November Calendar Of Events 2026

November is filled with meaningful celebrations, cultural events, and awareness days that provide rich opportunities for learning in early childhood settings. From encouraging kindness, wellbeing, and inclusion to exploring culture, community, and sustainability, this month's events can inspire engaging experiences for children. November is a wonderful time for educators to extend children's interests, foster a sense of belonging, and create meaningful connections between learning, families, and the wider community as the year begins to draw to a close.

Monthly Observances

1st November - 30th November

• Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men's health issues, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. Mo Bros, supported by their Mo Sistas, start Movember (November 1st) clean-shaven and then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache. During Movember, each Mo Bro effectively becomes a walking billboard for men's health and, via their Mo, raises essential funds and awareness for Movember's men's health partners.

• World Vegan Month – is dedicated to educating about vegan eating and lifestyles and encouraging you to take it to give it a go. Take part by eating and living vegan, being kinder to the environment, stopping animal cruelty, and living a healthier life.

Daily Observances

2nd November

• El Día de Los Muertos—Day of the Dead—Mexico—It is a holiday that focuses on remembering family members and friends who have passed away.

7th - 14th November

• Australian Food Safety Week – will be 'Is it done yet? Use a thermometer to check if your food is cooked safely. We will be encouraging consumers to buy and use food thermometers to cook food safely to reduce the 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year. Events will be held around the country.

8th November

• Diwali – India – is a widely celebrated festival of lights that marks the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. 

10th - 16th November

• National Recycling Week – It aims to raise awareness about recycling and promote sustainable waste management practices across Australia. 

10th November

• World Science Day for Peace and Development—This is a day to celebrate the responsible use of science to further the advancement of peace and development across the world.

• National Directors Day—This day encourages colleagues and employees to express their gratitude for their director’s efforts. 

10th - 15th November

• World Nursery Rhyme Week – is a free, worldwide initiative celebrating the importance of nursery rhymes in early childhood development.

11th November

• Remembrance Day—marks the anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War (1914-18). Each year Australians observe a one-minute silence at 11 am on 11 November, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.

13th November

• World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, and our religion, and realise we are citizens of the world. As world citizens, we have a commonality and must realise that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavours, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common.

19th November

• World Toilet Day—to raise global awareness of the struggle 2.6 billion face every day without access to proper, clean sanitation. WTD also brings to the forefront the health, emotional, and psychological consequences the poor endure as a result of inadequate sanitation.
• International Men's Day—a global observance that celebrates the positive contributions and achievements of men while addressing important issues affecting men's health, well-being, and gender equality.

20th November

• Universal Children's Day – is observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children.

21st November

• World Television Day—This day celebrates the ways television has helped to increase world communications, as well as the implications it has had on social and cultural development.
• World Hello Day—as an opportunity to express the importance of world peace and as an act of resistance against the negative things that can happen in the world. 

22nd November - 29th November

• Social Inclusion Week – aims to help all Australians feel included and valued, allowing everyone to participate fully in society.

24th November

• National Fairy Bread Day—Help raise funds to support The Pyjama Foundation. Dedicated to empowering Aussie kids in foster care, The Pyjama Foundation brings joy and love into the lives of children who need it the most.

27th November 

• Thanksgiving—America—is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada that celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year.

Please make sure to like/follow our Aussie Childcare Network Facebook page to receive events and celebration activity ideas, resources, and documentation templates for child portfolios.

Note: This is to be used as a general guideline only. These dates may be subject to change.