National Day Themes in September - Week 4: Activities and Book Suggestions for Speech Therapy
- shannon | speech hamster
- Sep 19
- 17 min read
September 22 - 30
September is wrapping up, but the celebrations are still going strong. This week’s lineup of national days brings elephants, ice cream, checkers, and even punctuation into the spotlight ... each one an opportunity to keep speech and language goals playful and purposeful.
Welcome to National Days in September Week 4! From stomping through facts on Elephant Appreciation Day (September 22) to celebrating sweet treats on National Ice Cream Cone Day (September 22), this week has plenty of variety. Punctuation Day (September 24) makes grammar playful, while Comic Book Day (September 25) adds pow, zap, comic strip fun. Flip out on National Pancake Day (September 26) or wrap things up in cozy style on National Scarf Day (September 27). Rounding out the week, National Good Neighbor Day (September 28) and National Love People Day (September 30) highlight kindness, while National Chewing Gum Day (September 30) keeps things popping.
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 the fourth week in September. To avoid scrolling fatigue, use the quick links to view activity ideas and book suggestions for each theme.
View other weeks in September:
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.
September National Days Week 4
Date | National Day Quick Links |
September 22 | |
September 23 | |
September 24 | |
September 25 | |
September 26 | |
September 27 | |
September 28 | |
September 29 | |
September 30 | |
September 22
🐘 Elephant Appreciation Day (September 22)
About: Elephant Appreciation Day was created in 1996 by Wayne Hepburn, inspired by his fascination with elephants after receiving a paperweight shaped like one. The day celebrates these gentle giants and raises awareness about their conservation needs.
Fun Facts:
Elephants are the largest land animals in the world, with African elephants growing up to 13 feet tall.
An elephant’s trunk has more than 40,000 muscles and can lift objects as small as a peanut.
Elephants use low-frequency sounds, called infrasound, to communicate over long distances.
They are known for their strong memory and close family bonds.
Elephant Fact Hunt: Hide elephant facts (or picture clues) around the room. Each time a student finds one, they read it aloud or retell it in their own words. Explore free elephant facts resources on TpT.
Open Ended Coloring: Download this free open ended My Colorful Elephant coloring / color by code activity (Speech Hamster) and pair it with the ever popular Elmer the Elephant story (see Popular Children's Books below). Image is link for download.
Trunk Toss Challenge: Use paper tubes or rolled-up paper as “elephant trunks” and try tossing rings or beanbags onto them. Students earn a toss after practicing a word or answering a question.
Following Directions: Use different colors and/or sizes of elephants (e.g., toys, tokens, pictures) and have students follow multi-step directions. If you don't have pictures, you can use the images from Teacher of Superheroes free elephant color word matching file folder activity on TpT.
Make Your Own Elephant Ears: Students create quick paper elephant ear headbands and wear them during practice, then do a listening activity where they show how “good elephants are at listening.”
Elephant Craft: Check out Science and ELA's free 3D paper cup elephant craft on TpT. Use the cup for a "feed the elephant" type game or to toss "peanuts" into for an open ended activity.
Popular Children's Books:
Elmer the Elephant – Written and illustrated by David McKee: Elmer is a patchwork elephant who paints himself gray to look like the others, but soon realizes he misses being unique. His herd celebrates his colors with a special day to honor individuality. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Elephants Cannot Dance! – Written and illustrated by Mo Willems: Piggie encourages Gerald the elephant to dance, but Gerald insists he cannot until he finds his own unique way to move. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
Strictly No Elephants – Written by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo: A boy and his tiny elephant are excluded from a pet club, but they create a welcoming space where all animals belong. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
🍦 National Ice Cream Cone Day (September 22)
About: National Ice Cream Cone Day honors the tasty invention that made ice cream easier to hold and enjoy. The cone gained popularity in the United States at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, where vendors began serving scoops inside edible cones.
Fun Facts:
The average American eats about 23 pounds of ice cream each year.
The tallest ice cream cone on record was over 9 feet tall.
Waffle cones, sugar cones, and cake cones are the most common types.
It’s believed that ice cream cones were first made by rolling thin waffles.
Hole Punch Sprinkles: Grab Green Tea Speech Therapy’s free Ice Cream No Prep Craft (TpT) and use colorful hole punches to decorate ice cream cones while practicing speech and language targets. This resource comes with craft pages for vocalic “r”.
Pom Pom Ice Cream: Check out Mrs. Learning Bee’s Fine Motor Pom Pom Ice Cream activity to use as an open ended activity for any of your speech and language sessions.
Ice Cream Scoops: The Bilingual Classroom offers a free Build Your Own Ice Cream Cone Number Sequence Game (TpT). Use the numbers to represent how many target words to practice, how many items in a category to name, how many directions to follow, etc.
Ice Cream in a Bag: Use Rachel Lynette’s Ice Cream in a Baggie recipe resource (TpT) to engage your students in a yummy experiment. Then have them repeat back the sequence of directions before giving them the recipe card to take home.
Pronouns: The Type B SLP offers a free Ice Cream Language Game for Pronouns (TpT) that include differentiated sentence strips.
Comparatives / Superlatives: Teach Speech 365 has created a free I Scream For Comparatives and Superlatives resource (TpT) that includes stacking vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream scoops.
Category Challenge: Have students list items in the following categories: desserts, ice cream flavors, frozen items, things that are scooped, etc.
Boom Cards: Browse through these free Ice Cream Themed Boom Cards activities on Boom Learning.
Digital Escape Room: Solve different puzzles and problems to unlock the mystery of the missing ice cream using Sweet Integrations’ free Digital Escape Room: The Missing Ice Cream (TpT).
Popular Children's Books:
Should I Share My Ice Cream? – Written and illustrated by Mo Willems: Elephant Gerald gets a delicious cone but isn’t sure if he should share it with Piggie. This simple, expressive story gently explores decision-making and friendship. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Curious George and the Ice Cream Surprise – Written by Margret & H.A. Rey, illustrated by Mary O'Keefe Young: George tries to help the ice cream man on a hot day and (as usual) causes a little chaos. This story highlights problem-solving and kindness through playful misadventure. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Pete the Cat Screams for Ice Cream – Written by Kimberly and James Dean, illustrated by James Dean: Pete and his friends take a trip to the ice cream shop, where they learn to stay cool and work together when things get messy. This colorful story blends friendship, problem-solving, and a sweet treat into one fun adventure.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Ice Cream Summer – Written and illustrated by Peter Sís: A boy writes to his grandfather about his summer adventures, cleverly tying everything back to his love of ice cream. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
September 23
♟ National Checkers Day (September 23)
About: National Checkers Day was first declared in 1952 by President Richard Nixon to recognize the power of television in politics after his famous “Checkers speech.” The day now celebrates both the speech and the simple board game of checkers that shares the same name.
Fun Facts:
The game of checkers dates back more than 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia.
Checkers is called “draughts” in many countries outside the U.S.
A standard checkers board has 64 squares with 12 pieces per player.
The longest game of checkers recorded lasted over 40 hours.
Speech Checkers: Use a simple checkerboard, but to move a piece, students must say their word(s) or answer a question.
Red vs. Black Challenge: Assign each color square a category (like animals vs. foods) and students think of a word when they land there.
Giant Floor Checkers: Play with paper plate checkers on a grid taped to the floor for more movement.
Crown the King: When a piece gets crowned, students tell a short “kingly” sentence or story using their target words.
September 24
✏️ National Punctuation Day (September 24)
About: National Punctuation Day, created in 2004 by Jeff Rubin, highlights the importance of proper punctuation in writing. It’s a lighthearted reminder to appreciate commas, semicolons, and even the often-overlooked interrobang.
Fun Facts:
The question mark has been in use since the 8th century.
An exclamation point is sometimes called a “bang” in typesetting.
The interrobang (‽) combines a question mark and an exclamation point for expressing excitement and inquiry at the same time. It never caught on in formal writing.
Some sentences can completely change meaning with just a comma (e.g., Let's eat, Grandma vs. Let's eat Grandma).
Comma vs. No Comma: Review a set of sentences where removing a comma changes the meaning of each. Examples:
Let’s eat, Grandma.
I like cooking, my dog and friends.
Don’t push, Billy.
She loves painting, dinosaurs and books.
You’re the best, Mom.
His hobbies are baking, frogs and rocks.
We need to stop, Sam.
Read with Feeling: Read the same sentence with different punctuation marks to change the meaning.
Sentence Sort: Mix sentence strips with missing punctuation and have students decide where each belongs.
Punctuation Hunt: Search through books or posters in the room for as many punctuation marks as they can find.
Design Your Own Mark: Ask students to invent a brand-new punctuation mark (like the interrobang...see above). They draw it, name it, and explain how it changes a sentence.
Popular Children's Books:
The Day Punctuation came to Town – Written by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Sandie Sonke: A group of punctuation marks arrive in a town full of words, but at first no one knows what to do with them. As the story unfolds, the marks show how they bring order, clarity, and expression to writing, helping the town communicate better. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Punctuation Takes a Vacation – Written by Robin Pulver, illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed: When punctuation marks take a break, a classroom’s writing turns into chaos. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! Written by Lynne Truss and Illustrated by Bonnie Timmons: A fun look at punctuation, showing how tiny grammar changes can completely change a sentence! 📖 [Amazon Link]
September 25
📚 National Comic Book Day (September 25)
About: National Comic Book Day celebrates the art and storytelling of comic books, which first appeared in the 1930s and quickly became a beloved form of entertainment. Comics combine visuals and text, encouraging reading and imagination.
Fun Facts:
The first modern comic book, Famous Funnies, was published in 1933.
Superman, introduced in 1938, is considered the first superhero comic character.
Comic books were once sold for just 10 cents.
Japan produces more than 40% of the world’s comic books, known as manga.
Comic Panel Templates: Browse these free comic book templates on TpT.
Sequencing: Give students mixed-up panels to arrange into the correct order. Check out MissCarley's free 4-picture comic strip for story telling on TpT.
Speech Bubble Fill-In: Provide blank comic bubbles for students to write or say their own words inside.
Sound Effect Fun: List as many onomatopoeia words like “pow,” “bam,” and “zap” and add them to comic strips. Create sentences/stories to match the words. Here are some free onomatopoeia related activities on TpT.
Make a Mini Comic: Fold paper into a four-panel comic and let students illustrate their own short scene.
Popular Children's Books:
Dog Man – Written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey: A half-dog, half-man police hero saves the day while learning lessons about kindness and responsibility. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea – Written and illustrated by Ben Clanton: A cheerful narwhal and his skeptical friend jellyfish discover the joys of friendship in comic-style panels. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
September 26
🥞 National Pancake Day (September 26)
About: National Pancake Day celebrates the fluffy breakfast treat enjoyed in many cultures. Versions of pancakes have been eaten for thousands of years, from French crepes to Russian blinis.
Fun Facts:
Pancakes are one of the oldest foods in history, dating back over 30,000 years.
The world record for the largest pancake is over 49 feet in diameter.
In some cultures, Pancake Day is tied to Mardi Gras traditions before Lent.
Pancakes go by many names, including flapjacks, hotcakes, and griddlecakes.
Pancake Articulation: Use play dough to make pancake shapes (or paper plates or any circle shape). Have students use a spatula to flip the pancakes over as they practice their speech sound targets.
Compound Word Activities: pan-cake, cup-cake, milk-shake, foot-ball, note-book. Check out these free* compound word resources on TpT.
Stack the Pancakes – Build a pancake tower by adding paper pancakes after each turn.
Flip the Pancake – Toss beanbags or paper pancakes onto a plate after practice.
Pancake Toppings Bar – Add silly toppings to paper pancakes and describe the combinations.
Pancake Stories – Create a story about what happens if a pancake comes to life.
Recipe Sequencing – Sequence the steps for mixing and cooking pancakes.
Free Pancake Theme Activities: Check out the free* pancake resources on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
If You Give a Pig a Pancake – Written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond: This story takes readers on a fun journey through a pig's request that triggers a series of humorous events, teaching children about cause and effect. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Pancakes, Pancakes – Written and illustrated by Eric Carle: A story about a boy making pancakes, perfect for sequencing practice. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast – Written by Josh Funk, illustrated by Brendan Kearney: Two food friends race through the fridge to claim the last drop of syrup. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
September 27
🧣 National Scarf Day (September 27)
About: National Scarf Day began in 2017 by fashion brand Echo to honor the timeless scarf. Scarves are worn for warmth, decoration, and cultural expression in many parts of the world.
Fun Facts:
Scarves date back to Ancient Egypt, where Queen Nefertiti was said to wear one.
They have been used as fashion, military rank indicators, and religious garments.
The longest scarf ever knitted measured over 14 miles long.
Scarves can be made from wool, silk, cotton, and even recycled materials.
Articulation:
Speech Sprouts (TpT) offers a free Who Has a Scarf? activity for practicing /sk/ in sentences.
Make a paper scarf template where students decorate squares with target words or drawings, then tape them together to form a “speech scarf.”
Toss scarves in the air and say a target word before catching them.
Scarf Simon Says: Practice following directions by using directional cues such as wave your scarf up, twirl it around, or put it under your chair.
Scarf Stories: Ask students to make up a story about a magical scarf that does something special, like flying or changing colors.
Guess the Object: Hide an object under a scarf and give clues until students guess it.
Sentence Scarves: Check out Nicole Allison's free sentence scarves activity on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf – Written by Alana Dakos, illustrated by Neesha Hudson: Annie wants to learn how to knit a scarf like her mother, but her mistakes leave holes that look like Swiss cheese. With patience and practice, Annie discovers the joy of learning something new, even when it isn’t perfect. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
A Scarf and a Half – Written by Amanda Brandon, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri: Little Lamb’s grandma knits him a scarf that turns out much too long, stretching and tangling all over the farm. With some creativity and teamwork, the animals find fun and useful ways to make the extra-long scarf work. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Extra Yarn – Written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen: A girl spreads joy in her town with an endless box of yarn. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
September 28
🏡 National Good Neighbor Day (September 28)
About: National Good Neighbor Day was first proclaimed in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. The day promotes kindness, helpfulness, and friendship among people living in the same community.
Fun Facts:
The original date for Good Neighbor Day was the fourth Sunday of September before it was set to September 28.
Good neighbors are often celebrated for acts like helping with yard work or sharing food.
The day highlights the idea that even small gestures can build strong communities.
Neighborhood block parties are a common way to celebrate.
Neighborhood Words: Have students create a list of words they can make from the word N-E-I-G-H-B-O-R or N-E-I-G-H-B-O-R-H-O-O-D.
Good Neighbor Role-Play: List or act out simple neighborly scenes, like helping rake leaves or borrowing sugar. Use the book suggestions below to explore scenes.
Coloring Pages: Grab Christy Cabe's free Love Your Neighbor Coloring Pages (Teachers Pay Teachers) supporting SEL and character education.
Poetry Connection: Check out Elementary Approved's free Good Neighbor Day read aloud resources on TpT.
Kindness Coupons: Make small cards with kind actions students can “give” to others.
Popular Children's Books:
All Are Neighbors – Written by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman: As a diverse group of children explore their neighborhood, they discover new shops, meet new families, and celebrate traditions. The story highlights inclusion and the idea that communities grow stronger when everyone belongs. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Good Morning Neighbor – Written by Davide Cali, illustrated by Maria Dek: A little mouse asks a series of neighbors for help with baking a cake, and each animal adds a new ingredient. By the end, the whole community has worked together, showing how neighbors can cooperate and share. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Thank You, Neighbor – Written and illustrated by Ruth Chan: A child and their dog walk through the neighborhood, greeting and thanking the people they meet along the way. The story shows how small words of gratitude can strengthen connections and brighten a community. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Come With Me – Written by Holly M. McGhee, illustrated by Pascal Lemaître: A child learns how small, compassionate actions can create a safer world. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
September 29
☕ National Coffee Day (September 29)
About: National Coffee Day celebrates the globally loved beverage that began in Ethiopia centuries ago. Today, coffee is one of the most traded commodities worldwide and a morning ritual for millions.
Fun Facts:
Legend says an Ethiopian goat herder discovered coffee after noticing his goats became energetic from eating the beans.
Coffee beans are actually the seeds of berries.
Finland consumes more coffee per person than any other country.
Espresso has less caffeine per ounce than regular brewed coffee.
Coffee Bean Hunt: Hide “beans” (small brown tokens) under one of 5 paper coffee cups. Students practice speech/language targets while searching under cups to find the beans.
Coffee Cup Tower: Stack paper cups as students take turns practicing speech/language targets.
Design Your Own Coffee Cup: Use Miss VividVision's free coffee cup template (TpT) for students to design their own coffee cup. Have them invent their own coffee drink and describe the flavors or ingredients that would go in it.
Morning Routine Stories: Talk about what people do to get ready in the morning.
September 30
🍬 National Chewing Gum Day (September 30)
About: National Chewing Gum Day celebrates the chewy treat that has been around since ancient times. Modern chewing gum was first produced in the U.S. in the 1800s and has been a favorite pastime ever since.
Fun Facts:
Ancient Greeks chewed resin from the mastic tree.
The first commercial chewing gum brand in the U.S. was “State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum.”
Walter Diemer accidentally invented bubble gum in 1928 while working at a candy factory.
The largest bubble gum bubble ever blown measured 20 inches across.
Boom Cards:
Check out The Caribbean Teacher's Free Pop the Bubble Gum for "s" blends.
My Fill the Gumball Machine activities are a fun way to get those articulation trials in. Try out this free deck for /n/ or preview the full bundle.
Boom™ Cards for articulation on Boom Learning
Playdough Gumball Smash Mat: Have students roll out playdough "gumballs" or "gum bubbles" after completing speech/language targets. Once finished they can smash or pop their gumballs/bubbles.
Gum Stretch Race: Use Thinking Putty as pretend stretchy gum, pulling it as students repeat words. How far can you stretch it before it breaks?
Bubblegum Categories: Using colored pom poms or cut out circles as "gumballs" placed in a bag, assign a category for each color. Students pick a circle from the bag and name an item in that category. They can place the circles inside a picture of a gumball machine. Use the gumball machine from Panda Speech's free Pom Pom and Fingerprints Fine Motor Fun activity on TpT.
Bubblegum Machine Craft: Create a paper gumball machine using simple shapes cut from construction paper (or paper plates) and add paper gum balls with target words on them.
Free Resources on TpT:
Browse through these free gumball themed speech therapy resources.
Check out these National Chewing Gum Day freebies on TpT
A Little Sprouts Garden has this free Gumball Uppercase and Lowercase sorting game that could be used for phonological awareness activities.
Popular Children's Books:
Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum – Written by Meghan McCarthy, illustrated by Meghan McCarthy: The story of Walter Diemer and his chewy pink invention. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
On Account of the Gum – Written by Adam Rex, illustrated by Adam Rex: A child wakes up with gum stuck in their hair, and each silly attempt by family and friends to remove it only makes things worse. The story builds into a chaotic, funny mess that shows how small problems can spiral out of control. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
💞 National Love People Day (September 30)
About: National Love People Day was founded in 2017 by Lifeline Church in Chicago to encourage unconditional love and kindness. The day promotes compassion toward family, friends, and strangers alike.
Fun Facts:
The day emphasizes love without conditions or expectations.
Many communities celebrate with volunteer projects and service events.
It highlights the belief that kindness and acceptance strengthen relationships.
The day’s theme is often expressed through sharing stories, cards, or small acts of generosity.
Kindness Chain: Have students write out acts of kindness they have observed onto paper strips. Then interlock the strips together to form a chain of kindness.
Pass the Kindness: Pass around a stuffed heart or plush toy, and whoever holds it shares something kind they can do for someone else that day.
Sequencing: Sequence the steps for writing a thank-you card or doing a kind act such as helping a friend who dropped books.
Rhyming: create a list of words that rhyme with "kind", "love", "friend", "care"
Kindness Stories:
Ask students to tell a short story about a time they felt loved or helped.
Create stories using prompts like imagine you are a kindness superhero—what is your first adventure?
Heart Craft:
Make “kindness coupons” where students write or draw simple kind actions and then share them.
Create a collaborative Love People poster with each student adding a heart that says one kind word or action.
Popular Children's Books:
When I’m Feeling Kind – Written and illustrated by Trace Moroney: This story explores what it means to be kind through simple examples, like helping others, sharing, and saying nice words. It shows how kindness makes both the giver and receiver feel happy inside. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Love – Written by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Loren Long: A poetic exploration of how love appears in everyday life. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Hug Machine – Written by Scott Campbell, illustrated by Scott Campbell: A boy who loves hugging shares his affection with everyone and everything. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
Get Ready for October: Pumpkins, Pets and More Playful Themes
September Week 4 finishes the month with imagination, community, and a dash of sweetness. Whether you’re talking elephants, flipping pancakes, or sharing neighborly kindness, these themes give you plenty of ways to engage in speech and language fun. Stay tuned for October’s national days, where pumpkins, pets, and playful themes take center stage.
See More National Day Themes for September:
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!
Portions of this blog post were drafted with AI prompt assistance then reviewed and edited by me.
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