Draven Jackson
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Big and small, loud and quiet, happy and sad – the world is full of opposites, and what better way to teach your kids about them while having a little fun than during National Opposite Day! Celebrated in America on January 25th, National Opposite Day is a holiday where the aim is to have fun doing everything the opposite of normal.

Dinner for breakfast? Eating dessert first? Saying “no” to mean “yes” and letting the kids be in charge of the adults? These fun, silly activities can only happen on Opposite Day, and your kids will love the chance to let loose and try something backward for a change!

Wear Your Clothes Backwards

One of the best and silliest ways to celebrate National Opposite Day is by dressing silly and doing everything backward! First, of course, you have to start with your clothes. Kids, especially the younger ones, will love the chance to get to be a little silly with their outfits, so encourage them to wear their shirts, pants, socks, and hats backward or inside out.

You can also go a step beyond clothes and have your little ones walk backward, wear their shoes on opposite feet, put their socks on their hands, or sing songs backward. The sillier the rules, the better! Encouraging your kids to get crazy with their actions and clothes on Opposite Day is also a great reminder that it’s okay to be a little silly and not be so serious sometimes – we could all use the chance to laugh more!

Talk About Opposite Emotions

National Opposite Day isn’t just about being silly, however – it’s also a great learning opportunity for your young children to learn about the meaning and importance of opposites. One great lesson that you can teach them on Opposite Day is different types of emotions and how they oppose one another. Being able to put a name to the different emotions they experience and learning how they can express those feelings effectively is a great lesson for little ones.

Using a chart, pictures, or just your own expressive face, you can teach your children about “happy” and “sad,” “anger” and “calm,” and “hope” and “fear.” Many humans experience a range of emotions – although some people may experience less than others, and so may need extra help understanding different emotions – so it’s important to teach young children all about these feelings early on so they can understand how they are different and learn to be effective communicators in the future.

Play with Different Textures

Another fun way to turn National Opposite Day into a learning experience: sensory activities! Experimenting with different textures can be a fun lesson for little ones who enjoy learning through physical touch, and this can also be a great way to improve your child’s motor skills. Encouraging them to grip, hold, squeeze, stack, or pour can help develop better hand-eye coordination and strengthen the muscles in their body.

If you’re looking to experiment with textures, have your child touch things that are smooth and lumpy, shiny and wrinkly, and soft and rough. By explaining the adjectives for these textures, you will also help build your little one’s vocabulary. You can then test them by having them close their eyes and touch more textured objects, then have them describe the objects using the words they just learned. Having fun with textures on Opposite Day will be great for both your child’s mind and your child’s muscles!

Experiment with Opposite Flavors

Experimenting with opposite flavors is another fun learning opportunity to have with your child during National Opposite Day! While there’s a lot of discourse in the cooking world about how many types of flavors are out there, many people recognize five main types: sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, and savory (also sometimes referred to as umami).

Teaching your little ones about the different types of flavors is a great sensory activity and can also help them learn to differentiate flavors they like versus ones they don’t. Having the vocabulary to know these different flavors can help them better communicate their preferences in the future. Plus, food is just fun!

To experiment with flavors, you can offer a variety of different types of foods and have your little ones try them while you explain what type of flavor is in them. Then, much like with the texture experiments, they can try other foods and attempt to describe them using this new vocabulary. They’re sure to have a lot of fun with this activity, and you’ll enjoy teaching them about different types of food!

Let the Kids Make the Rules

If you want to get really fun and wild during National Opposite Day, you can change everything by letting your little ones make the rules! Kids get to be in charge on Opposite Day, and they’re sure to enjoy their new freedom to the fullest.

Will they decide to have breakfast for dinner? Can they eat dessert before their meal? Will they teach you the lessons and be the ones in charge of making lunches? No one knows what will happen when the kids take control, but that’s the fun part of Opposite Day!

Say the Opposite of What You Mean

The most classic way to celebrate National Opposite Day is by saying the opposite of what you mean. Instead of “yes,” you say “no.” “Red” is “blue” and “dog” is “cat,” while “stop” is “go” and “slow” is “fast.” The conversations are sure to get confusing quickly, but that’s okay! It’s all for fun anyway.

This is also a great challenge to test your children on their word association skills and help them to expand their vocabulary. Not to mention, it’s the perfect opening to explain antonyms and encourage them to learn more words to help them say the opposite of what they mean!

Get Creative (But Backward)

Celebrating National Opposite Day doesn’t have to be as obvious as wearing your clothes backward or saying all the wrong things – it can also be appreciated in smaller ways! For those children who may not be ready for all the opposite speaking but still want to have fun on Opposite Day, challenge them to get creative – backward!

Draw a picture upside down or write your name with the wrong hand. Read a book starting from the last page or take a picture of someone’s back facing the camera. Play around with different voices – both quiet and loud – or recite your ABCs backward. There are so many creative ways to celebrate Opposite Day – the options are endless!

With all of these fun ways to have a great time celebrating Opposite Day, your whole family is sure to have a good (or maybe “bad”) day! Not to mention, your little ones will definitely appreciate all the silly opportunities you give them to do something a little different.

Do you know of other ways we can have fun with our little ones on National Opposite Day? Tell us in the comments!

About Draven Jackson

Draven is an avid writer and reader who enjoys sharing her opinions on movies, books, and music with the rest of the world. She will soon be working as a teacher in Japan and hopes to use her experience to connect with other teachers and students around the globe. Draven spends most of her time at home with her family, her dogs, and her ferret.

To see more, view all posts by Draven Jackson here.

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