March 4, 2025
International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate and recognise the achievements of women around the world. This year, it takes place on Saturday, 8th March and has a theme of Accelerate Action. According to the International Women's Day website, it will take until 2158, roughly five generations, to reach full gender parity at the current rate of progress.
Why not start with learning all about the purpose of International Women’s Day and the importance of a gender equal world and writing about it with this template. Or perhaps you’d like to think about your ideal female role model. Who are they? Could they be a family member, sportsperson, celebrity, or community member? What makes them a role model? What do they do? Answer all these questions and more with the My Female Role Model writing frame.
You’ll also find a huge range of well-known female figures past and present within the International Women’s Day area of Purple Mash. From politicians and nurses to Olympians and scientists, we have them all.
The list begins with Ada Lovelace. Inside her folder you'll see a slideshow and a quiz, along with a factfile for children to complete. We also have resources on the incredible Rosa Parks, where you can create an interview or newspaper report about her contribution to the Civil Rights movement.
The suffragette movement paved the way for equality regarding women being allowed the vote. One of the main leaders of this movement was Emily Davison. We have several activities that you can use to understand why Emily Davison is celebrated on IWD. Use 2Email to respond to Emily about what she has achieved and the key points about why the suffragette movement was needed.
Do you want to have a conversation with Olympian, Jessica Ennis-Hill? Use 2Email to chat to her about her successes and find out more about her. To practice your writing skills, use our writing template to write all about her and her achievements.
Florence Nightingale was a nurse during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers. Our 2Email simulation allows children the chance to speak to Florence Nightingale, helping her persuade the British government to improve the conditions for injured soldiers. For your younger pupils, you can use our Florence Nightingale Mashcam and write a thought-bubble about what she is thinking. For the older pupils, use our Interview template to create a magazine article about her life, or alternatively read about her life with our Florence Nightingale slideshow.
We also have activities to use celebrating Grace Darling, an English Lighthouse Keeper’s daughter, who participated in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838. For pupils in Year 4-6, they can write a newspaper article about the shipwreck and Grace Darling, or alternatively, create a magazine-style article about the rescue whilst testing their interview skills.
If you've got access to Serial Mash, then we have some great books for you to read with your class on International Women's Day.
We have some brilliant non-fiction books courtesy of DK Learning:
We also have some lovely stories with girls as the main characters:
Don't yet have a Serial Mash subscription? Try it free for 14-days here.
These are just some of the women celebrated within the International Women’s Day area of Purple Mash. Be sure to explore to find even more activities, quizzes and games about a diverse range of female icons.
You can also find International Women's Day school resources on the official International Women's Day website.
Share how you’re celebrating International Women’s Day with us over on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
