Arabic Language Day for Kids: 10 Activities for 18 December
For home, the classroom and weekend school — with a free printable pack
World Arabic Language Day is celebrated every year on 18 December, the date in 1973 when the United Nations General Assembly made Arabic one of its official languages. For young children, the best way to mark it is to do something with the language rather than hear about it — write a name, say a greeting, colour a word.
The ten activities below take five to twenty minutes each and need nothing you do not already have. Four of them use our free four-page printable: a certificate, an 'I love Arabic' poster, a name-and-letter-hunt sheet, and Arabic words and facts.
Arabic Language Day at a glance
- Date: 18 December, every year.
- Why that date: on 18 December 1973 the UN General Assembly adopted Arabic as an official language.
- Arabic is one of the six official UN languages, with English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.
- The alphabet has 28 letters and is written from right to left.
10 activities for Arabic Language Day
1. Write your name in Arabic
Ages 4–8A grown-up writes the child's name in Arabic, the child traces it, then writes it alone. It is the one word every child wants to see in a new script — and the box on the certificate is waiting for it.
Name sheet + certificate (PDF) →2. Colour an 'I love Arabic' poster
Ages 3–8Big outlined letters reading أحبّ العربية, with stars and a crescent to decorate. Hang the finished posters in a row on the classroom wall or the fridge.
Poster page (PDF) →3. Go on a letter hunt
Ages 3–7Pick one letter — ب is a good start — and hunt for it on food packets, book covers and signs. In class, use the printed hunt grid first: ten ب hidden among letters that look almost the same.
4. Learn three greetings
All agesمرحباً (marhaban, hello), شكراً (shukran, thank you) and مع السلامة (ma'a as-salama, goodbye). Use them all day — at the door, at snack time, at home time.
5. Have an 'Arabic only' meal
All agesFor one meal, everything on the table is named in Arabic: خبز (khubz, bread), ماء (maa', water), حليب (haleeb, milk), تمر (tamr, dates). Whoever forgets says the word twice.
6. Try simple calligraphy
Ages 6+A flat marker held at an angle makes thick and thin strokes on its own. Write one short word — نور (light) or حب (love) — slowly, five times, and keep the best one.
Calligraphy for kids →7. Read a bilingual story
Ages 3–8Read one of our short illustrated stories aloud, Arabic line first, then English. Older children can read the Arabic line back to you.
Free stories →8. Ask a grandparent for a word
All agesCall a grandparent or relative and ask for their favourite Arabic word, saying or song. Write it on the words-and-facts sheet and draw it.
9. Play a letter game
Ages 2–6Ten minutes of the letter game or the tracing game — every tap says the letter out loud, which paper cannot do.
Free letter games →10. Hand out the certificates
Ages 4–8End the day by giving each child their certificate, with their name written in Arabic by their own hand. It is the part they will take home and show.
A one-hour plan for the classroom
- 10 minutes — learn the three greetings and use them to say good morning.
- 15 minutes — the name sheet: each child traces and writes their name in Arabic.
- 15 minutes — colour the 'I love Arabic' poster while a bilingual story is read aloud.
- 10 minutes — the letter hunt: who finds all ten ب first?
- 10 minutes — certificates: each child writes their Arabic name in the box and takes it home.
Frequently asked questions about Arabic Language Day
When is World Arabic Language Day?+
World Arabic Language Day is celebrated every year on 18 December.
Why is Arabic Language Day on 18 December?+
On 18 December 1973 the United Nations General Assembly adopted Arabic as one of its official languages. The UN marks Arabic Language Day on that date; Arabic is one of the six official UN languages, alongside English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.
How can a school celebrate Arabic Language Day with young children?+
Keep it hands-on: each child writes their name in Arabic, colours an 'I love Arabic' poster, learns three greetings and takes home a certificate. Our free printable pack covers all of this in four pages.
Is there a free Arabic Language Day certificate for kids?+
Yes. The Arab Fingers Arabic Language Day pack includes a printable certificate with a line for the child's name and a box for writing it in Arabic. It is a free PDF with no signup.
Do we need to speak Arabic to take part?+
No. Every activity here works for beginners and families who do not speak Arabic — the words come with transliteration and meaning, and a phone keyboard is enough to look up how a name is written in Arabic.