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Bonfire Night activities for early years

Blog
The YPO Team
07 Oct 2024

Bonfire night commemorates the failed gunpowder plot of 1605. Guy Fawkes and a group of other men attempted to blow up the houses of parliament and kill King James I. Fortunately, they did not succeed and to celebrate the people were allowed to light bonfires.

From fireworks to fire! Bring the excitement of Bonfire Night into your setting and help children gain an understanding of what this event is all about and what they can expect to see. Here's some activities you can take back to your setting for 5 November.

Sensory Fireworks Tub

Sensory fireworks tub

A simple but rewarding activity! Sensory tubs are so versatile and can be created to fit almost any theme. Get a tray or tub and fill with sensory-rich materials that differ in size, colour, and texture. To match our theme and make it even more inviting, we have added all things sparkly. But you can add whatever you like – the possibilities are endless!

What you’ll need:

Can you put out the fire?

Fire activity

Place a tray on the floor with a selection of red, orange, and yellow washable paints and encourage the children to use either tools or their hands to help create a fire masterpiece.

Prop the painted tray up against a wall or something sturdy and provide spray bottles, watering cans, maybe even a hose if one is available? Let each child take it in turns to put out the fire - this activity is great to help teach children about fire safety.

What you’ll need:

Community Bonfire Play Tray

Fire activity

Spark the imaginations of your little learners with a small world community bonfire setup that they can enjoy for hours on end – you could even include natural materials like sticks and leaves that the children can forage for themselves.

What you’ll need:

Wood Mix - 302379
Autumn Leaves - 108154
Woodland Dolls - 807959
Cellulose Film Rolls - Pack of 10 - 135764
Natural Tea Branches - Pack of 500g - 800160

Firework Mark Making

Fireworks activity

For this activity, we have used craft rolls but you could use a fork for the same ‘firework’ effect. Start by cutting slits around the bottom of the toilet roll to create a fringe of sorts, then pull the slits back so that they stick out. Provide different coloured paints on paper plates and watch the children stamp, twirl and splat as they create a wonderful fireworks print to take home or decorate your setting for the occasion.

What you’ll need:

These activities have been taken from Little Learners, a FREE magazine full of early years resources and activities. Click here to read our latest issue!

Author

The YPO Team

YPO supplies products and services to a wide range of customers including schools, local authorities, charities, emergency services, public sector and other businesses such as nurseries and care homes. YPO are 100% publicly owned, by 13 local authorities, which means the profits made are returned to public sector customers, delivering even better value for money.