World Peace Day or the International Day of Peace is recognized on the 21st of September every year. It’s a day when countries often cease-fire and are prompted to consider a world without war. It’s an important time to teach children about the concepts of peace and why it’s especially important in the world we live in today. The following 10 peace-central activities will help you deliver this topic in a range of unique ways to varying groups of students.
1. Peace Rocks
A simple but powerful way to spread a positive message of peace. This activity is inspired by ‘Peace Rocks’ whose goal is to spread 1 million peace rocks around the world. In your classroom setting, students can paint their own and create a peaceful garden or similar area.
2. Peace Coloring
A calm and relaxing activity that’s suitable for all ages- use peace day symbol coloring pages to discuss the images of peace and why we use them. You could even use different mediums to color; from pastels to felt tips to watercolor paints. There are a wide variety of different choices with varying peace symbol templates to choose from here.
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3. A Promise of Peace Dove
This activity takes very little prep time but carries an important message. Have a template or outline of a dove and each child in your class will make a ‘promise of peace’ with a colored thumbprint to decorate the dove.
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4. What does peace look like?
Another activity that requires little prep time and will have a range of results depending on your learners. Peace can be a tricky concept to explain and the emotions and feelings associated with it are sometimes best expressed through artwork. With this activity, students can draw what peace means to them, find definitions of peace, and talk about their differences with their classmates.
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5. Handprint Art
To suit pre-schoolers and kindergarteners, this art activity will introduce the symbols associated with peace. Using a white handprint the students can turn it into a simple dove and then add fingerprint leaves.
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6. Make a Peace Pledge
Using this template or a similar one, encourage your learners to think of a promise linked to peace and write it on their dove. These can then be cut out and made into 3D décor pieces. They would look great hung as a mobile and displayed somewhere in the school community to promote discussions about peace.
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7. Peace Artwork
Have your learners decorate a peace sign with watercolor paints or markers and write what peace means around the edges. These would make excellent peace symbol decorations for classroom displays.
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8. Peace Mala Bracelet
This peace project uses a rainbow-patterned bracelet as a symbol of peace, friendship, and respect for people of all cultures, faiths, and beliefs. Simply gather a rainbow of beads and some stretchy sting to get crafting!
Learn More: Peace Mala
9. Paper Plate Peace Doves
This is a great activity using simple paper plates and pipe cleaners. Templates are available for easy prep, or learners could have a go at sketching out the doves themselves.
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10. Peace Day Poems
To encourage a peace-focused creative writing activity, ask your learners to have a go at writing a peace poem. These can be in the form of a simple acrostic for learners that may need a little more support or can be free-flowing for more advanced learners.
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