What’s happening in October? 5 topical classroom ideas for primary schools
October is a brilliant month for bringing topical learning into the primary classroom. From exploring important stories from Black history and discovering the wonders of space to getting creative with drawing and embracing a little Halloween fun, there’s plenty to inspire your pupils.
We’ve picked five October events and celebrations to inspire classroom activities, plus a few more dates worth knowing about. Read on to find out more!
1. Celebrate Black History Month (October)
Black History Month is an opportunity to learn about the achievements, experiences and contributions of Black people throughout history.
For younger pupils, a story like Young, Gifted and Black could be a great starting point. Older pupils could investigate a historical Black figure, recognised globally or locally, and present what they discover in a fact file, timeline or piece of creative writing.
Busy Things idea: Take a look at our blog for some ideas that link to resources on Busy Things! We’ve got resources focusing on the Obamas and Mary Seacole, as well as a writing project specifically designed around a Black icon.
2. Make a mark for The Big Draw (October)
The Big Draw is the world’s largest celebration of drawing. This year’s theme is Make a Mark and is encouraging people to explore drawing as a process of creativity, experimentation and expression.
Why not challenge your pupils to make a mark without worrying about how good it is. Give them different materials and ask them to experiment with:
- Lines and patterns
- Shapes and textures
- Movement and gesture
- Different ways of making marks
- Drawing what they can see, rather than what they think something should look like
You could also challenge pupils to create a piece of artwork as a group where everyone contributes their own mark.
Busy Things idea: Check out our FREE Arts and Crafts topical pack for schools.
3. Explore the universe during World Space Week (4th–10th October)
World Space Week presents you with the perfect opportunity to get your pupils thinking big!
Start with a simple question: If you could visit anywhere, where would you go?
Pupils could research their chosen planet, find out what it would take to get there and design a mission to explore it.
You could also challenge them to become space detectives. Can they identify planets from clues? Are they able to put the planets in the correct order? Can they explain why Earth is special?
Busy Things idea: Take a look at our World Space Week blog. It includes space-based activities as well as our Space topical pack for schools.
4. Talk about mental health (10th October)
World Mental Health Day takes place on 10th October and provides an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health and encourage conversations about wellbeing.
With younger pupils, explore different emotions and discuss what helps us feel calm, happy, safe or supported. With older pupils, think about the things that contribute to positive wellbeing and create a class “things that help us” display.
Busy Things idea: Our Finding feelings poster is a great tool to help children identify different emotions and is a great springboard for discussions.
NOTE: The version shown here is full colour, but two print alternatives are also provided.
5. Become Halloween investigators (31st October)
Halloween is a great opportunity for a little fun but can also provide some surprisingly good learning opportunities too.
Where did our Halloween traditions come from?
Why do people carve pumpkins?
Why do we dress up?
Older pupils could investigate these traditions and then create their own spooky story.
For younger children, you could keep things simple with dress-up activities.
Busy Things idea: Search for Halloween-themed activities to add a little seasonal fun. There’s virtual dressing-up (see our Trick or troll activity above), online pumpkin carving (Jack O’Lanterns activity) and witch-based colouring-in templates too!
Also happening in October
There’s plenty more going on if you’re looking for a quick classroom idea.
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (3rd–4th October)
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are Jewish festivals that follow Sukkot. In the UK, Shemini Atzeret falls on 3rd October and Simchat Torah on 4th October in 2026 and are important occasions in the Jewish calendar.
Dyslexia Awareness Week (5th–11th October)
Dyslexia Awareness Week is another opportunity to think about how children learn and the different ways they can demonstrate what they know. Rather than focusing on what children find difficult, why not celebrate different strengths and encourage pupils to think about how they learn best?
Looking for more ideas for October?
These are just some of the events that could inspire learning this month. You could also explore Ada Lovelace Day on 13th October or investigate autumn and seasonal change.
Whatever you’re teaching, Busy Things has over 1,600 curriculum-linked games, activities and tools covering subjects including maths, English, science, history, geography, coding and art, including lots of resources linked to seasonal and calendar events.
Want to see what’s available? Try Busy Things free for 28 days and explore the platform at your own pace.