Ways to Acknowledge International Women’s Day with Kids

March 2, 2022

International Women’s Day is on March 8, and it’s a great opportunity to talk to your kids about the importance of equality and the historical fight for women’s rights.

If you think this topic is too complicated, we’ve compiled some helpful, age-appropriate suggestions so you can explain why IWD matters and how to celebrate it.

Introducing International Women’s Day with Kids

Start with the History

International Women’s Day has been celebrated on March 8 since 1911 when many women were fighting for the right to vote. Manitoba was the first Canadian province to give some women the right to vote in 1916. The fight for voting rights is closely tied to what is known as the women’s suffrage movement, which sought to address the inequality and injustice women were facing. In 1975 the United Nations started sponsoring International Women’s Day. The theme in 2022 is: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.

Choose an Issue to Explore

Use a particular issue such as education, health care, or employment to help kids understand what gender inequality is and why it matters. Our kids may not know that globally, women earn 23% less than men, or that an estimated 12 million girls around the world are forced to marry before they turn 18, or that girls in many countries face almost insurmountable barriers to education, especially if they are disabled.

Point to Famous Examples

There are many women we can point to, both from a modern and historical perspective, who’ve changed the world through their fight for equality; women like Frida Kahlo, Florence Nightingale, Margaret Sanger, Rosa Parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sally Ride, and Malala Yousafzai who refused to abide by the status quo and led the way for those who came after them.

10 Ways to Acknowledge International Women’s Day with Kids

Read a book…

We love these Books for Women’s History Month – a list of 10 children’s books that celebrate women’s accomplishments throughout history.

Make a craft…

Check out these easy and adorable construction paper flowers!

Give something you’ve bought or made to an important woman in your life…

Whether it’s a craft, cookies, a card, or something quirkier, on March 8 tell your neighbour, coach, teacher, or any important woman in your life how she inspires you.

Make gingerbread girls…

Get the cookie-cutter here.

Help your daughter find her voice…

Journals can encourage positivity and self-expression, like this Just Between Us mom-and-me, no-rules diary for tween girls, or the Confidence Code for Girls journal.

Find girl power on screen…

Tune in to a show with a strong female lead, like Anne with an e, or Project Mc2 on Netflix. Or Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Mulan on Disney+.

Colour!

Download these printable colouring sheets with a variety of themes and images, or these templates that will encourage kids to draw their favourite women in history.

Support a movement…

Take Plan International’s Girls Get Equal pledge or make a donation to the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Tireless campaign to support the pursuit of gender equality.

Cheer on a female athlete…

Attend a girl’s or women’s sporting event in your area and check out She Is, an organization using the power of sport to create a future of, by, and for strong women.