International Women’s Day: Stories, Inspiration, and Meaningful Connections
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a meaningful opportunity to notice and celebrate the women who shape children's lives.
For young children, the world is often understood through the people around them—the woman who reads a story, ties a shoe, cooks a meal, builds something, listens, teaches, creates, leads, or offers comfort.
International Women’s Day can be a gentle invitation to notice those women and discover the many ways women contribute to families, communities, and the wider world.
It doesn't need to become a complicated lesson about history or equality. With young children, we can begin with something much more accessible:
stories, relationships, curiosity, and possibility.
Starting With the Women Children Know
Before introducing famous women from history, begin with the familiar.
Invite children to think about the women who are part of their everyday lives:
Mothers and grandmothers
Teachers and caregivers
Neighbors and family friends
Doctors, artists, cooks, builders, and community workers
Women who help, create, teach, and inspire
You might simply say:
“Today is a day when people around the world celebrate women and the many things they do.”
Then let the conversation unfold naturally.
Try this: Invite children to draw a woman they know and tell you something they love or admire about her.
Stories of Remarkable Women
Young children often connect with people through stories rather than timelines and lists of accomplishments.
Choose picture books that introduce women who were curious, creative, courageous, compassionate, or determined.
Stories can show women:
Exploring new ideas
Creating and inventing
Caring for others
Solving problems
Protecting nature
Making art
Following their dreams
Helping their communities
After reading, you don't need a long comprehension activity.
Sometimes simply asking:
“What did you notice about her?”
is enough.
Read-Aloud Books for International Women’s Day
Books are one of the most natural ways to introduce children to the lives and stories of inspiring women.
Here are five wonderful choices:
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires — A playful story about creativity, persistence, frustration, and trying again.
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty — A joyful celebration of curiosity, questioning, experimentation, and a young girl who wants to understand how the world works.
The Watcher by Jeanette Winter — A beautiful introduction to Jane Goodall and her lifelong curiosity about chimpanzees and the natural world.
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst — An engaging introduction to a wide range of women whose ideas, courage, and creativity made a difference.
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy — A story about persistence, speaking up, and staying true to what you believe is fair.
After reading, invite children to draw a favorite moment, act out part of the story, create a portrait, or choose one quality they noticed in the character.
Women as Everyday Heroes
International Women’s Day doesn't have to focus only on famous women.
Invite children to think about someone they know and admire.
You might ask:
“Who is a woman who helps you?”
“What does she like to do?”
“What makes her special to you?”
Children can draw a portrait, dictate a sentence, or simply tell their story.
The focus isn't on creating the “perfect” answer.
It's about helping children notice the people who matter to them.
Create a Wall of Women
Create a simple display celebrating women in children's lives.
Families can contribute:
Photographs
Drawings
Short notes
Favorite quotes
Small symbols representing something special
The result doesn't need to be elaborate.
It can simply become a visual reminder that women's lives are diverse and full of stories.
Explore Through Dramatic Play
Dramatic play gives children space to imagine possibilities.
Provide open-ended materials and invite children to explore different roles:
Scientist
Doctor
Artist
Chef
Pilot
Builder
Farmer
Explorer
Writer
Engineer
The goal isn't to assign roles to girls or boys.
It is to create a world where children can imagine possibility without limits.
Language That Expands Possibilities
International Women's Day can also be an opportunity to notice the language we use.
Words such as:
brave, curious, creative, kind, strong, thoughtful, determined, imaginative
belong to everyone.
Children can hear these qualities in stories about women while also discovering that there is no single way to be a woman—or a person.
Creative Extensions
Women I Know: Draw a portrait of a woman who is important to you.
Story Retelling: Use puppets or props to act out a story about an inspiring woman.
Role Play: Create an open-ended space where children can explore different careers and interests.
Portrait Studio: Invite children to create portraits using drawing, collage, or loose parts.
Invention Station: Explore building and creating like a scientist, engineer, or inventor.
Kindness Stories: Share stories about women who help others.
Book Basket: Gather picture books featuring women with different interests, backgrounds, and experiences.
“I Can…” Cards: Invite children to complete the sentence with something they would like to learn, create, or explore.
Holding Bigger Ideas Gently
Young children don't need to understand every historical or social aspect of International Women’s Day to begin exploring its meaning.
They already understand fairness, kindness, belonging, and being heard.
Through stories and everyday experiences, we can gently show children that women have always been part of the stories we tell, the discoveries we make, the communities we build, and the world we share.
And just as importantly, we can make space for children to imagine what they might become themselves.
Bringing It All Together
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to make women's stories visible.
Not only the stories of famous women from history, but also the stories of the women children encounter every day.
A picture book can introduce a new possibility.
A conversation can spark curiosity.
A portrait can celebrate someone special.
A dramatic play invitation can open a door to a future children have not yet imagined.
We don't need to give children all the answers.
We can simply offer stories, make possibilities visible, and leave space for them to wonder.
Because sometimes the most meaningful way to celebrate International Women’s Day is simply to help children see that every woman has a story—and every child has the possibility of writing their own. 🌷
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