Bastille Day Provocations for Early Childhood
- The Educators' Domain
- Jul 9
- 9 min read
Bastille Day is celebrated in France each year on 14 July. In early childhood settings, it can be introduced in a simple and respectful way through play-based experiences that explore culture, colour, celebration, music and community.
Including Bastille Day in your program can help children begin to notice that people around the world celebrate different events and traditions. It supports children’s curiosity, belonging and respect for diversity in an age-appropriate way.
EYLF V2.0 Links:
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world.
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.
NQS Links:
QA1 – Educational program and practice
Element 1.1.1: Approved learning framework
Element 1.1.2: Child-centred
Element 1.2.2: Responsive teaching and scaffolding
QA6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
Red, White and Blue Celebration Slime
Materials/Ingredients:
• 1 cup cornflour
• ½ cup water, added slowly
• Red and blue food colouring
• 3 bowls or trays
• Spoons, scoops and small containers
• Optional: glitter, stars or laminated French flag images
Instructions:
Place cornflour into three separate bowls. Leave one bowl white, add red colouring to one bowl and blue colouring to the other. Slowly add water to each bowl until the mixture becomes thick, gooey and moveable. Invite children to squeeze, scoop, drip, stir and mix the colours together.
Toddlers can explore the changing texture with their hands, while older children can swirl the colours, make patterns, fill containers, or create their own “celebration mixture”.
Link to Bastille Day:
This experience introduces children to the colours of the French flag through hands-on sensory play. It supports children to explore colour, texture, movement and cause and effect while beginning to make simple connections to French culture and celebration.
French Flag Rice Scoop and Pour
Materials/Ingredients:
• Dry rice
• Red and blue food colouring
• White rice left plain
• Zip lock bags or bowls for colouring rice
• Large tray
• Scoops, funnels, cups and small jugs
• Small French flags or Eiffel Tower cut-outs
Instructions:
Colour one batch of rice red and one batch blue, leaving one batch white. Once dry, place the three colours into a large tray in sections or stripes. Add scoops, cups, funnels and small containers for pouring and transferring.
Invite children to scoop, tip, sprinkle, fill and empty the rice. Older children may enjoy creating flag patterns, sorting colours or making pretend fireworks by sprinkling rice into trays.
Link to Bastille Day:
This sensory experience helps children explore the red, white and blue colours connected to Bastille Day and the French flag. It supports fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, colour recognition and early cultural awareness through play.
Have a look at our FREE Bastille Day pack! Includes Banner, Fact sheet and Learning Stories!
Eiffel Tower Foil and Block Building
Materials/Ingredients:
• Wooden blocks, magnetic tiles or cardboard tubes
• Aluminium foil
• Blue, white and red loose parts
• Small trays
• Pictures of the Eiffel Tower
• Optional: mirrors or shiny paper
Instructions:
Wrap some blocks, tubes or loose parts in aluminium foil to create shiny building materials. Place images of the Eiffel Tower nearby for children to look at while they build, stack and balance.
Children can explore height, shape, reflection and structure as they create their own towers. Babies and toddlers may enjoy touching and scrunching foil, while older children can experiment with building taller structures.
Link to Bastille Day:
The Eiffel Tower is a well-known symbol of France. This activity allows children to explore French culture through construction, texture, reflection and problem-solving. It supports creativity, early engineering skills, sensory exploration and conversations about places around the world.
French Bakery Cloud Dough
Materials/Ingredients:
• 4 cups flour
• ½ cup oil
• Mixing bowl
• Trays
• Rolling pins
• Cookie cutters
• Small baskets, plates and tongs
• Optional: paper bags or café signs
Instructions:
Mix the flour and oil together until it forms soft, crumbly cloud dough. Place the mixture into trays with rolling pins, cutters, plates and baskets. Invite children to roll, press, crumble, scoop and shape the dough into pretend bread, pastries or bakery items.
Children can explore the soft texture while engaging in pretend play as they make, serve and share their bakery creations.
Link to Bastille Day:
This experience introduces children to the idea of French bakeries and food culture in a playful, age-appropriate way. It supports sensory exploration, imaginative play, social connection, fine motor skills and simple conversations about how people eat and celebrate in different places.
Have a look at our FREE Bastille Day pack! Includes Banner, Fact sheet and Learning Stories!
Bastille Day Firework Painting
Materials/Ingredients:
• Black or white paper
• Red, white and blue paint
• Dish brushes, toothbrushes or pom poms
• Trays
• Smocks
• Optional: glitter or star stickers
Instructions:
Place red, white and blue paint into shallow trays. Invite children to dip brushes, pom poms or toothbrushes into the paint and press, flick, stamp or dab onto paper to create firework effects.
Toddlers may enjoy stamping and spreading the paint, while older children can experiment with different marks and patterns.
Link to Bastille Day:
Fireworks are often part of Bastille Day celebrations in France. This activity allows children to explore celebration through colour, movement and mark-making. It supports creativity, sensory expression, hand strength, early art skills and cultural awareness.
French Flag Ice Play
Materials/Ingredients:
• Ice cube trays
• Water
• Red and blue food colouring
• Clear or white ice cubes
• Large tray or tub
• Spoons, tongs, cups and pipettes
• Warm water in small bowls
Instructions:
Freeze red, white/clear and blue ice cubes before the experience. Place the ice cubes into a large tray with spoons, tongs, cups and pipettes. Invite children to touch, slide, scoop, melt and move the ice around the tray.
Older children can drip warm water over the ice and observe how the colours begin to melt and mix together. Babies and toddlers can explore the cold temperature, slippery texture and movement of the ice with close supervision.
Link to Bastille Day:
This experience introduces the colours of the French flag through sensory exploration. Children can investigate temperature, colour mixing, melting and cause and effect while making simple connections to Bastille Day celebrations.
Paris Lights Sensory Bottle
Materials/Ingredients:
• Clear plastic bottles with secure lids
• Water
• Blue and red glitter or sequins
• Small star confetti
• Clear glue or baby oil
• Optional: tiny Eiffel Tower cut-outs or laminated pictures
• Strong tape or glue to seal the lid
Instructions:
Fill each bottle with water and a small amount of clear glue or baby oil to slow the movement. Add red and blue glitter, star confetti and small decorative pieces. Secure and seal the lid tightly.
Invite children to shake, roll, turn and watch the glitter move through the bottle. Babies can enjoy tummy time with the bottle placed in front of them, while toddlers and preschoolers can describe what they see.
Link to Bastille Day:
Bastille Day celebrations often include lights, colour and fireworks. This calming sensory bottle allows children to explore movement, sparkle, colour and visual tracking while connecting to the celebration in a safe and gentle way.
Have a look at our FREE Bastille Day pack! Includes Banner, Fact sheet and Learning Stories!
French Lavender Sensory Tray
Materials/Ingredients:
• Dried lavender or lavender-scented playdough
• Scoops, bowls and small baskets
• Fabric pieces in red, white and blue
• Wooden spoons
• Small jars or containers
• Optional: pictures of lavender fields in France
Instructions:
Set up a sensory tray with dried lavender or lavender-scented dough, soft fabric pieces, scoops and small containers. Invite children to smell, scoop, pour, sort, press and transfer the materials.
Educators can introduce simple language such as soft, smooth, calm, smell, flower and purple. Older children may enjoy making pretend lavender bunches or filling small containers.
Link to Bastille Day:
Lavender is strongly connected with regions of France, especially Provence. This experience introduces children to French culture through scent, texture and natural materials. It supports sensory awareness, language, calm play and curiosity about places around the world.
Red, White and Blue Pasta Threading
Materials/Ingredients:
• Large pasta tubes
• Red and blue food colouring
• Plain pasta
• String, pipe cleaners or shoelaces
• Trays or bowls
• Optional: French flag pictures for colour reference
Instructions:
Colour some pasta red and blue, leaving some plain or white. Once dry, place the pasta into bowls with string, shoelaces or pipe cleaners. Invite children to thread, sort, count, stack and create patterns.
For younger toddlers, use large pasta and pipe cleaners to make threading easier. Older children can create red, white and blue necklaces, patterns or decorations.
Link to Bastille Day:
This activity connects children to the colours of the French flag while supporting fine motor development and hand-eye coordination. It encourages children to explore pattern, colour, movement and celebration through hands-on play.
Eiffel Tower Sticky Wall
Materials/Ingredients:
• Clear contact paper
• Tape
• Red, white and blue tissue paper
• Cellophane pieces
• Foil pieces
• Eiffel Tower outline drawn on paper or cardboard
• Pom poms or paper stars
Instructions:
Tape contact paper to a wall or window with the sticky side facing out. Add an Eiffel Tower outline nearby or draw one onto the contact paper. Place tissue paper, foil, cellophane and pom poms in baskets for children to press onto the sticky surface.
Children can add, remove, layer and arrange the materials. Younger children can enjoy the sticky feeling and pressing motion, while older children can create patterns and designs.
Link to Bastille Day:
The Eiffel Tower is a familiar symbol of France. This experience allows children to explore French culture through touch, colour, texture and creative design. It supports fine motor skills, sensory confidence, visual arts and cultural awareness.
Have a look at our FREE Bastille Day pack! Includes Banner, Fact sheet and Learning Stories!
French Music Ribbon Dancing
Materials/Ingredients:
• Red, white and blue ribbons or scarves
• French music or gentle celebration music
• Open space for movement
• Optional: small flags or streamers
Instructions:
Play French-inspired music and invite children to move with ribbons, scarves or streamers. Children can wave, twirl, shake, float, march, dance and move their bodies in different ways.
Babies can watch the ribbons move above them or reach for soft scarves, while toddlers and preschoolers can explore fast, slow, high, low, big and small movements.
Link to Bastille Day:
Music and movement are meaningful parts of many celebrations. This experience introduces children to Bastille Day through sound, rhythm, colour and joyful movement. It supports gross motor development, self-expression, cultural awareness and communication through the body.
French Flag Foam Play
Materials/Ingredients:
• Shaving foam or taste-safe whipped foam alternative
• Red and blue food colouring
• Large tray
• Spoons, spatulas and paintbrushes
• Small cups or bowls
• Optional: laminated French flag pictures
Instructions:
Place shaving foam or a taste-safe foam alternative into a large tray. Add small drops of red and blue colouring to different sections, leaving some white. Invite children to swirl, spread, scoop, press and mix the foam with hands or tools.
Older children can create flag-inspired patterns, lines and shapes, while younger children can enjoy the soft, fluffy texture.
Link to Bastille Day:
This sensory experience uses the colours of the French flag to introduce Bastille Day in a playful way. It supports children to explore texture, colour mixing, mark-making, hand strength and early science thinking through open-ended play.
Paris Rainy Day Water Play
Materials/Ingredients:
• Large water tray or tub
• Small cups and jugs
• Blue watercolour or food colouring
• Toy umbrellas, people or buildings
• Sponges
• Pipettes or spray bottles
• Optional: Eiffel Tower picture or small model
Instructions:
Set up a water tray with blue-tinted water, cups, sponges, pipettes and small world props. Invite children to squeeze sponges, drip water, pour, spray and make “rain” over the buildings or Eiffel Tower.
Toddlers can focus on pouring and squeezing, while older children can create stories about rainy days in Paris.
Link to Bastille Day:
This activity encourages children to explore a French-inspired small world through water play. It supports sensory exploration, imagination, language, fine motor skills and curiosity about different places around the world.
French Picnic Sensory Basket
Materials/Ingredients:
• Picnic basket or tray
• Fabric napkins in red, white and blue
• Pretend bread, fruit and cheese
• Small plates, cups and tongs
• Soft cloths, baskets and paper bags
• Optional: simple French words such as bonjour and merci on cards
Instructions:
Create a French-inspired picnic basket for children to unpack, sort, carry, wrap and role-play with. Include pretend food, cloths, plates, tongs and small containers.
Children can explore textures, practise using tongs, set up a picnic, share pretend food and engage in social play. Educators can model simple words such as bonjour and merci during the play.
Link to Bastille Day:
Picnics and shared meals are a way people connect and celebrate in many cultures. This experience introduces children to French-inspired food and social traditions through sensory and dramatic play. It supports belonging, communication, fine motor skills and cultural awareness.
Have a look at our FREE Bastille Day pack! Includes Banner, Fact sheet and Learning Stories!
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