It’s never too early – or too late – to start thinking about your spring planning. With our handy Spring term calendar, you can explore key dates to celebrate and base your lesson planning around in the next few months.
Key dates in January
4th January: Isaac Newton’s Birthday
- Mark the birthday of this remarkable scientist with our KS2 Forces Experience, exploring how gravity and other forces impact our daily lives and the universe around us.
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21st January: World Religion Day
- Celebrate faiths from across the world by immersing your class in our Diwali, Easter Story, The Ten Plagues and The Five Pillars Experiences.
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23rd January: Handwriting Day
- KS1 classes can learn the importance of Full Stops & Capital Letters while they explore a series of jumbled-up fairy tales.
- Enhance SATs revision with our engaging SPAG Experience for KS2.
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25th January: Burns Night
- Explore the culture, national symbols, and geography of Scotland (as well as England, Wales and Northern Ireland) in now>press>play’s KS1 The UK Experience.
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27th January: Holocaust Memorial Day
- In now>press>play’s Relative Clauses Experience, KS2 pupils use their literacy skills to write a diary about their encounters and circumstances as a persecuted Jewish person during World War II.
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27th January – 4th February: National Storytelling Week
- Celebrate some of the most beloved stories of all time with EYFS learners, such as Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks, and The Gingerbread Man.
- Meanwhile, KS1 classes can learn the importance of Full Stops & Capital Letters while they explore a series of jumbled-up fairy tales.
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Key dates in February
5-11th February: Children’s Mental Health Week
- Help students explore the things that affect mental health and the importance of talking to people about how we feel. Try now>press>play’s Feelings Experiences for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
- Explore the impact that our actions can have on others with our Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Anti-Bullying Experiences.
- Having a balanced diet is vital to wellbeing. Find out how as you explore our KS1 Healthy Living Experience.
- Give your students superpowers with the now>press>play KS1 Superheroes Experience, exploring friendship, kindness and who to trust.
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6th February: Safer Internet Day
- Our Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Online Safety Experiences can help children learn the dangers of the internet and how to themselves – and others – safe.
- With our KS2 Anti-Bullying Experience, your class can explore the impact that cyberbullying can have on us and others.
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7th February: World Read Aloud Day
The first week of February is all about stories and reading. Our traditional tales give you a range of stories to explore with Early Years classes, including:
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10th February: Chinese New Year
- Kick-start the Year of the Rabbit and discover the advances in technology, knowledge and art that happened in China’s Shang Dynasty.
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11th February: Thomas Edison’s Birthday
- Give your pupils their “lightbulb moment” with our KS2 Electricity Experience. Learn the essential components of a circuit, ways to increase or decrease power, and the importance of electricity in our daily lives.
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12th February: Charles Darwin’s Birthday
- Using our KS2 Evolution Experience, find out how Charles Darwin proved his theory of evolution and explore how animals become suited to their environment over time.
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13th February: Pancake Day
- We all love pancakes — but how do they fit into a balanced diet? Find out how as you explore the inside of the human body in our KS1 Healthy Living Experience.
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23rd February: Samuel Pepys’ Birthday
- Transport your students back in time to 1666 with our KS1 Great Fire of London Experience and meet the famous diarist.
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28th February: SATs revision begins
- Make SATs revision exciting with our story-based SATs Maths, SATs Reading and SPAG Experiences for KS2.
- Enhance your follow-on learning with our KS2 Grammar & Punctuation teaching resources.
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Key dates in March
Women’s History Month
- All through March, schools shine a special light on important women throughout history. now>press>play offers Experiences exploring the lives, achievements and legacies of significant figures including Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole and Harriet Tubman.
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3rd March: World Wildlife Day
- Celebrate all creatures great and small with our KS1 Animals, EYFS Minibeasts and EYFS On Safari Experiences. Learn what different animals do for us, and how to care for them properly.
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4th March: National Grammar Day
- With now>press>play, your class can take part in a dramatic pursuit as they investigate a shadowy secret organisation, all while revising their SPAG skills.
- With our Full Stops and Capital Letters Experience, KS1 learners can explore the chaos bad grammar can cause in a series of garbled fairy tales.
- In our KS2 Relative Clauses Experience, pupils write diaries about their encounters as a persecuted Jewish person during World War II.
- You can also enhance your follow-on learning with our engaging KS2 Grammar & Punctuation teaching resources.
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7th March: World Book Day
- KS1 classes can dive into a series of fairy tale books, fixing jumbled-up Full Stops & Capital Letters as they go.
- Immerse your EYFS children in traditional tales such as Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks, and The Gingerbread Man.
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8th March: International Women’s Day
- Learn about the extraordinary lives and achievements of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale, celebrating their importance to British history.
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8-17th March: British Science Week
- now>press>play offer 14 Science Experiences to help you celebrate British Science Week, including topics for EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
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10th March: Anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s Death
- With now>press>play’s Harriet Tubman Experience, KS2 learners can explore the life and achievements of this historical icon.
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10th March: Start of Ramadan
- Learn about the importance of fasting to Muslims with our KS2 The Five Pillars Experience, exploring the main beliefs and traditions of Islam.
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17th March: St. Patrick’s Day
- Explore the culture, national symbols, and geography of Northern Ireland (as well as England, Scotland and Wales) in now>press>play’s KS1 The UK Experience.
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18-24th March: Shakespeare Week
- With now>press>play, head back 500 years,
And meet the famous English bard himself,
While learning all about the Tudor times.
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20th March: Spring Equinox
- Explore the differences and effects of autumn, winter, spring, and summer in our KS1 Seasons Experience.
- Celebrate the start of autumn by with our brand-new Spring Experience for EYFS, exploring weather, animal behaviour, and why the flowers start to grow back.
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23rd March: World Maths Day
- now>press>play offer a number of maths Experiences for schools to celebrate World Maths Day, such as KS1 Number Bonds, KS2 Decimals, KS2 Fractions and KS2 Mental Maths.
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29th-1st April: Easter Weekend
- Our KS2 Easter Story Experience transports children to Biblical Jerusalem, as they witness the narrative of Jesus’ betrayal, sacrifice on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday.
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Key dates in April
2nd April: International Children’s Book Day
- This event marks the birthday of legendary fairy tale author Hans Christian Anderson. Celebrate by immersing your EYFS children in traditional stories such as Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and The Gingerbread Man.
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7th April: World Health Day
- Explore the inside of the human body and investigate what people need to stay fit in our KS1 Healthy Living Experience.
- With our KS1 Humans Experience, learn about our basic needs for survival (water, food and air) and the importance of diet and exercise.
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9th April: End of Ramadan / Eid al-Fitr
- Explore the main beliefs and traditions of Islam across the world with our KS2 The Five Pillars Experience.
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15th April: National Titanic Remembrance Day
- Our KS2 Fractions Experience takes place on the ill-fated Titanic, where pupils can use their mathematical skills to save lives onboard the ship.
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22nd April: Earth Day
- KS2 learners can explore the vibrant Rainforests found across the world. In our brand-new Climate Crisis Experience, you can examine the causes and effects of climate change and the role of government – and public activism – in solving it.
- With our EYFS Weather Experience, compare and become the different kinds of weather that occur around the world.
- Observe Earth’s different animals and environments – and the importance of protecting them – in our KS1 Habitats Experience.
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22-30th April: Passover
- Discover the origins of the Jewish Passover festival by travelling back in time to Ancient Egypt. Our KS2 The Ten Plagues Experience places children at the heart of Moses’ story.
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We hope you find this a useful planning resource for mapping key dates across the spring term. If you’re interested in trying now>press>play in your school, you can book a free trial through our website.
