May Special Days Calendar: Holidays & Celebrations in May 2025
Use this printable Celebrations Around the World Calendar for May in your classroom to learn more about the holidays and celebrations of countries and cultures from all over the world.
This collection of special celebration for May (download instructions included below) includes 35 diverse holidays including cultural festivals, religious festivals, international days that raise awareness of social and environmental issues, and even a few just-for-fun days. Each celebration is listed with the actual holiday date for 2025.
May Special Days for Educators
See instructions below to have the entire Special Days calendar for 2025 complete with activity links delivered directly to your inbox.
World Special Days in May with Suggested Activity Links
May 1: Vappu (Finland) • Mother Goose Day: Enjoy a nursery rhyme or three from our collection of Themed Nursery Rhymes lyrics.
May 2: Harry Potter Day
May 3: Free Comic Book Day: Check out this list of thirty great Comic Books for Kids • Wild Koala Day: We’ve got lots of koala-spiration in our list of Books About Australian Animals.
May 4: World Laughter Day: Make your students laugh with titles from this list of Funny Books for Kids • Star Wars Day: May the Force be with you as you enjoy our Star Wars Matching Game, Star Wars Lego Mosaics and Star Wars Books for kids!
May 5: Cinco de Mayo (Mexico) • Kodomo No Hi (Japan): Find out more about Japan’s Children’s Day with this video by The Japan Society and have a look at our colorful DIY koinobori from a recycled plastic bottle.
May 6: World Kids Coloring Day: Try out these Mindful Coloring Pages • World Asthma Day: Find out more at Global Initiative for Asthma
May 8: VE Day (Europe) • Outdoor Classroom Day: Celebrate with a fun activity from this big list of 50 ideas for outdoor play and learning.
May 9: Peter Pan Day
May 11: Mother’s Day (USA/Australia & others): Find inspiration for DIY gifts and cards for students to make in my collection of Mother’s Day Activities.
May 12: International Nurses Day: Find out more via International Council of Nurses • Vesak (Buddhist): Learn more about Vesak with this great video from behind the News
May 14: Dance Like a Chicken Day
May 15: International Day of Families: Here are 35 Books About Families for use on this important special day.
May 16: International Day of Light: Explore light with this collection of Light Themed Learning Activities and my All About Light Writing Prompts • Endangered Species Day
May 18: World Baking Day: Sweetheart Jam Drops are perfect for baking with kids of all ages • International Museum Day
May 20: World Bee Day: Check out these Kids Bee Activities • World Metrology Day: VSL National Metrology Institute shows us why metrology is so important;
May 21: Cultural Diversity Day
May 22: Sherlock Holmes Day
May 23: World Turtle Day
May 24: Scavenger Hunt Day: A very fun holiday and I have a collection of Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas that is sure to keep you busy!
May 25: Tap Dance Day • Africa Day (Africa)
May 26: World Dracula Day • Paper Airplane Day
May 28: International Burger Day
May 31: World Parrot Day • Dragon Boat Festival (Asia): Learn more about the history of the Dragon Boat Festival with Little Chinese Learners;
Seasonal Learning Activities
Spring activities for those in the northern hemisphere:
Autumn activities for those in the southern hemisphere:
RELATED: Looking for holidays to celebrate with students in other months of 2025? Check out our lists for January Holidays, February Celebrations, March Special Days. and April Special Days.
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2025 Holidays & Celebrations Calendar
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