June Themes, Holiday Activities, and Events for Elementary Students

If you're still in the classroom when summer starts, use these ideas for inspiration to create your own lessons and activities or use the ideas provided. Here is a list of June themes, events, and holidays with correlating activities to go with them. 

Month-Long Themes and Events

These themes and events make for excellent activities because they last the entire month.

National Safety Month

Celebrate safety by teaching your students tips about fire safety, how to avoid strangers, or other safety topics.

National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month

Celebrate National Fruits and Vegetable month by teaching your students about the importance of nutrition.

Dairy Month

This is the time of the month when we are all reminded of the great importance of everything dairy. During this month try a milk paint recipe with your students.

Great Outdoors Month

June is a special time to celebrate the great outdoors! Plan a field trip with your class and don't forget to set the rules for a successful trip!

Zoo and Aquarium Month

Teach students about the zoo with a few animal crafts, and all about the aquarium by having students create an ecosystem.

June Holidays and Events

The following holidays and events are divided by date to ease planning and preparation.

June 1

• Donut Day - What's a better way to celebrate Donut Day than to eat them! But, before you do that, first have students use a plastic knife to try and cut the donut into different sections to reinforce fraction skills.
• Flip a Coin Day - Sounds like a silly day to celebrate, but there are endless opportunities for students to learn from just flipping a coin! Students can learn probability, or you can have a coin toss challenge. The ideas are endless.
• Oscar the Grouch's Birthday - Kindergarten classes will love celebrating Oscar the Grouch's birthday! Celebrate by having students make birthday cards and sing Sesame Street songs.
• Stand for Children Day - Honor Stand for Children Day by making sure they will be "college ready."

June 3

• First U.S. Spacewalk - Celebrate Ed White's spacewalk by having students participate in space-related activities.
• Egg Day - National Egg Day is a fun day to promote eggs. Use this day as an opportunity to teach your students the importance of eggs. Egg carton crafts would also go perfectly on World Egg Day!
• Repeat Day - Repeat Day can be a fun opportunity for students to review what they have learned. On this day have students "repeat" everything they did the day before. From wearing the same clothes to eating the same lunch, and learning the same things.

June 4

• Aesop's Birthday - This is a day for students to discover all about Aesop by reading his famous fables.
• Cheese Day - Celebrate "Cheese Day" by having students bring in different cheese snacks and singing the Cheese song.
• First Ford Made - In 1896 Henry Ford made his first operational car. On this day have students discuss what life would be like if we didn't have cars. Then have students write a story about their ideas. Use an essay rubric to assess their work.

June 5

• First Hot Air Balloon Flight - In 1783 Montgolfier brothers were the first to take a hot air balloon flight. Celebrate the Montgolfier brothers' great accomplishment by teaching students the history of balloons.
• National Gingerbread Day - Celebrate this yummy food by having students create gingerbread crafts.
• Richard Scarry's Birthday - Richard Scarry, born in 1919, is a famous author of children's books. Celebrate this magnificent author by reading his book, "The Best Christmas Book Ever."
• World Environment Day - Celebrate World Environment Day by learning unique ways of reusing and recycling items in your classroom. Plus, teach your students about how to take care of our earth with these activities.

June 6

• D-Day - Discuss the history and show pictures, as well as read some personal stories about that day.
• National Yo-Yo Day - Buy enough Yo-Yo's for students to have a contest. The first person to keep it going the longest wins!

June 7

• National Chocolate Ice Cream Day - Celebrate this fun day by eating ice cream during snack time.

June 8

• Frank Lloyd Wright's Birthday - Celebrate this special birthday by having students make an airplane craft.
• World Oceans Day - Take a field trip to your local Aquarium to celebrate this day.

June 10

• Judy Garland's Birthday - Judy Garland was a singer and actress who starred in the Wizard of Oz. Honor her great accomplishments by viewing the movie she was best known for.
• Ballpoint Pen Day - This may sound like a silly day to celebrate, but students will love being able to write with different color pens throughout the day instead of the same old boring pencil.

June 12

• Anne Frank's Birthday - Born in 1929 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Anne Frank was a true inspiration to all. Honor her heroism by reading the book "Anne Frank's Story: Her Life Retold for Children."
• The Baseball Was Invented - What is a better way to celebrate the day the baseball was invented then by having students participate in a class baseball game!

June 14

• Caldecott Medal First Awarded - In 1937 the Caldecott Medal was first awarded. Honor the winners of this award by reading winning books to your students.
• Flag Day - Celebrate this day with Flag Day activities.

June 15

• Fly a Kite Day - This is a special day to celebrate with your students because it is the anniversary of Ben Franklin's kite experiment in 1752. Celebrate this day by making a kite with your students.

June 16

• Father's Day- Every third Sunday of June we celebrate Father's Day. On this day have students write a poem, make him a craft, or write a card and tell him how special he is.

June 17

• Eat Your Vegetables Day - It's important to eat healthily. On this day have students bring in a healthy snack, and discuss the importance of healthy eating and getting enough sleep.

June 18

• International Picnic Day - Have a class picnic to celebrate International Picnic Day!

June 19

• Juneteenth - A day to celebrate the commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Discuss famous women in history, and statistics about enslavement in America.

June 21

• First Day of Summer - If you are still in school you can celebrate the end of school with fun Summer activities.
• World Handshake Day - Have students describe their ideal world and draw a picture of their interpretation of World Handshake Day.
• United Nations Public Service Day - Help students recognize the importance of giving back by taking a field trip to your local food shelter or hospital.

June 24

• International Fairy Day - Have students write a fairy tale to honor this special day.

June 25

• Eric Carle's Birthday - This beloved author should be celebrated every day. Honor Eric Carle's birthday by reading some of his famous stories.

June 26

• Bicycle Patented - Where would our world be if we didn't have the bicycle? Use that question as a writing prompt for your students.

June 27

• Helen Keller's Birthday- Born in 1880, Helen Keller was deaf and blind but still seemed to accomplish a great deal. Read a collection of inspiring quotes by Helen Keller while teaching your students her backstory.
• Melody for Happy Birthday Song - Have students use the melody of the Happy Birthday song to rewrite their own version of the famous song.

June 28

• Paul Bunyan Day - Celebrate this fun-loving giant lumberjack by reading the story " The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan."

June 29

• Camera Day - On Camera Day have students take turns taking photographs of each other and turn their photos into a class book.

June 30

• Meteor Day - Show students how a meteor shower actually works.