National Days to Celebrate in May with Kids!

We all know about the standard national holidays in May, but what about those unique, sometimes off-the-wall national days to celebrate in May? As a homeschooling family, the national days to celebrate in May make for some pretty fun ways to think creatively and encourage literacy!

Why Include National Days to Celebrate in May?

Every May, the kids and I are always excited to welcome the summer over Memorial Day weekend while I look forward to a day of quality family time on Mother’s Day. Let’s not forget Cinco de Mayo when the family all looks forward to a delicious Mexican dinner! Why should you even consider adding some more so-called holidays to your May calendar?

Well, if you ask me, the National Days to Celebrate in May offer a break from the norm and instead allow for moments of happiness for everyone, providing a positive & exciting change from our “regularly scheduled programs.”

Incorporating National Days into your homeschooling routine can enliven the experience, bring smiles, and add an educational twist.

How to Celebrate the National Days?

Every year, there are loads of National Days waiting to be celebrated. But how can we fit them all into our hectic schedules?

Truth is, we can’t.

But don’t worry! I’ve spent many, many hours searching online to find the most exciting National Days for kids in May and beyond.

And the best part? I’ve compiled a super convenient list and have even created some resources to help you enjoy these celebrations throughout the year.

National Days to Celebrate in May Writing Prompts

Many homeschoolers think writing prompts aren’t valuable, seeing them as just busywork. But I have a different take. When I create prompts, my goal is to encourage kids’ creativity, push them to explore topics past the writing prompts, and make them look forward to their daily writing activities.

Sure, not every writing task is thrilling, but my sons always anticipate my themed prompts. They either learn something new or end up laughing a lot!

In May, I like starting our homeschool mornings with writing prompts. It’s a fun, pressure-free way to begin the day, setting a positive tone for all our activities.

I’ve made a printable collection of prompts for the whole month. This makes including the National Day celebrations super convenient. I print them all in one go, ensuring a smooth and stress-free experience.

The National Days to Celebrate in May writing prompt set includes the following:

• an entire month’s worth of daily writing prompts
  • each page is dated by the month number date (ex. “May 1”), but not the day of the week, so this resource can be used for ANY calendar year.
• 9 “national month” writing prompts
  • just in case you come across a national day writing prompt that you’re not jiving with, there are 9 for backup! These are NOT dated, but are month specific
• a blank writing prompt template
  • just in case you want to use for other lessons
• a printable with all of the National Days to Celebrate in May that we’ve included as well as 9 National Month themes we’ve included (just want that printable? I’ll share that soon!)
• a journal cover
  • plenty of space for doodles and personalization, there’s even a spot for your child/student to write their name to claim the writing prompt journal as their own

The best part? If your kids enjoy the writing prompts for the national days in May, I’m pretty sure they’d enjoy writing prompts for national days to celebrate all year long!

Check ’em out!

• National Days to Celebrate in January
• National Days to Celebrate in February
• National Days to Celebrate in March
• National Days to Celebrate in April
• National Days to Celebrate in May
• National Days to Celebrate in June
• National Days to Celebrate in July
• National Days to Celebrate in August
• National Days to Celebrate in September
• National Days to Celebrate in October
• National Days to Celebrate in November
• National Days to Celebrate in December

National Days to Celebrate in May Conversation Cards

I always do what I can to offer diverse learning experiences whenever possible. Back when I was a teacher, many of my students found writing challenging. Some had trouble with the act itself, while others got stuck at various stages of the process.

I believe that if a student has trouble completing a writing task for some reason, they should be offered options. This inspired me to develop an alternative to the usual May writing prompts: National Days to Celebrate in May Conversation Cards!

These cards shift the focus from writing to conversation, making them ideal for families who struggle with writing, lack writing tools (like when traveling for educational purposes!), or simply want to have more meaningful discussions and create lasting memories together.

Like the May writing prompts, these conversation cards offer a daily prompt for May and highlight the nine National Month themes. They take a a little more prep than the writing prompts, but I can assure you…the extra time and effort is worth it!

My kids can vouch for it: these conversation cards are a big success!

National Days to Celebrate in May Activities

Add some excitement to your daily routine by including a fun, interactive activity every day! Totally optional, these activities can easily become part of your homeschool day, help kick off a topic, or simply bring even more fun to your daily National Day celebration.

I’ll be updating this list with new ideas regularly, so be sure to check back often. As you browse through the National Days to Celebrate in May below, you’ll find some daily themes marked in blue and underlined. These are linked to activities or resources created with that specific day in mind.

Just click on the blue, underlined text to jump straight to the activity or resource!

National Days to Celebrate in May

• May 1: May Day
• May 2: Brothers & Sisters Day
• May 3: Garden Meditation Day
• May 4: Weather Observers Day
• May 5: Astronaut Day
• May 6: Beverage Day
• May 7: Tourism Day
• May 8: No Socks Day
• May 9: Hurray for Buttons Day
• May 10: Small Business Day
• May 11: Eat What you Want Day
• May 12: Odometer Day
• May 13: Apple Pie Day
• May 14: Dance Like a Chicken Day
• May 15: Chocolate Chip Day
• May 16: Love a Tree Day
• May 17: Mushroom Hunting Day
• May 18: No Dirty Dishes Day
• May 19: May Ray Day
• May 20: Be a Millionaire Day
• May 21: Memo Day
• May 22: Buy a Musical Instrument Day
• May 23: Lucky Penny Day
• May 24: Scavenger Hunt Day
• May 25: Towel Day
• May 26: Paper Airplane Day
• May 27: Sunscreen Protection Day
• May 28: Hamburger Day
• May 29: Learn About Composting Day
• May 30: Creativity Day
• May 31: Smile Day

In addition to the National Days, we’re also celebrating these 9 National Month themes in May:

• Asparagus Month
• Barbecue Month
• Bike Month
• Photography Month
• Moving Month
• Water Safety Month
• Get Caught Reading Month
• Older American Month
• Inventors Month

National Days to Celebrate in May Freebie

The wait is over! Are you excited to add some May fun to your homeschooling routine? Just complete the form below, and we’ll send the May poster straight to your inbox!

As always, I’d love to hear about your plans for learning in May and beyond! Come on over to my Facebook Group: That Homeschool Family Hangout, to share your adventures and get tips & such from homeschooling parents from all over the world.

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,