Singapore celebrates National Day on 9 August each year. For schools and preschools, it is an opportunity for the student community to come together to remember this significant date that we share in common. If you are thinking about special ways to do just that, here are some National Day celebration ideas in schools that you can consider.
There are tons of good ideas for National Day celebrations here, so be sure to share this page along to others who may benefit from these ideas too.
National Day Celebration Ideas in Schools
Wear Red and White
Show your Singaporean colours. Get students to wear red and white clothes to school for the National Day celebrations.
Even if not completely red and white, how about a red top for the occasion.
Year-end Holiday Camps: Discover Fun and Exciting Camps for Kids; Book Early
Pet-filled Sunday: Have a Pawsome Party at Northshore Plaza on 3 Nov
Five stars and a crescent get extra credit!
Colour the Singapore Flag
You can download a free Singapore flag colouring page to colour in the national flag. The lead up to National Day is also a good time to share what the colours of the Singapore and the various symbols found on it stand for.
Get your free Singapore flag colouring page.
Community Singing of National Day Songs
No list of National Day celebration ideas in schools would be complete without the singing of National Day Songs.
Choose from National Day song classics like “We are Singapore” and “One People, One Nation, One Singapore” or more contemporary ones such as “Song for Singapore” and “Our Singapore”.
And, of course, there is everyone’s favourite, “Home”.
We have some of our favourite National Day songs with lyric sheets here.
Play Traditional Old School Games
Organise old school games for students to play.
It is a fun way to fire up the competitive spirit and get everyone excited about National Day. Bring back classics such as the Flag Eraser game and marbles.
Get a handy list of traditional old school games.
Dressing Up as Singaporean Icons
Invite everyone to dress up in Singaporean style – come as a Singapore Air stewardess, or a hawker uncle, a nosy auntie, a bus captain, a police officer or one of those Singaporean roles that are unique to our culture!
Cook up some Edible Singapore Crafts
Kids enjoy craft. They love to snack too. Why not combine their two pastimes into one fun bonding session to celebrate Singapore’s birthday? Find out how to make edible Singapore National Day crafts!
Decorate the Classroom
Get the students to decorate their classroom for National Day.
Set a theme for the decorations, for example, “Stars”, “Dreams”, or “Majulah”. To make it even more exciting, have a competition between classes for the best decorated classrooms.
Everyone loves snacks so let’s share them! Get everyone to bring their favourite traditional snacks. This is the best time to head to local stores to find the gems. Yes we are talking about gem biscuits, Murukku, Pola snacks, Wheel crackers and more.
Write a National Day Poem
In the weeks leading up to National Day, have students write a poem about what Singapore means to them.
This can be in the form of a haiku or limerick, or even a simple rhyme. The best poem has the honour of being read out to the school during the National Day celebrations.
Get some poetry prompts and ideas.
DIY National Day Parade
National day is always marked with a parade. Get the heads cracking and decide how to run this special edition of NDP in your own classroom or school!
One suggestion is to divide the class or classes into various segments of the parade, have those who will march, those who can make military vehicles or even Red Lion parachuters, and those who can perform a song or do a mass dance. Just remember to give the audience flags so they can participate as well!
Involve the Community
National Day is also a day to remember the Nation and community above self. Find a way to get the community involved in the celebrations.
For example, this could mean inviting a community group from the neighbourhood or the parents of students to join in the National Day celebrations. Alternatively, head out and bring some cheer to the community by leading a sing-a-long session of National Day songs.
National Day Outing
How about heading out to a favourite park or playground in Singapore for National Day? Iconic parks include Esplanade Park, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Fort Canning Park could be memorable outing spots. Plus the students can learn about the history of Singapore through tours and gallery explorations.
Interactive National Day Performances
As part of National Day celebration ideas in schools, it is common to have performances and skits that recount stories about Singapore. Get the students involved in the performances.
Even the normally passive audience can be engaged by giving them a role to play in the performance. As an example, if it is skit about Sang Nila Utama, get the audience to roar each time a lion appears.
Appreciate Singlit Together
Reading books by Singaporean authors is a literacy-boosting way of celebrating National Day. There are many wonderful books to choose from – book about the Invisible People by Ames Chen, one on third culture kids, there are also history-related ones, one on the Singapore River and nature-themed books to discover.
Setting up a book corner, sharing book reviews and getting the children to do a show-and-tell on Singlit titles might be a wonderful way to learn about Singapore through books.
Fun School-Wide Workout
Remember the Singapore workout? Mass exercise doesn’t have to come in the same cheesy formats. Have a school-wipe skipping workout, or do a k-pop dance inspired one. Play National Day songs and step along with the beat. National Day mass workouts is a great way to exercise with peers.
Plan a Singapore-themed Scavenger Hunt
How about a good old scavenger hunt? Place Singapore-themed items all around the school and see who can find them! You can either set some clues and give hints such as – A favourite Singapore dish from Hainan and place the item at the chicken rice stall.
School Community Art Project
How creating an art project collectively as a school? For example, make a huge paper cutout of Singapore’s geographical outline and get students to paste stickers, ala Yayoi Kusama obliteration-style, to decorate the cutout and create a unique artwork.
Celebrate National Day as One!
We hope that you found these National Day Celebration ideas in schools useful.
Have a Happy National Day, Singapore!
