International Literacy Day for EYFS

UNESCO’s International Literacy Day (ILD) aims to address worldwide literacy issues by championing literacy as a fundamental human right while reminding us all of its importance for individuals, communities and societies worldwide. At least 739 million youth and adults worldwide still lacked basic literacy skills in 2024. At the same time, 4 in 10 children are not reaching minimum proficiency in reading, and 272 million children and adolescents were out of school in 2023. (UNESCO).

The theme for 2026's International Literacy Day is "Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity” and this year's event marks its 60th anniversary.

Supporting early literacy with Mini Mash

At 2Simple, we want to help by raising awareness of ILD and the importance of young people gaining valuable literacy and language skills that are needed throughout life. Here we look at just some of the resources available within Mini Mash and beyond that can help young learners engage with literacy and languages and enjoy them for life.

Phonics in EYFS

Phonics begins in the Early Years, which is why we have phonics resources and games available within Mini Mash.

Begin letter recognition with the letter sounds slideshows, pairs game, letter paint projects and initial sounds quizzes. These are perfect for having on the board or tablets as an activity during continuous provision, or could be used as whole-class revision.

Develop further sound and grapheme recognition with our missing sound quizzes, phase 2 cloze and phase 3 cloze activities, and writing templates. These are great for interventions both for children who need extending further, or those who need a bit of extra practice.

You can also access alphabet printables which are great for creating eye-catching and useful displays.

EYFS Writing and Oracy

There are 6 simple writing templates available, designed to help children practise their writing across a variety of topics and themes. These templates provide structure while encouraging creativity:

• All About...
• Picture and Text
• Celebration Card
• Symmetry Picture and Writing
• Postcard
• List

Children can also 2Create a Story to write a story with pictures, sounds and animation - it's also great for writing a story as a whole class, generating lots of discussion points.

There's also 2Respond, where children can write to different characters, such as Barnaby Bear, and get a response.

EYFS Topics

Each topic area in Mini Mash includes a slideshow activity that encourages children to talk about what they see, share their ideas, and practise listening to others. These activities support language development, vocabulary building, and confidence in communication.

Early Reading & Books for EYFS

Inside Mini Mash, there are picture slideshows for a range of popular fairy tales, where children can retell the story:

• The Gingerbread Man
• Little Red Riding Hood
• The Elves and The Shoemaker
• The Tortoise and The Hare

Ready to get reading? If your school has a Purple Mash subscription, you'll find a selection of picture books inside the Purple Mash Library, in the Rubies section. These books are perfect for reading to younger children, with bright pictures and engaging storylines. All of the books have audio narration and a video too, so that children can read them on their own!