🍂 10 National Days to Celebrate This November
A month of playful writing prompts, book suggestions and family fun ideas
From cinnamon spice to cozy pajamas, November is packed with sensory inspiration — and we’re turning it all into writing fun! Below you’ll find 10 November National Days with quick writing prompts, book pairings, and family-friendly activities to spark creativity all month long.
🌀 November 1 – National Cinnamon Day
📝 Writing Prompt: Words can be just as flavorful as spices! Choose five overused words (like good, bad, or nice) and “spice them up” with stronger synonyms. (See what we did there? 😉) Then use your new words in a short, descriptive paragraph.
📚 Read: Pitch and Throw, Grasp and Know: What Is a Synonym? by Brian P. Cleary — a playful introduction to synonyms that fits perfectly with our Synonym Buns theme! For a sensory twist, you might also enjoy The Spice Box by Meera Sriram — a beautifully written story celebrating scent, memory, and discovery.
🎉 Family Fun: Bake something cinnamony (rolls, muffins, toast, or cookies!) and challenge everyone to describe it using at least one synonym for delicious. Then cozy up and play our Synonym Buns game — it’s the tastiest way to expand your vocabulary!
🥪 November 3 – National Sandwich Day
📝 Writing Prompt: Write a poem about a sandwich! Will it be an ode to peanut butter, a haiku about hoagies, or a sandwich-shaped acrostic? Challenge yourself to make it tasty and clever.
📚 Read: Sam’s Sandwich by David Pelham — a clever lift-the-flap story full of icky (and imaginative!) ingredients.
🎉 Family Fun: Try a regional sandwich you’ve never had before — like a Kentucky Hot Brown, Cuban, Lobster Roll, Fried Bologna, or Croque Monsieur. Look up where it originated and what makes it special. Then check out our Subject by Subject: Geography post for more creative ways to explore the world through writing!
🧪 November 8 – National STEM/STEAM Day
📝 Writing Prompt: Pick a STEM or STEAM career (astronomer, food scientist, inventor, architect, etc.) and write a short pitch for why it would be the best job ever. Include at least one reason that’s unique to you!
📚 Read: Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty — a celebration of creativity, curiosity, and perseverance.
🎉 Family Fun: Try a STEM challenge — like Building a Popsicle Stick Catapult or Writing Secret Messages With Invisible Ink! Then write a mini “how-to” or inventor’s guide.
Want even more science-inspired writing ideas? Don’t miss our Subject by Subject: Science post — packed with prompts, experiments, and book pairings for curious kids who love to explore the world!
🧁 November 10 – National Vanilla Cupcake Day
📝 Writing Prompt: Design your dream cupcake — then use our Cupcake Creations journaling prompt to describe your cupcake without ever saying the word “delicious.”
📚 Read: If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff — another fun chain-reaction adventure perfect for young writers.
🎉 Family Fun: Turn your cupcake creations into a real treat! Bake and decorate cupcakes based on your journaling prompt… then vote on your favorite before eating them!
💤 November 14 – National Family PJ Day
📝 Writing Prompt: What would your dream pajamas look like? Write a cozy bedtime story that starts with slipping into them.
📚 Read: Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney — a bedtime favorite full of rhythm and relatable emotion.
🎉 Family Fun: Have a PJ Day at home with cozy drinks and writing time. Try journaling by candlelight or flashlight for extra coziness.
✍️ November 15 – I Love to Write Day
📝 Writing Prompt: What kind of writer do you want to be? Witty like Dahl or elegant like E.B. White? Take our Author Style Quiz and then journal about your result. What do you admire about that author’s style — their imagination, word choice, courage, or cleverness?
📚 Read: Revisit a favorite book by your quiz result author — or for younger writers, try Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon — a humorous take on writer’s block and the power of finding your voice.
🎉 Family Fun: Start a writing tradition together! Set aside a little time and space today to write side by side. Print and seal your writing in a time capsule to open on next year’s I Love to Write Day.
🥾 November 17 – National Take a Hike Day
📝 Writing Prompt: Describe a trail from the point of view of your shoes.
📚 Read: Outside In by Deborah Underwood — a poetic reflection on nature and the beauty that surrounds us.
🎉 Family Fun: Go on a nature walk and bring along a small notebook or clipboard for a five-senses scavenger hunt. Write or sketch what you see, hear, smell, and feel.
🎲 November 19 – National Play Monopoly Day
📝 Writing Prompt: Pick a Monopoly token and write a short character bio. Is the dog a retired show dog with a nose for treasure? Could the top hat be a comedian in disguise?
📚 Read: A Dollar, A Penny, How Much and How Many? by Brian Cleary — a playful way to bring math and money into the picture.
🎉 Family Fun: Play Monopoly! Bonus points if you choose your writing prompt token and act out its personality during the game.
🦃 November 25 – Thanksgiving
📝 Writing Prompt: Choose any prompt from our Gratitude Bingo board. You might be surprised by what (or who!) your kids are grateful for.
📚 Read: The Thankful Book by Todd Parr — simple, cheerful illustrations and messages that spark big-hearted conversations.
🎉 Family Fun: Eat together, read together, and soak up the sweetness of simply being together. 💛
🍞 November 28 – National French Toast Day
📝 Writing Prompt: Write about a breakfast you’ll never forget — or imagine one you wish you could have. Where are you? Who’s at the table? What makes it special?
📚 Read: The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman — a rhythmic, food-filled tale that’s as fun to read aloud as it is to act out.
🎉 Family Fun: Have a cozy breakfast-for-dinner night. Do a blindfolded taste test of toppings (maple, strawberry, honey, nut butter) and vote for the winner. Turn it into a “French Toast Awards” ceremony!
