There are some really fun national days in April to celebrate with your kids!
Check out our fun printable April National Days calendar and get some great ideas for things you can easily do with your kids to celebrate each day of the month.
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What are National Days?
While the United States only recognizes 10 official national holidays and 44 national observances per year, National Days have been growing in popularity since 1984 when President Ronald Reagan created National Ice Cream Day (which was supposed to be a one-time thing!).
Today, thanks to websites such as National Day Calendar, National Days have become super popular.
Even Facebook and Instagram both promote different National Days every month, which is definitely giving them a big boost.
Every day of the year has at least one unofficial National Day associated with it, and most days have three or four different National Days to celebrate.
April National Days for Kids Free Printable
Join thousands of other families and get your copy of the Free April National Days for Kids calendar by filling out the form below!
(And YES, you’ll get all of the calendars for the entire year in one awesome bundle!)
Let’s take a closer look at the best April National Days for kids and our best ideas for celebrating them together!
National Days in April to Celebrate with Kids
April 1 – April Fools Day
April Fools Day can be a ton of fun – without a lot of effort!
Last year, I told my kids that I made brownies for dessert. When they came to the kitchen, they found a bunch of cut-out brown “E’s” in a glass baking dish!
For some other great April Fool’s Day pranks for kids, check out this list here from Good Housekeeping!
April 2 – Autism Awareness Day
Helping our kids be aware of those around them who may be different or who need some extra kindness is always worth the effort.
On Autism Awareness Day, encourage your kids to wear red and talk about autism as a family when you’re in the car or having dinner.
For some great tips on how to be a friend to someone with Autism, go here.
April 3 – National Find a Rainbow Day
Of course, it would be awesome to find a naturally occurring rainbow on National Rainbow Day, but if there’s no rain in the forecast where you are, you can still celebrate this day!
Instead, you could hide these cute macrame rainbow keychains or magnetic rainbow bookmarks around the house for your kids to find!
April 4 – National School Librarian Day
Send your kids to school with a thank you note or a small gift card for their school librarian today!
Remember, it doesn’t take a lot to make someone feel appreciated!
April 5 – National Caramel Day
National Caramel Day is a great day for anything caramel: salted caramels, caramel apples, caramel brownies … is your mouth watering yet?
April 6 – National Caramel Popcorn Day
If National Caramel Day wasn’t enough for you yesterday, today is National Caramel Popcorn Day!
Check out this fun recipe for 5-minute homemade caramel popcorn from Tastes Better From Scratch right here!
April 7 – National Burrito Day
Celebrate National Burrito Day simply by having burritos for dinner! Whether you stop by Chipotle or make your own, we won’t judge. (wink, wink)
(If you do choose to make your own burritos at home, we love this recipe for Mexican chicken that has become a staple in our house!)
April 8 – National Zoo Lovers Day
Although National Zoo Lovers Day is on a Friday this year, you could surprise your kids with a quick after-school trip to a local petting zoo.
Or if you have a great zoo near you, present them with zoo tickets today for another Saturday in April.
April 9 – National Unicorn Day
If you have a daughter under the age of ten, it’s likely that National Unicorn Day will be a hit at home!
To make this day special, you could make this super cool unicorn dream catcher craft together or do this awesome glow-in-the-dark unicorn puzzle too.
For some extra fun, consider making unicorn cupcakes to sweeten the day!
April 10 – National Siblings Day
We love National Siblings Day!
On this day, encourage your kids to share three things they love about each of their siblings, take a photo of all of your kids together, and be sure to let your own siblings know that you’re thinking of them too!
April 11 – National Pet Day
The family love doesn’t stop yet! Today is National Pet Day!
As a family, do something fun with your pet today. That might be giving him a special treat, going on an extra-long walk, or gifting her a new toy, collar, or cute pet outfit.
Whatever you choose to do, be sure to smother your pet with lots of extra love!
April 12 – National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day / National Only Child Day
Today is National Only Child Day, so if you have one child, make sure they feel extra loved and appreciated today!
Perhaps you could read one of our favorite sentimental parent-child books together, such as Love You Forever or I Promise You.
If you have more than one child, you could celebrate National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day instead.
Send them with a grilled cheese sandwich in their lunchbox and choose one of our adorable printable lunchbox notes from our Etsy shop!
April 13 – National Scrabble Day
On National Scrabble Day, it’s a great idea to … yep, play Scrabble!
Our very favorite version of Scrabble is Harry Potter Scrabble, but there are lots of other cool versions available too:
April 14 – National Dolphin Day
Who doesn’t love dolphins? So why shouldn’t they have a National Day too?
For National Dolphin Day, you could check out some dolphin books like Face to Face with Dolphins by National Geographic from your local library, or watch Dolphin Tale as a family.
If you live near SeaWorld or another large aquarium, head on over and pay those dolphins a visit!
April 15 – National Take a Wild Guess Day
Today is also Tax Day, but it’s doubtful your kids will enjoy celebrating anything about that.
So, what is National Take a Wild Guess Day instead? It’s a day to not take too seriously and to do something fun that involves guessing.
So fill a jar with pennies, jellybeans, or M&Ms, and have your kids guess how many are in the jar. (You’ll have to count them first of course.)
Or have your kids write down some wild guesses about what they’ll be when they grow up, how many kids they’ll have of their own someday, or what kinds of crazy inventions they’ll see in their lifetime.
Finally, there’s also a cute free printable game from National Day Calendar called The Wild Guess card game that you can access right here!
April 16 – National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
Although Wear Your Pajamas to Work is on a Saturday in 2022, why not stay in your PJs all day anyway, am I right?!
April 17 – Easter
Whether you celebrate Easter as a religious observance or as a secular holiday, there are so many wonderful traditions you can create as a family.
Check out some of our most popular, kid-friendly Easter celebration ideas right here:
- 15 Easter Minute to Win It Games for the Whole Family
- 13 Unique, Fun, and Easy Easter Egg Hunt Ideas Your Kids Will Love
- 40 Awesome Non-Candy Easter Egg Fillers for Kids
April 18 – National Animal Crackers Day
This is another National Day that turns something super simple into something super fun!
Maybe your kids have had animal crackers a million times, but even if they have, eating them on National Animal Crackers Day feels way more special and exciting.
So pack some animal crackers in their lunches or serve them as an after-school snack, and voila! You’ve celebrated an April National Day with your kids!
April 19 – National Hanging Out Day
For National Hanging Out Day, let your kids invite a few friends to come over and hang out.
Or you could simply clear an hour or two from your busy schedule and hang out as a family.
April 20 – National Banana Day
Isn’t it great to have National Days that are based on healthy foods from time to time?!
For National Banana Day, make your favorite banana-based recipe (yes, smoothies count!) and enjoy it together as a family.
April 21 – National High Five Day/ National Kindergarten Day
If you have a kindergartener at home, take time today to celebrate National Kindergarten Day! Let your little one know how much progress you’ve seen them make this year in school or work on a special note to send to their teacher.
If you don’t have a kindergartener, you can celebrate National High Five Day instead! Created in 2002 by three students at the University of Virginia, this is a day to go around and give high fives to as many people as you can. Have your kids keep a tally of how many high fives they can give!
April 22 – Earth Day
Your kids will likely be doing something in school to celebrate Earth Day, but it would also be a wonderful event to celebrate as a family!
You could:
- Work outside together in your yard
- Plant a tree
- Pot some spring flowers
- Pick up trash around your neighborhood
- Donate to an environmental nonprofit
- Go on a family walk or hike
- Sit on a park bench and observe the world
- Learn about recycling in your town
- Start a compost pile
April 23 – National Picnic Day
National Picnic Day is a great follow-up to Earth Day!
Since it’s on a Saturday in 2022, this is a wonderful opportunity to take a picnic to the local park and enjoy it as a family!
We especially love this highly-rated picnic backpack for four that’s available on Amazon.
April 24 – National Pigs in a Blanket Day
Who knew National Pigs in a Blanket Day was even a thing?
While pigs in a blanket may not be haute cuisine, your kids probably love them – and they’ll probably love eating them on National Pigs in a Blanket Day even more.
April 25 – National Zucchini Bread Day
While banana bread may be the king of all sweetbreads, zucchini bread is the queen!
Grab a couple of zucchini from the store and make zucchini bread together.
You can’t go wrong with this delightful recipe from Once Upon a Chef.
And for a healthier (but still super yummy) zucchini bread recipe, check out this one from 100 Days of Real Food.
April 26 – National Kids and Pets Day
We already had National Pets Day earlier this month, but since we love them both so much, why not celebrate National Kids AND Pets Day too?!
This would be a great day to have a mini photoshoot of your kids and pets together!
April 27 – National Tell a Story Day
This is another super easy April National Day that is perfect for kids!
Simply tell your kids a story (use their names as the main characters), or let them make up their own story to tell.
You could also play 3-Word Story, where each person gets to add three words to a group story.
For example, the first person may say “Once upon a.” The second person might say, “mushroom, there was” and the third person might say, “timid little inchworm.”
From there, each person gets a chance to add three more words to the story.
Let everyone have three turns to contribute or set a three-minute timer so the story won’t drag on for too long.
April 28 – National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day / National Superhero Day
If your workplace participates in National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, this is THE day to do that!
But if not, you can celebrate National Superhero Day instead!
Watch your kids’ favorite superhero movie, or read their favorite comic book with them. Color superhero coloring pages or do a superhero puzzle together.
April 29 – National Arbor Day
Although Earth Day has grown in popularity lately, don’t overlook National Arbor Day!
It’s a day to appreciate all the good that trees do for our world and for us as humans.
If you didn’t plant a tree on Earth Day, do that today! Or visit a local State or National Forest near you.
April 30 – National Oatmeal Cookie Day / National Military Brats Day
Whether you put raisins or chocolate chips in your oatmeal cookies is entirely up to you, but today is the perfect day to make some!
We adore this delicious oatmeal cookie recipe from Just So Tasty and have been making it for years.
If you are a military family, today is also a great day to celebrate National Military Brats Day. (While we don’t necessarily love the word “brat,” we realize it’s been the slang term for military kids for decades.)
Why Kids Love National Days
Kids absolutely love National Days because they are perfect for making ordinary things feel special.
You’ve probably seen your kids feel so excited about something exceedingly ordinary, like a squirrel running along the fence in your backyard.
National Days are a lot like that. They bring a little extra added excitement to days that might otherwise feel pretty ordinary.
Final Thoughts about National Days in April for Families
The most important thing about celebrating these April National Days is to keep it simple!
Our mission here at Jen Bradley|MOMs is to help you find easy ways to connect with your kids and make special memories. You don’t have to do anything over the top.
Simply choose one or two National Days per week and do something small. No Pinterest perfection is required!
If you haven’t downloaded the April National Days for Kids calendar yet, you can do that by filling out the form below!
And let us know which National Days in April you’re most excited to celebrate with your kids!
Related articles about National Days and family fun:
Best January National Days to Celebrate With Your Kids
The Best February National Days to Celebrate With Your Kids
5 Fun Spring Scavenger Hunts for Kids – Free Printables!
The Best March National Days to Celebrate With Your Kids
The 31 Most Kid-Friendly National Days in May
30 Fun June National Days to Celebrate with Your Kids
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Which national days in April are you excited to celebrate with your kids?
