National Day Themes in February - Week 3: Relatable Activities for Young Learners
- shannon | speech hamster
- Feb 17
- 13 min read
Updated: Apr 26
February may be short, but it’s packed with plenty of reasons to shake up your sessions! This week’s National Days bring new ways to target speech and language skills with creative, low-prep activities. From famous figures to favorite snacks, there’s something for everyone.
Welcome to National Days in February Week 3. Whether you're diving into fun facts on World Hippo Day (February 15), spreading positivity for Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17), or sharing stories about furry (or scaly) friends for Love Your Pet Day (February 20), these themed ideas might be just what you need to go from scrambling for ideas to feeling like a planning pro.
This blog post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase through them, with no extra cost to you.
Use the table below to explore some of the national days celebrated in the third week of February. To avoid scrolling fatigue, use the quick links to view activity ideas and book suggestions for each theme.
or use these links to view:
February National Days Week 1 (February 1 - 7)
February National Days Week 2 (February 8 - 14): coming soon
February National Days Week 4+ (February 22 - 28)
To view themes for all 12 months head over to 10 Reasons to Use National Day Themes for Easy Speech Therapy Planning.
*Free resource links listed here may change over time. Please check the original source for current availability and terms.
February National Days Week 3
(Month-long observances: Black History, American Heart)
Specific weekday observances: President's Day, 3rd Monday in February
Date | National Day Quick Links |
Feb 15 | |
Feb 16 | |
Feb 17 | |
Feb 18 | |
Feb 19 | |
Feb 20 | |
Feb 21 |
February 15:
🍬 National Gumdrop Day (February 15)
About: The origin of this sweet celebration is unclear, but it honors the colorful, chewy candy known as gumdrops.
Fun Facts:
Gumdrops were popular in the U.S. as early as the 1800s.
They come in a rainbow of colors and often have a sugar coating.
Brach's Candy holds the world record for largest gumdrop (in the traditional shape) at just over 10 pounds.
Articulation:
Gumdrop Sculptures: Build towers or shapes using toothpicks and gumdrops within an articulation activity as a playful way to obtain high repetition of practice. Check out Science Demo Guy's free Building a Gumdrop Tower resource for inspiration.
Gumdrop Hop: Rainbows and Reading (on Teachers Pay Teachers) created a free Numbers 1-20 Gumdrop Hop resource. Place the large images on the floor for whole body movement articulation activity. Students can hop from one gumdrop to another until you call "Gumdrop Stop". Whatever number they land on is the number of words to practice!
Language:
Following Gumdrop Directions: Use gumdrops to follow and give directions (e.g., “Put the red gumdrop next to the green one”).
Rhyming: Create rhyming words for "gum", "drop", "candy", and "sweet".
Gumdrop Words: Write the word "gumdrop" on a piece of paper. How many other words can your students create using the letters g-u-m-d-r-o-p ?
Concepts: Use real gumdrops to teach quantitative concepts such as more, most, less, least, altogether, many, all, and none as you move quantities of gumdrops into various bowls/cups.
Popular Children's Books:
The Gumdrop Tree - Written by Elizabeth Spurr and illustrated by Julia Gorton: When her father gives her a bag of colorful, sugary gumdrops to eat, a little girl decides to plant them instead 📖 [Check Local Library] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🦛 World Hippo Day (February 15)
About: A day to raise awareness and appreciation for the hippopotamus, one of the world’s largest land mammals.
Fun Facts:
Hippos can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes.
Despite their size, they can run up to 19 mph on land.
Hungry Hippos Articulation: Laren LaCour Haines has created this free Hungry Hippo Artic resource on Teachers Pay Teachers. Check it out for inspiration.
Adapted Book: Grab Hippo Builds a New Playground, an adapted, interactive book created by Core Connect AAC (Teachers Pay Teachers).
Following Directions: Use a small stuffed hippo and other animals to give and follow prepositional directions (e.g., put the hippo behind the chair, between the lion and giraffe, etc.).
Boom Cards: Unison Speech Therapy has created a free Feed the Hippo articulation game for "H, W, Y" on Boom Learning.
Popular Children's Books:
Hippos Go Berserk! – Written by Sandra Boynton: A fun counting book full of hippo chaos and rhymes. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Happy Hippo, Angry Duck – Written by Sandra Boynton: Clever animals exemplify a wide range of emotions in this story about different feelings. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
February 16:
💡 National Innovation Day (February 16)
About: This day celebrates new ideas, inventions, and creative problem-solving
Fun Fact:
Many common items like the Band-Aid, microwave, and Velcro were invented by accident.
Kids often have some of the most inventive ideas when asked to solve a problem.
Give them the Lead: Present articulation cards/pictures, dice, a spinner, paper, and markers to your students. Ask them to create a new articulation activity.
Category Naming: List tools, materials, or machines that could be used to create a new invention
Fix-It Challenges: Present a broken object (e.g., a torn shoe, a leaky umbrella) and have students describe how they’d invent a fix.
Recycled Invention Project: Use cardboard, tape, and recyclables to build a new invention and label its parts.
Popular Children's Books:
What Do You Do With an Idea? – Written by Kobi Yamada: A beautifully illustrated story about nurturing big ideas and seeing them through. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Most Magnificent Thing – Written by Ashley Spires: A story about persistence and creative thinking through invention. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
February 17:
💖 National Random Acts of Kindness Day
About: Established in 1995 by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in Denver, Colorado, this day promotes spontaneous acts of kindness to spread positivity.
Fun Fact: Studies show that witnessing kindness boosts your mood, even if you weren’t directly involved. (random: something happens or is chosen without a special plan or pattern.)
Kindness Bingo: Engage students with a bingo game that encourages various kind acts. View these free* resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Kindness Tree: Create a classroom tree where students add leaves describing acts of kindness they've performed or witnessed. View free* resources on TpT.
Kindness Jar: Create a Kindness Jar filled with 20 simple acts of kindness ideas for students to draw and discuss ways they would complete the act of kindness.
Popular Children's Books:
Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler Written by Margery Cuyler and illustrated by Sachiko Yashikawa: Mrs. Ruler encourages her students to perform acts of kindness, leading to a classroom celebration. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? Written by Carol McCLoud and illustrated by David Messing: This heartwarming book uses 'bucket filling' as a metaphor for kindness, encouraging children to perform daily acts of kindness to fill both others' and their own buckets.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
February 18:
👍 National Thumb Appreciation Day
About: While not widely recognized, this day celebrates the importance of thumbs in daily activities.
Fun Fact: The thumb is responsible for about 40% of hand function. Opposable thumbs are a key factor in human evolution, allowing for tool use. (opposable: capable of moving toward and touching the other digits on the same hand).
"Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" Opinions: Present silly scenarios (e.g., "Would you eat ice cream with ketchup?") and have students vote with a thumbs-up or down, then explain their reasoning using complete sentences.
Thumb-Related Verbs: Practice verbs by describing what they can do with their thumbs (e.g., press, grip, snap, hitchhike, paint).
Thumbprint Art: Students create art using their thumbprints, enhancing fine motor skills and creativity. View these free* thumbprint art resources on TpT.
Thumb Wrestling: Organize friendly thumb wrestling matches while practicing speech/language targets. Want them to create hypotheses about the outcome? View this free* Thumb Wars Experiment on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
Thumbs Up, Brown Bear Written by Michael Dahl and illustrated by Oriol Vidal: As Little Brown Bear grows older, he needs to learn to stop sucking his thumb. Although it's challenging, he discovers some enjoyable tricks to help him adapt. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Tom Thumb Written by Eric Carle: Part of a 4 part collection: A beautifully illustrated and simplified version suitable for preschool and early elementary students. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Real Aloud]
Hand, Hand Fingers Thumbs Written by Al Perkins and illustrated by Eric Gurney: This board book introduces early learners to hands, fingers, thumbs, and drums through musical monkeys. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
February 19:
🍫🌿 National Chocolate Mint Day (February 19)
About: National Chocolate Mint Day, recognized by the U.S. National Confectioners Association, celebrates the chocolate and mint flavor combination. This pairing dates back to the 16th century when Europeans added mint to chocolate beverages. It gained significant popularity in the 1940s with the creation of the York Peppermint Pattie.
Fun Fact: The Girl Scouts introduced Thin Mint cookies in 1951, which have become their best-selling cookie variety.
Taste, Test, Describe: Bring in mint chocolate treats (e.g., chocolate mint Kisses, Thin Mints, Andes mints, York Peppermint Patties, or mint chocolate chip cookies).
Would You Rather? - Mint Chocolate Edition: Ask fun questions like, "Would you rather eat mint chocolate chip ice cream or a Thin Mint cookie?", "Would you rather brush your teeth with chocolate-flavored toothpaste or mint-flavored toothpaste?", "Would you rather only eat chocolate or only eat mint for a whole day?", etc. View and download Would Your Rather? - Mint Chocolate Edition.
Word Challenge: See how many words your students can create from "Chocolate Mint Day". Table of words provided in the Chocolate Mint Day Word Challenge worksheet.
Chocolate Mint Articulation Trials: Use real or paper chocolate mint candies as tokens for articulation drill tasks.
Popular Children's Books:
Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory Written by Margret & H. A. Rey: Curious George explores a chocolate factory, leading to a series of adventures. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
If You Give a Mouse a Brownie Written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond: A mouse's request for a brownie leads to a chain of events, each connected to the next. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
February 20:
🛋️ National Comfy Day (February 20)
About: National Comfy Day was created to celebrate self-care, relaxation, and comfort, encouraging people to take a cozy break from their busy lives.
Fun Facts: Soft blankets can trigger the brain to release serotonin, boosting mood. Warm colors like yellow and orange can promote feelings of coziness.
Comfy Corner Story Time: Set up a cozy area with pillows and read-aloud books, then have students retell the stories.
Comfy Objects Scavenger Hunt: Place soft items around the room (e.g., stuffed animal, pillow, slippers, sleep mask, socks, sweater, soft bean bag, hot water bottle, heating pad, fleece scarf, hat or sweater). Take turns describing items to be found (e.g., it's soft and keeps you snug and warm on a cold night, you can hug this soft, plushy item).
Describing Activity: Place soft items in a bag individually. Ask students to reach into the bag, use descriptive words to identify what they feel, and attempt to guess the item. Once revealed, they can also describe the item's function.
Popular Children's Books:
Llama Llama Red Pajama Written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney: Mama Llama returns to comfort Baby Llama, explaining that she is always near even if she's not in the room. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Rabbit Listened Written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld: When something sad happens, Taylor feels lost. The animals in the story each suggest solutions. Then the rabbit arrives and simply listens, which is exactly what Taylor needs. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Too Purply Written by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Geneviève LeLoup: A little girl searches for the perfect outfit—not too scratchy, stiff, or tight—until she finds the most comfortable clothes for her. [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Froggy Gets Dressed Written by Jonathan London and illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz: Froggy wants to play in the snow, but he keeps forgetting different pieces of clothing. A fun book that introduces warm, comfy clothing choices for winter. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🐶 National Love Your Pet Day (February 20)
About: National Love Your Pet Day celebrates the joy pets bring to our lives. Its origins are unclear, but it gained popularity in the early 2000s through social media trends.
Fun Fact: About 67% of U.S. households own a pet.
Directed Drawing Activities: Use sequenced drawing cards within your speech and language activities to draw common pets. Watch this How to Draw Pets YouTube video or sign up for the Speech Hamster Newsletter to download the free printable Drawing Pets Articulation Practice Companion Activity.
Find My Pet Articulation Boom™ Cards: Browse these digital resources ($) OR subscribe to the Speech Hamster Newsletter and grab this freebie for 3 element clusters.
Resources on TpT: Check out these free* pet-themed resources for speech therapy.
Popular Children's Books:
Strictly No Elephants Written by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo:
This charming story highlights friendship and inclusion as a boy and his pet elephant create a space for everyone. It encourages discussions on feelings and community. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Some Pets Written by Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel: A lively rhyming book that introduces various types of pets, celebrating their uniqueness with vibrant illustrations. Great for building vocabulary and animal descriptions. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Harry the Dirty Dog Written by Gene Zion and illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham: A classic tale about a mischievous dog who gets so dirty his family doesn't recognize him. Perfect for sequencing activities and describing actions. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🧁 National Muffin Day (February 20)
About: National Muffin Day was started by Jacob Kaufman and Julia Levy to raise awareness for homelessness by donating muffins and raising funds.
Fun Fact: The first muffins were made in Wales, Great Britain in the 11th century. The word "muffin" probably comes from the French word "moufflet," which means soft bread.
Phonological Awareness: Ask students to say the sound that begins each of the following muffin-related words: muffin, bake, cinnamon, mix, dough, taste, cherry, cake, sugar, blueberries, flour, sweet, and crumbs. How many other muffin-related words can they add to the list?
Counting Syllables: Clap and count the syllables in these muffin-themed words: muffin (2), blueberry (3), chocolate (3), banana (3), strawberry (3), cinnamon (3), bakery (3), vanilla (3), pan (1)
Muffin Liner Matching: Download this National Muffin Day freebie on TpT. Cut out the images and glue them to the bottom of 12 muffin liners. Add to muffin tin. Take turns finding matches by turning over two liners. Encourage articulation practice by rolling a dice into each liner and practicing that number of words before turning them over.
Popular Children's Books:
If You Give a Moose a Muffin Written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond: If you give a moose a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it, which sets off a chain reaction of requests and activities. Eventually, he gets hungry again and remembers the muffin, bringing the story full circle.
📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
If You Give a Puffin a Muffin Written by Timothy Young:
When Puffin is given a muffin, he understands that he's part of another picture book and caught in a faulty rhyming scheme. Overwhelmed by his emotions, chaos erupts as he attempts to flee the storyline. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Muffin and Cupcake Written by Mimi Michaels and illustrated by Karen Hope Moss: A story celebrating differences: Muffin and Cupcake, friends since their batter days, grow to be different but share the same inner sweetness.
📖 [Amazon Link]
February 21:
🗨️ National Language Day (February 21)
About: Celebrated worldwide to honor linguistic diversity and promote multilingualism.
Fun Fact: Over 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide.
Word Sort: Write out words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) on sticky notes and have students sort them by parts of speech or by syllable count.
Build a Sentence Challenge: Provide word cards (nouns, verbs, adjectives) and have students create silly or meaningful sentences.
Mystery Word Bag: Place objects or pictures in a bag. Students pull one out and describe it using 3-5 clues before peers guess the word.
Popular Children's Books:
Alma and How She Got Her Name Written by Juana Martinez-Neal: A young girl named Alma believes her name is too long. Her father explains the significance of each part, connecting her to family history and helping her embrace her identity. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Word Collector Written and Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds: This story follows a boy who loves collecting words and discovering their beauty. When his collection spills, he realizes the power of sharing words and how they can inspire others. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Say Hello! Written by Rachel Isadora: This story follows a young girl named Carmelita as she walks through her diverse neighborhood, greeting people in different languages. Through her journey, she discovers the many ways people say "hello," celebrating cultural diversity and language. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Fueling February Fun with Week 3 Themes
Whether you spend the week talking about gumdrops, giving a thumbs-up for Thumb Appreciation Day, or enjoying a sweet start to the morning with Muffin Day, these are just some of the ways to fuel up the fun in speech therapy. The month may be flying by, but there’s still one more week of creative ideas to explore.
See More National Day Themes for February:
February National Days Week 1 (February 1 - 7)
February National Days Week 2 (February 8 - 14): coming soon
February National Days Week 4+ (February 22 - 28)
Quick Link to View All 12 Months: 10 Reasons to Use National Day Themes for Easy Speech Therapy Planning (each month's themes are noted at the end).
Hi! I'm Shannon, creator of Speech Hamster. If you have found the information in this blog post useful, there's more where that came from! Subscribe to the Speech Hamster Newsletter to gain access to the Free Resource Library; a hub containing a host of National Days downloadable resources and so much more!
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