European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September and is organised by the Council of Europe and European Commission. There are lots of ways to get involved for people of all ages and specific competitions, resources and activities for schools. The European Day of Languages aims to:
- raise awareness of the wide variety of languages in Europe
- promote cultural heritage & linguistic diversity
- encourage people of all ages to learn languages
- promote translation, interpretation, other language-related professions.
Click here to find out more about European Day of Languages and the free resources available for everyone to have fun with languages – challenges, quizzes, competitions and other language activities, as well as posters, apps and booklets in multiple languages. These are for people of any age to get involved with, in schools, communities, groups and families. Read on for competitions, activities and resources for schools.
UK EDoL writing competition for schools (open until 11th October 2023)
The annual European Day of Languages writing competition run by Association of Language Learning North East and Network for Languages North East is open to learners of any language (other than English), in any key stage anywhere in the UK. This is a great opportunity to raise the profile of languages in schools and celebrate the diversity of languages and cultures.
The theme this year is ‘Treasure’ and full details, guidance and links to resources, as well as how to enter and where to send entries are provided in this document: European Day of Languages UK Schools Competition 2023
Entries must be submitted by 11th October. There are certificates for entries and prizes for winners at each Key Stage. The activity can be used as part of activities in schools.
Free British Council resources for schools
British Council resources can help teachers introduce, celebrate and promote language learning and can be used in assemblies, classroom, as a homework activity. Find out more by clicking on these links below: European Day of Languages (British Council); Lets talk about languages ; The Great Languages Challenge; Where will language take me?; Celebrate Speaking
Guess my language film quiz
Newcastle-based Success4All challenges schools, families and communities to identify the 20 languages spoken by young people in their home languages in their short youtube video and comment online (individuals) or email in responses (schools/groups) by 3rd October. Two lucky winners will receive a free language tutoring session worth £35. Click here for full details.
European Centre for Modern Languages free fun resources and activities
These are just some of the free resources you can download for your pupils or children that can be done in school, community or at home (click here for all activities)
- Languages in my classroom challenge (create a poster activity)
- European Day of Languages T-Shirt design competition
- Lara’s journey through Europe’s regional and minority languages (interactive booklet)
- Lara’s language journey across Europe (interactive booklet)
- Secret agent’s language challenges app 2023 (challenges with accompanying booklet)
- Are you a language detective online quiz
- Counting your way around Europe poster of numbers with interactive pronunciation
- Bake a cake recipe book
Language Advisor compilation of free resources and activities
Click here to see a range of games, posters, quizzes and classroom ideas
European language short and feature-length films available to stream
Into Films is providing a range of films to celebrate European Day of Languages. These are all available to stream with Into Film+. Films in French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, Welsh, and Scottish and Irish Gaelic. Click here to access the films.
Pearson Education resources
Tailor-made Pearson MFL resources for educators and schools. Available now on the Pearson website, they include:
- An interactive Pick and Mix PowerPoint packed with activities to help teachers celebrate language diversity. Stand-alone activities, homework prompts or group lessons, these quizzes and challenges present a whole world of engagement
- A downloadable teacher-authored PDF specially created to explore and celebrate the multicultural, multilingual nature of Europe. Featuring fascinating insights on France, Germany and Spain – plus unique classroom activities.
These resources are the latest instalment of Pearson’s #Morethanwords campaign, highlighting how important languages are for empowering communication, culture and connection – and to better equip all students for life and careers in a global setting.
SCILT ideas for classrooms and families
Scoltand’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT) has put together lots of ideas to support you in celebrating the European Day of Languages in your school. We have grouped them into primary and secondary ideas, as well as ideas for parents and families, and provided a suggested timeframe for each activity:
For more information on support for language teaching and learning in Newcastle schools, click here.