In a primary school
Since 2001 and the European Year of Languages, schools across
the UK have been organising events to join in the celebrations on
26 September. Here are some ideas for activities in the
classroom or in assembly:
In a secondary school
Some successful activities in schools have included fashion
shows, competitions and singing contests. Here are some more
ideas:
- Hold an international food market
- Offer language taster sessions at lunchtime
- Invite local speakers to share positive stories about
languages
- Hold a fashion show with Spanish commentary
- Organise an international sports day for the whole school
- Perform a play in French
- Host a multilingual student karaoke
- Display EDL materials in foyers, common rooms and
corridors
- Create a student newspaper with articles in foreign
languages
- Invite students and staff to a multilingual conference
We've also a huge range of activities and resources for you
to use on our Languages
Work website, designed to show young people the advantage
language skills can bring later in life.
At college or university
College and university students, full-time or part-time,
specialist or non-specialists, can all show off their language
skills on 26 September. Involve other departments and subjects to
get as many students as possible doing something on the day. Here
are some suggestions to start you off, but be as creative as you
like!
- Organise a poetry reading in Italian
- Offer language taster sessions
- Invite ex-students to share positive stories about languages
- Hold an exhibition with Chinese commentary
- Organise an international sports tournament
- Promote work and study placements in foreign countries
- Welcome international students and find them a local
'buddy'
- Invite students and staff to a language and culture quiz
night
- Enjoy a multilingual pub crawl
- Display EDL materials in foyers, common rooms and
corridors
At work
Whatever your job, why not organise something to get tongues
wagging at work? 75% of adults in the UK think it's good to speak
another language;many of your colleagues/staff want to learn
another language but have never got round to it. The European Day
of Languages is a great time for setting language goals. These are
some ideas of how to celebrate on the day:
- Plan an Italian coffee morning or German breakfast
- Enjoy lunchtime salsa in Spanish
- Invite an expert to run a language and culture workshop
- Organise a European quiz with tapas
- Answer the phone in different languages
- Have a staff meal in Greek
- Investigate opportunities for international work
placements
- Organise an away day focusing on multicultural issues
- Send an e-mail greeting to your customers in their own
language
- Learn key words and phrases in British Sign Language
At home or in the community
Whether it's parents learning
alongside their children, couples or flatmates signing up for
classes together, internationally themed parties or coffee mornings
there are many ways to make EDL special in your home and community.
Ideas include:
- Making your shopping list in Russian
- Inviting friends round for a Bollywood night
- Playing scrabble in German
- Listening to a foreign-language radio programme
- Organising an international film night
- Reading a book or magazine in another language
- Teaching a friend a language
- Learning to say hello to your neighbour in their language
- Learning some fun holiday
phrases
- Sign up to a local language course
Don’t forget to email us if you come up with something
new, so that we can publicise it on this website. And remember to
register your event on the events calendar, where
you'll find a whole range of ideas from which to draw
inspiration.