20 Awesome May Activities for Kids
If you want to plan some activities with your kids in May, there are plenty of options as this month is associated with various celebrations, events, and themes. You can use these topics as the inspiration for activities to enjoy with your kids that are both fun and educational. So, what are some May activities you can do with your kids? Here are 20 awesome May activities for kids to inspire you.
20. Kindergarten May Activity for Kids: Handprint Flowers
A simple May activity for kids of kindergarten age is to create handprint flower designs, says Where Imagination Grows. All you need is some paper and a selection of differently colored paints. Squeeze a little of the different paint colors onto separate plates. Children place their hands into the paint before putting their handprints on the paper. Add several more handprints in different colors to form the top of a bunch of flowers, then add some stems below. Alternatively, a design that represents a row of flowers in the garden, by drawing some soil at the bottom of the page, adding some spaced out stems, then putting a handprint at the top of each stem.
19. Have a Go at Circus Skills
May 19 is Circus Day, so what better time than to have a go at learning some circus skills with your kids? There are multiple different skills you can try, and some free options include slapstick clown humor and cartwheeling around the garden like an acrobat. If you have a few dollars to spare, consider buying some juggling balls to learn to juggle or a plastic plate spinning kit that you can all try.
18. Make Paper Airplanes
It is hard to imagine a world without airplanes, yet it is only around 120 years since the Wright Brothers were successful in designing and flying the first airplane. The brothers successfully made their first short flight on December 17, 1903, but they patented their design on May 22. To celebrate their innovation and determination to succeed, make paper airplanes with your children. Compete to see whose airplane flies the furthest. To add an educational element to the activity, look at who was most successful and why their plane flew well. Similarly, consider why the other planes were not as successful. Use your findings to consider other ways of making a paper airplane to see if you can improve on your original designs.
16. May Cooking Activities for Children: Make Cookies
Generally, children love to get involved in the kitchen, and making cookies is always a popular choice as it is something the children will enjoy eating at the end of their cooking day. There are two reasons why May is a great time to cook cookies with the kids. First, it is National Chocolate Chip Day on May 15, which is the perfect excuse to make choc chip cookies. Second, May 24 is the Cookie Monster’s birthday.
15. Learn About an Endangered Species
If your child is an animal lover, then an interesting project to undertake in May is learning about an endangered species, as the third Friday of the month is National Endangered Species Day. Give your child a list of some endangered species, and let them choose their own because they are more likely to become engaged in the topic if it is an animal that interests them. Your child can learn interesting facts about the animal, find out the reasons why it has become endangered, and think about ways that people can help to protect the animal from extinction.
14. Science May Activities for Kids: Create a Planet Mobile
Many children find space a fascinating subject, and it captures the imagination of kids of all ages. Space Day is celebrated on May 5, but you do not have to limit yourself to enjoying space-related activities on this day. A creative way for children to learn more about space is to make a simple solar system mobile. You will need a wire coat hangar on which to suspend the planets and the sun that you make. There are several ways to make the planets and the sun, and one of the simplest is to use balls of Play-Doh.
Other options are to create papier mache planets or to decorate differently sized polystyrene craft balls. You can also use craft pom poms if you have some to hand. Try to differentiate between the planets by adding physical features associated with each. For example, the Earth has a blue and green surface, Mars is red, and Saturn has rings. Pierce a hole through your sun model and thread through some string before knotting at one end. Attach the string to one end of the wire coat hanger. Continue this process with each of the planets, putting them in order from nearest to furthest from the sun.
13. Start a Scrapbook
Kids Activities says that May 5 is National Scrapbooking Day, so it is the best month to start a scrapbook if this is something that you have not done before. It is also a fantastic way for your child to record the different activities they have done with you this month and the places they have visited. To create your scrapbook, collect photographs, postcards, tickets, leaflets, and other items you can store flat in the book. You can also collect items such as leaves and flowers from some of the outdoor places you visit.
12. Make a Boat Out of Junk
National Maritime Day is celebrated on May 22, and a creative activity that you can do with your kids on this day is to make a boat out of junk. Use waste items from your recycling bin, such as plastic bottles, cartons, and tins, for your children to get creative in designing their own water vessels. If you live near a stream, you can even take your boats out for a race. However, make sure you take a fishing net along to retrieve your boats so that the waterways are not littered with junk that is potentially harmful to wildlife.
11. Design an Advertisement for Your Area
May 7 is National Tourism Day, and a creative activity for kids is to design an advertisement that attracts tourists to your area. Discuss with your kids what they think is appealing about your location and what people who are new to the area would like to do during their visit. Younger children might want to design a simple poster featuring a picture of their favorite place, while older children may get more creative. Some options include photograph collages, an IT presentation, or a digital advertisement of the area.
10. Make Some Flags for Memorial Day
Memorial Day is on the last Monday of May each year, and you can celebrate the event by sticking to activities with a red, white, and blue theme. A simple activity for children to enjoy is making some flags for Memorial Day that feature the design of the United States flag. It is easy to create the design on paper or even print off the design online. You can then attach the flag designs to posts made from lollipop sticks, pipe cleaners, sticks, or anything long and thin. Alternatively, hang the flag designs from string to decorate the walls of your home for the day.
9. Plants Some Vegetables
If your child enjoys spending time in the garden, then planting vegetables is a fun way for them to spend their time. The Ladybird’s Adventures says that May is a busy month in the garden, as there are lots of vegetables that you can plant during this month. These include broccoli, squash, pumpkins, and zucchini. You can use these vegetables in your cooking later in the year when they are ready to harvest. If you have planted some vegetables earlier in the year that are now ready to eat, harvest them with the kids and make something using these ingredients together.
8. Host a May History Quiz
Learn about some historical events that have taken place in May with your children. Based on your findings, create a family quiz with questions about the historical events that have taken place this month. You can focus your research and quiz questions on just one historic May event if you prefer.
7. Learn About the Life Cycle of the Butterfly
The life cycle of a butterfly is a fascinating subject, and for many butterfly species, the transformation from a caterpillar into a butterfly takes place during May. Therefore, it is a good month to learn about these unique insects. There are multiple species of moths and butterflies, and they all go through the four main stages of transformation. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University says that these are the egg stage, the caterpillar stage, the pupa stage, and the butterfly stage. You can adapt the activities you use to learn about the butterfly life cycle to suit the age of your child.
6. Celebrate Africa Day
May 25 is Africa Day, and it is n excellent opportunity to learn about African culture. Celebrate the day with African food, music, and costumes. To make the day more educational, learn about the continent’s geography, do a project about one country, learn some words in an African language, or study some of Africa’s most notable historical events.
5. Make Mother’s Day Cards
Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in the United States. A creative craft for children to enjoy this month is making their mom a card they can give her on this day. They can also create a bunch of flowers by drawing different flower designs on pieces of cards, cutting them out, and then gluing the stems together. Add a bow to the stems for an extra creative touch.
4. Do a Project About a European Country
Europe Day is celebrated on May 5, so it is the ideal time to learn about some European countries. You can play games relating to all of Europe, such as naming the capital cities of the different countries, identifying prominent landmarks across the continent, or finding the countries’ positions on a globe or map. Alternatively, you can focus on a single country and start a mini-project.
3. Outdoor May Activities: Get Outdoors During Screen-Free Week
E-Parenting says that the first week in May is Screen-Free Week, so you should encourage your children to spend time away from their digital devices. One of the best ways to do this is to get outdoors where there is no temptation to watch the television or use a computer. Visit a local area of natural beauty, such as a state park, river, lake, or mountain.
2. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
A fun event to celebrate in May is Cinco de Mayo, which translates as the Fifth of May. It is a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, and there are lots of fun ways you can celebrate this day. Make your own papier mache pinata to play in the garden, play pin the tail on the burro (donkey), eat Mexican food, make maracas, play Mexican music, and create Mexican mask designs.
1. Best May Activities for Kids: Go on an Insect Scavenger Hunt
May is at the end of spring and the beginning of summer, and there are lots of creepy crawlies around at this time of the year. 123 Homeschool 4 Me suggests that one of the best ways for children to learn more about insects and their habitats is to go on a scavenger hunt in the garden or in a local outdoor space. Give your children a list of insects to find on the hunt and add images for younger children. To make it trickier for older children, give them a list of clues instead of the insects’ names.