National Pyjama Day – a day to be celebrated by all

National Pyjama Day is a day that is always thought of and met with great enthusiasm and excitement. Not only by the children, but by staff and often parents/guardians as well. Pyjama Day also presents a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the chosen charity partner among staff, children, families, and the wider community. The children, through their engagement in the planning process and the day’s activities, learn about giving and helping others. It also fosters opportunities to work in partnership with parents and the surrounding community. This is how we approached PJ Day in the setting I managed.

Preparation

During our preparation stages, information regarding the event was communicated with children, parents/guardians, and grandparents. This occurred both in person and through our newsletters, Facebook page and messaging service. We welcomed and encouraged ideas for celebrating the day’s event from both children and their families. We also shared the event details on our multimedia platforms including (where possible) a donation link encouraging others in our community to join in on the day and to celebrate in their own preferred way. At staff meetings we discussed and planned for the day, collating all the ideas received from staff, children (including our school age children), and parents.

The pack!!!!! What can I say?!?! Although you always knew what to expect, when it finally arrived it was instantly ripped open to see all the resources inside and to share them with both staff and children. The arrival of the pack often reignited our excitement and enthusiasm for the day of celebrations to come! And having the option of a downloadable pack this year makes Pyjama Day environmentally-friendly too.

Involving school age children

In the past, pre-pandemic, we setup a self-service breakfast area for our parents/guardians and grandparents in our reception area. This provided a welcome opportunity for family members to stop, chat and connect. It also presented a wonderful opportunity for our new families to make connections with some of our existing families, while also building on and strengthening their sense of belonging, improving community spirit.

Through thoughtful conversation and guidance by our School Age Care team, the school age children were given opportunities to discuss and chat about National Pyjama Day,  it’s meaning and the charity partner. Ideas and conversations were charted on our spider web planning sheet as the activities and ideas were collaboratively mapped out by the children and staff.

There was always a great buzz in the air as staff were as excited about the day’s events as the children were. On the evening before the shopping lists were ticked off, rooms decorated, breakfast tables set, all by the children in anticipation of the morning and day of fun to come!

On the day

When the morning finally arrived, staff and children came bouncing into the service in their PJs. Throughout the centre, children and staff alike were busy making cereals, decorating pancakes with their favourite toppings, and enjoying hot toast on a cold winter’s morning! The children while dressed in their pyjamas especially enjoyed stories on the blankets, teddy bear breakfast party, and party games and dance.

While attending in their pyjamas is not always possible for our school age children, we made sure there was an array of materials, clothing, and costumes available for them to explore and create with. Last year they enjoyed a breakfast bonanza before school. The children rose early in anticipation of the breakfast event, foregoing breakfast at home for pancakes and toast in our morning club. That afternoon, we were reminded that it was still National Pyjama Day, so out came the pancakes and toppings!! The school age children, supported by the School Age Care team, enjoyed an afternoon of ‘breakfast themed’ snacks!

Getting creative

National Pyjama Day over the years invariably lead to some interesting and creative pieces of work including artwork, displays and posters. Our School Age Care leader had a notable talent for creative art and design. Her enthusiasm and passion for imaginative and creative art activities always inspired and captured the creative curiosities of our school age children. They enjoyed creating and designing their own PJs, including utilising a box of resources we received from ReCreate in the process. The children also thoroughly enjoyed designing and creating decorations, posters and displays for the day’s events.

In the afternoon time, the children enjoyed fun co-operative games often adopted to incorporate the pyjama theme with activities such as tag, relay games, obstacles courses and parachute fun! Beanbags and books were also a popular chill time, the children would often sit back and relax while exploring various books of interest, including the book received through our National Pyjama Day pack. We also availed of the opportunity to expand our library area through our local library bus that visited monthly.

National Pyjama Day is always a wonderful day enjoyed by all and I would highly recommend and encourage everyone to become involved in this fun-filled, worthy fundraising event.