40+ Fun & Silly May Holidays for Toddlers and Preschoolers (with Easy Activity Ideas!)
Looking for fun and low-prep ways to celebrate May holidays for kids? Whether you’re a busy in-home childcare provider or a parent of toddlers and preschoolers, this post is packed with creative ideas to make May magical.
From well-known days like Cinco de Mayo to quirky favorites like Lost Sock Memorial Day, we’re bringing you over 50 playful, toddler-approved ways to celebrate May holidays for kids through learning and play.
Simple Wins for a Busy Month
By May, we’re all dragging just a little. The kids are wild with sunshine energy, we’re counting the days till summer break (even if we’re still working it), and anything that can make planning easier? Yes, please.
That’s where these weird and wonderful holidays come in. Whether you’re running a full-day childcare program or just trying to get through the week with your toddler at home, these fun little “holidays” are a super simple way to build excitement, sneak in some learning, and shake up your routine without needing a brand-new theme.
I’ve rounded up over 40 playful May holidays for kids—some you’ve probably heard of, some you definitely haven’t—plus quick, low-prep ideas for celebrating each one. Use them as one-off activities, circle time conversation starters, or inspiration for your next dramatic play setup.
Floating Date Holidays
Space Day (First Friday in May)
Activity Ideas:
- Create a space-themed sensory bin with black beans, foil stars, and rocket ship toys.
- Paint a giant moon using foil as a stamp and black paper as the background.
Teacher Appreciation Day (Tuesday of the first full week of May)
Activity Ideas:
- Make thank-you cards for teachers, real or pretend.
- Set up a pretend “classroom” and let the kids take turns being the teacher.
Teacher Appreciation Week (First Full Week of May)
Let’s celebrate with glitter, glue, and the fact that we somehow made it to May!
Activity Ideas:
- Each day, do something kind for a caregiver or helper (make a card, share a toy, say thank you).
- Decorate a “thank you wall” with handprints and kind words.
National Pizza Party Day (3rd Friday in May)
Activity Ideas:
- Make felt or paper pizzas and set up a pretend pizza shop.
- Create pizza-themed counting or matching games using printable toppings.
Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
Activity Ideas:
- Create patriotic crafts like flag painting or red, white, and blue collages.
- Read a book about helpers and heroes.
May Holidays for Kids by Date
May 1
Mother Goose Day
Activity Ideas:
- Read classic nursery rhymes and act them out with puppets or props.
- Make a Mother Goose hat or goose craft with feathers.
May Day
Activity Ideas:
- Make mini May Day baskets with flowers and deliver them around the house or to friends and family.
- Dance around a pretend Maypole with ribbons and music.
- Grab the May Rainbow color hunt printable for low/no prep fun!!
National Chocolate Parfait Day
The day we pretend layering pudding counts as fine motor work.
Activity Ideas:
- Layer pudding, fruit, and crushed graham crackers for a DIY parfait snack.
- Make a sensory bin with brown rice, pom-poms, and parfait cups.
May 2
Brothers and Sisters Day
Activity Ideas:
- Read books about sibling love.
- Make handprint art or cards as gifts for siblings.
International Harry Potter Day
Activity Ideas:
- Pretend play wizard school with scarves and wands.
- Make potion jars with glitter and colored water.
May 3
National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
Finally, a holiday that validates your toddler’s fashion choices.
Activity Ideas:
- Have a silly shoe day—let everyone wear mismatched shoes.
- Set up a shoe matching game or shoe print tracing station.
May 4
Star Wars Day (“May the Fourth Be With You”)
Activity Ideas:
- Use pool noodles as lightsabers and host a Jedi training obstacle course.
- Make Yoda ears or simple droid crafts with recycled materials.
May 5
Cinco de Mayo
Activity Ideas:
- Make tissue paper flowers and mini tacos.
- Dance to traditional Mexican music with scarves or shakers.
National Astronaut Day
Dress up as astronauts—because your toddler already acts like gravity is optional.
Activity Ideas:
- Make rocket crafts and read a space-themed book.
- Dress up as astronauts using foil hats and paper bag backpacks.
May 6
National Nurses Day
Doctor kit + stuffed animals = medical magic. Also: 47 band-aids for one invisible boo-boo.
Activity Ideas:
- Set up a pretend doctor’s office with dolls and bandages.
- Make thank-you cards for real nurses in your community.
May 7
National Tourism Day
Activity Ideas:
- Create “passports” and pretend to travel to different countries.
- Set up a dramatic play travel agency or airport.
May 8
National Coconut Cream Pie Day
Warning: toddlers will think pie is the main food group today.
Activity Ideas:
- Make pretend pies with playdough and cotton balls.
- Use shredded paper or oats for a pie-themed sensory bin.
May 9
Lost Sock Memorial Day
Because somewhere, right now, a toddler is removing just one sock for absolutely no reason.
Activity Ideas:
- Make silly sock puppets and act out a story.
- Play a sock matching game or decorate a sock collage.
May 10
Clean Up Your Room Day
Best holiday ever. Said no toddler, ever.
Activity Ideas:
- Turn cleanup into a race or scavenger hunt.
- Let kids decorate their own labeled bins for organizing toys.
May 11
Twilight Zone Day
Let them wear pajamas all day and paint with their feet. It’s that kind of holiday.
Activity Ideas:
- Create upside-down drawings or silly mirror art.
- Play a game of backward day—walk backwards, speak backwards!
Eat What You Want Day
A holiday made for picky toddlers. Cheese for breakfast? Sure. Ketchup on apples? Live your truth, kid.
Activity Ideas:
- Set up a pretend restaurant where kids can “order” their dream meals.
- Make silly snack mixes with unusual combos (cereal + marshmallows + crackers).
May 12
Limerick Day
There once was a boy named Kai,
Who loved to jump way up high.
He bounced like a frog,
Then rolled on a log,
And waved at the clouds in the sky!
Activity Ideas:
- Create silly rhyming chants or draw pictures to match.
- Build simple poems with felt words or magnet letters.
May 13
Frog Jumping Day
Toddlers already move like frogs, so this one basically plans itself.
Activity Ideas:
- Hop from lily pad to lily pad (use green construction paper).
- Make a cute paper plate frog or finger puppets for pretend play.
National Apple Pie Day
This is your excuse to bake something and call it “educational.”
Activity Ideas:
- Apple pie scented playdough with cinnamon and rolling pins.
- Cut apple shapes and sort by color or size.
May 14
Dance Like a Chicken Day
Honestly, every day is Dance Like a Chicken Day in toddler world.
Activity Ideas:
- Play the Chicken Dance and shake those tail feathers!
- Make paper plate chickens with feathers and googly eyes.
May 15
National Chocolate Chip Day
Tiny cookies = tiny toddler joy. Plus, counting practice (before they eat them).
Activity Ideas:
- Make chocolate chip cookie counting mats.
- Use pom-poms to “bake” play cookies in muffin tins.
May 16
National Sea Monkey Day
Sea monkeys are weird. Toddlers love weird. It’s a match.
Activity Ideas:
- Make ocean jars with glitter, blue water, and tiny sea toys.
- Draw imaginary sea monkeys and build habitats from blocks.
- Learn more about sea monkeys here
May 17
Pack Rat Day
Celebrate by cleaning out the toy box and finding 47 rocks, 3 puzzle pieces, and something suspiciously sticky.
Activity Ideas:
- Sort through items and practice organizing by type or size.
- Set up a pretend “yard sale” dramatic play station.
May 18
No Dirty Dishes Day
Picnic lunch for the win! And zero dishwashing guilt.
Activity Ideas:
- Have a picnic with finger foods and reusable trays.
- Pretend wash dishes in a soapy water bin with toy plates.
May 19
May Ray Day
Translation: Run wild in the sunshine and come back covered in sidewalk chalk and snack crumbs.
Activity Ideas:
- Go on a sun hunt: look for sun shapes and shadows outside.
- Make sun catchers with contact paper and tissue paper.
May 20
Pick Strawberries Day
Warning: they will eat more than they collect. Let it happen.
Activity Ideas:
- Strawberry-themed playdough tray with red beads and green pipe cleaners.
- Fingerpaint strawberry patches with red and green prints.
May 21
Talk Like Yoda Day
Confuse your toddlers, you will. Laugh, you must.
Activity Ideas:
- Practice silly sentence structure and dress up like Yoda.
- Build Yoda with green paper shapes and googly eyes.
May 22
Buy a Musical Instrument Day
Grab a shaker and prepare your ears. It’s concert time.
Activity Ideas:
- Make paper plate tambourines or shaker bottles.
- Have a music parade with DIY instruments.
May 23
World Turtle Day
Finally, an animal toddlers can imitate without running. Slow and steady, please.
Activity Ideas:
- Paint turtle shells on paper bowls and glue on legs.
- Read turtle stories and act them out.
- Create fun art with pond animal prints
May 24
Scavenger Hunt Day
The one day where losing stuff on purpose is actually a win.
Activity Ideas:
- Create a color scavenger hunt using printable cards.
- Hide letters or shapes around the room for a seek-and-find game.
- Grab my fun May scavenger hunt above for a quick print and play activity
May 25
Tap Dance Day
Activity Ideas:
- Tape pennies or buttons to shoes and stomp to music.
- Make a dance floor with cardboard squares to tap on.
May 26
Paper Airplane Day
Fold, fly, repeat. Then let the toddlers throw them at each other and call it physics.
Activity Ideas:
- Fold and fly planes, then decorate a “runway.”
- Try flying planes through a hoop or into a basket.
May 27
Sally Ride Day
Perfect time to celebrate brave women—and launch cardboard rockets across the room.
Activity Ideas:
- Create a space helmet from paper or recycled containers.
- Make a simple timeline of women in space with pictures.
- Learn about Sally Ride here.
May 28
Hamburger Day
Activity Ideas:
- Stack felt burger ingredients for a build-your-own burger game.
- Pretend play restaurant with order pads and trays.
May 29
Paperclip Day
Fine motor skills + magnet play
Activity Ideas:
- Build paperclip chains or shapes.
- Explore magnetic wands and see if they pick up paperclips.
May 30
Water a Flower Day
Activity Ideas:
- Water real plants or grow bean seeds in a clear cup.
- Make flower-themed art with cupcake liners and pipe cleaners.
- Try painting with flowers for a fun sensory activity.
May 31
Macaroon Day
The only thing better than a cookie is one made of playdough and glitter.
Activity Ideas:
- Make pretend cookies with playdough and sprinkles.
- Use cotton balls to make fluffy cookie art on a paper plate.
Bonus: May-Themed Monthly Ideas
National Bike Month
Activity Ideas:
- Host a bike parade or decorate bikes and trikes.
Get Caught Reading Month
Activity Ideas:
- Create a cozy corner and “catch” kids reading for a surprise.
National Pet Month
Activity Ideas:
- Make paper pet crafts or host a stuffed animal show-and-tell.
National Smile Month
Activity Ideas:
- Talk about emotions and make a smiley face feelings chart.
- Draw self-portraits with big happy smiles.
