If you follow my page on Facebook, or make use of the Every Day Matters learning calendar, you'll see that some days have more than one special observance or celebration. However, 23rd April seems to have more special observances and celebrations than most. Here are just a few simple ideas to help you and your family mark these special occasions :)

April 23rd is St George's Day. He is the patron saint of England, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Portugal and Brazil. In Spain, he is the patron saint of Catalonia and Aragon. In Russia, he is the patron saint of Moscow. Can you help your children find these places on a globe or world map?
Listen to the legend of George and the Dragon at Storynory. 

23rd April is also Shakespeare Day. Not only because it is the anniversary of his death in 1616, it's possible that it's the date of his birth in 1564 too. He was a prolific writer whose work is still popular more than 400 years after his death. 

Why not watch an abridged, animated version of one of his plays or read one of his sonnets? 

UNESCO has declared 23rd April to be World Book and Copyright Day (this is celebrated at the beginning of March in the UK).  It's a day to celebrate the importance of reading. Every year, a different city is nominated to be the World Book capital, to carry on the work of World Book Day for the next 12 months. In 2025, this honour has been given to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. 

Why not read aloud a picture book set in another country to celebrate the global importance of books? Does your family have a favourite? I'd love to know, drop me a message on Facebook or by email :)

As if these three observances weren't enough, the UN has also declared April 23rd to be both English Language Day and Spanish Language Day. Can your children learn three new English words today to broaden your vocabulary? They can use a dictionary or thesaurus to help. 

Why not learn a few words of Spanish today? Can your family find Spanish words that tie in with the other reasons to celebrate April 23rd? A few suggestions are book, play, saint, country and celebrate. 

You can get a FREE monthly copy of the Every Day Matters learning calendar in the Picture Book Explorers Facebook group. If you'd rather get it sent directly to your inbox, subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of my Contact page.

Image credits:
St George and the Dragon

By Angel Lahoz from Fuenlabrada, Spain - Georgia Tiflis Tbilisi, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32540894

Shakespeare's Birthplace

By John - originally posted to Flickr as Stratford upon Avon, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3926496