
See the poster below, with the message "The small is big in a book".

The poster is downloaded from:  http://www.ibby.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ICBD_2018_POSTER.jpg

As the writer of the message, Inese Zandere, says:

 "A children's book signifies respect for the greatness of the small".


1. Mention the title and the writer of a book which is great for you, so that other people can read it. In a sentence say why it is significant.


2. Fill in the sentence " With a book I can fly to...". to show the million possibilities that books open for us:

e.g. With a book I can fly to the heart of the earth