How to Celebrate Bonfire Night in Early Years by Hayley Winter

Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night, is a brilliant opportunity to spark curiosity, creativity, and conversation in Early Years settings. With its colourful fireworks, roaring bonfires, and stories from the past, it offers a rich sensory and cultural experience that can be explored in fun and meaningful ways.

Invite a Firefighter for Firework Safety

A visit from a local firefighter can be a powerful and memorable way to teach children about fire safety during Bonfire Night. Firefighters can talk about how to stay safe around fireworks, bonfires, and sparklers using simple, age-appropriate language. Children can ask questions, try on safety gear, and even sit in a fire engine if the visit allows. This kind of real-world experience not only enhances understanding but also builds trust and familiarity with community helpers.

To follow up, you could set up a role-play area with dressing-up clothes, helmets, and walkie-talkies, allowing children to act out what they’ve learned and develop language and social skills.

Creative Bonfire Night Craft Ideas

Using TTS resources, you can plan engaging and age-appropriate activities that support all areas of learning, while also helping children understand the importance of staying safe. Here are some ideas to get you inspired for Bonfire Night:

Firework Painting with Pipettes

Use pipettes and watered down paint to create explosive firework art. Drip or flick the colours onto black sugar paper for dramatic effect. This supports fine motor development and creative expression, and the visual contrast helps children explore colour mixing and mark-making.

Bonfire Small World Play

Set up a Bonfire Night-themed small world tray using wooden figures, LEDs, leaves, twigs, and pretend marshmallows on sticks. Encourage storytelling, role play, and language development as children act out their own Bonfire Night scenes.

Firework Sensory Bottles

Create calming, sparkly firework sensory bottles. Add glitter, sequins, coloured water, and oil to make swirling firework-themed bottles. These can be used for self-regulation and sensory exploration during busy times.

Sound and Light Exploration

Use torches and a light panel to mimic firework lights in a darkened room. Pair this with sound buttons for a multisensory experience. Encourage children to describe what they hear and see, supporting language and understanding of the world.

Make a Firework Rocket

Using craft supplies such as coloured card, glitter, foil, and tubes, children can create their own firework rockets. Add some counting and measuring by including number labels or using rulers to compare lengths – great for developing maths skills through play.

Suggested Picture Books

Storytime is another lovely way to explore Bonfire Night. Here are a few picture books that link beautifully with the theme:

• Remember, Remember the Fifth of November by Deborah Webb – a gentle introduction to the historical background.
• Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood – not about Bonfire Night specifically, but a beautiful book to explore colour and light.
• Meg and Mog: Meg’s Veg by Helen Nicoll – a fun story with magical elements that can link to the excitement of fireworks.

Celebrating Bonfire Night in Early Years is about more than just bright lights and bangs. It’s a chance to teach children about history, safety, seasons, and self-expression in creative and meaningful ways. With a blend of hands-on TTS resources, real-life visitors, and engaging storytelling, you can light up learning in a way that’s safe, exciting, and developmentally appropriate.