At a Glance
This National Unicorn Day post is a complete celebration guide for preschool, kindergarten and other young learners, packed with unicorn facts and folklore, jokes, discussion starters and cross-curricular learning ideas spanning literacy, math, art and imaginative play. You'll also find low-prep indoor and outdoor activity ideas, book recommendations, a participation certificate and a set of lovely printable unicorn activities! Celebrated every year on April 9.
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National Unicorn Day falls on April 9 every year. It’s a day dedicated to celebrating unicorns – those glittery, twisty-horned, magical creatures that have captured human imagination for thousands of years.
The day was established in 2015 to honor unicorns and their place in folklore, mythology and popular culture – though whoever started it has remained gloriously mysterious (sounds suspiciously like something a unicorn would do though!).
While National Unicorn Day is celebrated globally, it has a particular meaning in Scotland. The unicorn is Scotland’s national animal and has served as a symbol of Scottish culture and history for centuries. It has featured on the royal coat of arms since around the 12th century. So one of the world’s most beloved mythical creatures is the official national animal of a real country.
If you’re looking for unicorn-themed printable activities to celebrate the day with your little ones, take a look at our magical printables collection – packed with witches, wizards, fairies, unicorns and more.
Why Is National Unicorn Day Special?
Unicorns occupy a very particular place in childhood. They spark questions, can fuel some awesome imaginative play and give little learners an easy way to explore ideas about magic, possibility and believing in things you can’t prove.
For teachers and parents, National Unicorn Day is great. It ties naturally into so many areas of the curriculum – mythology and storytelling, history, geography, art and even a bit of science.
Learning Opportunities
National Unicorn Day opens the door to conversations that go far beyond rainbows and glitter. Here’s a look at a few key areas you can explore with your little learners:
Myth, Folklore and Storytelling
Unicorns are one of the oldest mythical creatures there is. The Greek historian Ctesias referenced an animal with one horn as far back as 400 BCE and versions of the unicorn appear in the myths and stories of ancient Greece, India, China, and beyond.
This is a wonderful entry point for talking about what myths and legends are, why people tell them and how stories travel across cultures and time.
History
The story of Scotland’s unicorn is a brilliant history hook. In Celtic mythology, the unicorn was a symbol of purity, innocence and power – and because unicorns were seen as fierce, untameable creatures, Scottish unicorns in heraldry are always shown with gold chains wrapped around them.
You can talk about how countries and kingdoms chose symbols to represent themselves, and invite children to think about what symbol they would choose for themselves or their class.
Science and Critical Thinking
Unicorns (probably!?) aren’t real – but they might have been inspired by real animals.
Historians believe early sightings may have been descriptions of the Indian rhinoceros, the narwhal, or the long-extinct Siberian unicorn (a huge, shaggy rhinoceros ancestor).
This is a lovely starter for a “scientist’s hat” conversation – what do we do when we don’t know if something is real? How do we find out?
Art and Creativity
Unicorns are some of the most irresistible subjects for young artists. Their colours, their horns, their flowing rainbow manes! You could use National Unicorn Day to explore colour mixing, collage, or pattern and allow children to really show off their wonderful imaginations!
Did You Know?
Here are a few fun unicorn facts to share with your little learners:
Scotland’s national animal is… the unicorn. America has the bald eagle. England has the lion. And Scotland? Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. Scots adopted it as a symbol of purity, innocence and power in Celtic mythology.
A group of unicorns has a very special name. The female lays her eggs into a pouch on the father’s belly, and he carries them until they hatch and the tiny babies swim away!
A group of unicorns has a very special name. You’ve heard of a flock of birds and a pride of lions but what’s a group of unicorns called? The collective nouns for Scotland’s national animal are “a blessing of unicorns”, “a glory of unicorns,” and “a marvel of unicorns.” Can your little learners come up with their own group name for unicorns?
“Unicorn horns” were once more valuable than gold. In the Middle Ages, European nobility used so-called “unicorn horns” to determine whether the meal they were about to eat had been poisoned. The “horns” were actually narwhal tusks in most cases. Powdered “unicorn horn” was sold in pharmacies across Europe for centuries, before people eventually worked out what narwhals were.
National Unicorn Day Jokes
A unicorn themed day feels even more fun when your little learners get to laugh along with it. Here’s a few themed jokes you may want to share with your little ones (I only collated these, I didn’t write them – please don’t shout at me!):
- Why did the unicorn rush to school? He was late for horse-story class!
- What street do unicorns live on? Mane Street.
- What’s a unicorn’s favourite type of story? A fairy “tail”!
- Which state do unicorns like most? Maine
- Did you hear about the unicorn with a negative attitude? She always said neigh.
National Unicorn Day Printable Activities
The unicorn activities support a wide range of early skills – including creativity, counting and number recognition, shape knowledge, matching and sorting, fine motor development and more.
Click on the images below to grab an unicorn-themed activity:
Other Fun Ways to Celebrate
There are so many wonderful ways to celebrate National Unicorn Day that don’t require a printout or a special trip! All of the ideas below are low-prep, use everyday materials, and work brilliantly in a classroom or at home.
Indoor Activities
Rainbow Mixing:
Unicorns and rainbows go hand in hand, so use the day as a prompt for colour mixing. Give children red, yellow and blue paint and challenge them to mix as many colours as possible. Can they make a whole unicorn rainbow? This supports early science (prediction and observation), fine motor skills and creativity – and the results can look gorgeous up on display!
Unicorn Playdough: Mix up a batch of white or pastel playdough and set out some glitter, sequins, small gems and pipe cleaners alongside it.
Invite children to sculpt their own unicorn, or simply use the playdough as a sensory free-play station.
Unicorn Story Stones: Collect some smooth stones/pebbles and paint or draw simple unicorn-related images on them – a unicorn, a rainbow, a star, a castle, a knight, a forest, a crown etc.
Once dry, children can use them as prompts to tell or make up their own unicorn stories. This is a wonderful open-ended activity for language development and narrative sequencing.
Outdoor Activities
Rainbow Chalking: Head outside with some colored chalk and get your children to create giant rainbows on the playground or path.
They can add their own unicorns galloping through the arches, as well as clouds, stars, castles – you get the idea. This works wonderfully for gross motor development (the big sweeping arm movements needed for wide arcs), colour sequencing and is a great chance for some teamwork through collaborative art.
Magic Potion Making: Set up an outdoor “potion station” with water, flower petals, leaves, sand, mud, food colouring and whatever natural materials are available.
Challenge your little learners to mix up their very own unicorn magic potion. This is a fantastic sensory and imaginative play activity that naturally sparks conversation about properties of the materials their adding – “why have my petals gone all droopy?”.
Rainbow Obstacle Course: Set up a simple outdoor obstacle course with coloured hoops (or color code the areas with chalk) representing the colours of the rainbow.
Children must gallop through as a unicorn in the rainbow order. If you’ve got them, putting different colored tokens or objects for the to collect along the way can be cool. It’s a lovely gross motor activity with a built-in colour recognition element.
Ideas from Around the Web
If you’d like a few more ways to celebrate, here’s a few simple ideas from some trusted sites:
Toilet Paper Roll Unicorn Puppet – This is a brilliant, low-cost craft that uses materials most households already have. The basic idea – paint and decorate a toilet paper roll, add a yarn mane and tail and connect with twine. (Red Ted Art)
Stained Glass Unicorn Suncatcher – Children create a beautiful “stained glass” effect suncatcher to hang in the window.
Skills: fine motor skills, colour exploration, creative expression. (Adventure In A Box)- DIY Rainbow Unicorn Scratch Art – Children draw on a sheet of card with oil pastels, then cover it entirely with black acrylic paint. Once dry, they use a stick or pencil to scratch their design through the black. (Barley & Birch)
Simple Classroom Display & Group Activity Ideas
Here are some easy ways to bring your unicorn theme to life in a group setting:
A Blessing of Unicorns Display:
After teaching children the collective noun “a blessing of unicorns,” have each child draw or paint their own unicorn. You could use our Build a Unicorn templates here. Compile them into one large display with the title “Our Blessing of Unicorns.”
Circle Time: Do You Believe?: Gather the group and open a discussion: do you think unicorns are real? Have you ever seen one? What would you do if you found a unicorn in your garden? There are no wrong answers here, this is purely a speaking and listening activity that also gently introduces the concept of evidence and imagination.
Collective Unicorn Story: Sit in a circle and build a unicorn story one sentence at a time, with each child adding the next part. You could even write it down as you go and read the finished story back to the group at the end. A brilliant speaking and listening activity that develops narrative structure and turn-taking.
National Unicorn Day Day Reading List – Unicorn Books to Explore Together
Books are one of the most powerful tools you have for bringing any theme to life, and there are loads of absolute gems for Unicorn Day – here’s a few:
Uni the Unicorn – Amy Krouse Rosenthal
In Uni’s world, all the other unicorns are sure that little girls aren’t real – but Uni believes in them completely. Meanwhile, a little girl is having exactly the same problem with unicorns. A lovely little picture book about belief and friendship.
Thelma the Unicorn – Aaron Blabey
Told in rhyme with bold and expressive illustrations, this is a funny and touching story about learning to love yourself as you are – perfect for sparking some PSHE conversations about uniqueness and self-worth.
Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great – Bob Shea
A brilliantly funny picture book about jealousy, friendship and being nice to others.
The Magical Unicorn Society Official Handbook – Selwyn Phipps – A beautifully illustrated handbook-style book that covers the history of unicorns, the different types of unicorns, what they eat, and how they might be found.
Discussion Starters
A few well-chosen questions can turn a simple activity into a rich conversation that builds language and thinking skills. Here are some open-ended starters to use with your little learners around National Unicorn Day:
Do you think unicorns are real? What makes you think that?
If you could give a unicorn one special magical power, what would it be – and why?
How would you feel if you found a unicorn in your garden? What would you do first?
Scotland chose the unicorn as its national animal because it represents bravery and strength. If you were choosing a symbol for your class or family, what animal or creature would you pick?
National Unicorn Day Certificate of Participation
I’ve made a little certificate you can use to help celebrate your learners’ efforts with a cheerful keepsake! I’ve kept it simple as I know too well how time consuming writing the dates and signing a class worth or certificates can be…
Click the button below to download and print a National Unicorn Day Certificate of Participation:
Unicorn Day Final Thoughts
Whether your little ones spent the day designing their own unicorns, debating whether they’re real, or simply galloping around the playground pretending to be mythical creatures, National Unicorn Day is one of those special days that reminds that early childhood is all about wonder and imagination!
If you celebrated with your little learners today, we’d love to hear about it – what was their favourite part? Drop a comment below and let us know.
Enjoy and let’s nurture those neurons!
And if you want to see what other special days are coming up soon – as well as grab a few choice activities – you can check out our Special Day Calendar here.
FAQ
National Unicorn Day is celebrated every year on April 9.
National Unicorn Day is an annual celebration dedicated to the unicorn and its place in folklore, mythology, and popular culture. It was established in 2015, though no founding organisation has ever been officially identified – which feels rather fitting for a day celebrating a mysterious mythical creature.
It really is. The unicorn has been the official national animal of Scotland since at least the 12th century, when it first appeared on the Scottish royal coat of arms. In Celtic mythology, it was a symbol of purity, power, and untameable independence – qualities the Scots have always rather liked.
Across different cultures and throughout history, unicorns have most commonly been associated with purity, magic, innocence, and strength. In Celtic mythology they represented fierce independence. Today they’re also widely seen as symbols of wonder, creativity and the power of imagination.
There are plenty of simple, low-prep ways to mark the day. Try unicorn-themed crafts like horn headbands or toilet roll unicorns, read a picture book aloud, explore colour mixing with a rainbow theme, or set up a unicorn scavenger hunt outside. The day also opens up some surprisingly rich learning conversations – about mythology, history, Scotland, and even a bit of science around the real animals that may have inspired unicorn legends.
A group of unicorns can be called a blessing, a glory, or a marvel. “A blessing of unicorns” is the best-known collective noun — and honestly, hard to beat.
