Learning about Burns Night through play

By Danielle Benner

My name is Danielle, @my_cornishpixies_and_me on Instagram, and I live in Cornwall with my family. I discovered Babipur around eight years ago while searching for cloth nappies and organic clothing suitable for my son, who has sensitive skin. Through Babipur, I was also introduced to their beautiful range of wooden toys and quickly fell in love with them and been hooked ever since!

Crafting has always been a hobby of mine, so being able to create pieces inspired for a company I love has been especially meaningful. It has been such a joy to be part of the Babipur community over the years.

Burns Night Crafts for KidsLooking for easy, creative ways to celebrate Burns Night with children? Whether you’re planning a relaxed craft afternoon at home or a classroom activity linked to Scottish culture, these simple ideas invite children to explore tradition through making, colour, and hands-on play.

From tartan patterns and paper chains to peg dolls dressed for Burns Night, each activity is designed to be approachable, open-ended, and enjoyable for a range of ages.

What is Burns Night?

Burns Night is celebrated in honour of Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. It’s traditionally a time for poetry, music, storytelling, and shared food, but for children it’s also a wonderful opportunity to explore Scottish culture through art and play.

Tartan, flags, music, and dress all lend themselves beautifully to creative activities that feel meaningful rather than formal.

When is Burns Night 2026?

Burns Night takes place every year on 25th January, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday 25th January. A perfect day for a slow, creative celebration at home, or for setting up a craft table in school or nursery.

Fun Burns Night Crafts for Kids

A huge thank you to Danielle from @my_cornishpixies_and_me for sharing these thoughtful and inspiring craft ideas with us. They work just as well around the kitchen table as they do in a classroom setting and are easy to adapt for different ages and abilities.

If you’re searching for Burns Night activities for kids, Scottish-themed crafts, or simple DIY decorations, these ideas are a lovely place to start.

Needle Felt Burns Night Bunting

A calm, satisfying craft that older children and adults can enjoy together, resulting in decorations that can be brought out year after year.

For this activity, we’ve used Glückskäfer felting wool, which we stock at Babipur. It’s available as a 15-colour felt wool pack as well as individual colours, making it easy to choose shades that suit tartan patterns or the Scottish flag.

Glückskäfer felting wool is naturally dyed and designed specifically for needle felting. Unlike loose craft wool or roving intended for spinning, felting wool has a texture that mats together easily when worked with a felting needle. This makes it ideal for creating defined shapes, layering colour, and adding fine details like tartan lines and crosses.

We also stock felting needles, which are essential for this technique. The small barbs on the needle catch and tangle the wool fibres as you work, gradually firming them into a solid piece.

You’ll need:

• Glückskäfer felting wool (15-colour pack or individual colours)
• Felting needles
• Felting mat
• Cookie cutters
• String or twine

How to make:
Use a cookie cutter as a guide and gently needle-felt wool inside the shape to form a base. Once firm, layer thin strips of wool on top to create tartan patterns or a Scottish flag design. Continue felting until the layers hold together securely, then remove from the cutter. Thread your finished pieces onto string to create simple Burns Night bunting.

This activity supports fine motor skills, concentration, and colour exploration, while allowing children to experiment freely with pattern and design.

Tartan Paper Chains for Burns Night

This activity is all about designing your own tartan. Before cutting or looping anything, children are encouraged to spend time filling a whole page with colour, line, and pattern, taking inspiration from traditional tartans while creating something entirely their own.

Tartan is closely associated with Scotland and has been used for centuries as a woven pattern in cloth. Traditionally, tartans were made up of repeated lines and blocks of colour, with different combinations often linked to families, regions, or groups. Exploring tartan through art gives children a simple way to connect pattern, history, and identity, without needing to replicate anything exactly.

By drawing straight lines in different directions and choosing colours that feel right together, children can experiment with rhythm, balance, and repetition, building confidence in their own design choices.

For this activity, we’ve used Medenka beeswax crayons, which are particularly well suited to bold, expressive mark making. Their rich pigments and smooth texture allow children to draw strong lines without pressing hard, making them comfortable to use for longer periods. The natural beeswax gives the crayons a warmth and grip that many children find satisfying, especially when covering larger areas of paper.

We’ve paired the crayons with ökoNORM watercolours, painting over the top once the drawing is complete. The wax resists the paint, allowing the crayon lines to stay visible underneath. This resist effect helps children see how different materials interact, while adding depth and variation to the finished tartan.

You’ll need:

• Paper
• Medenka beeswax crayons
• ökoNORM watercolour paints
• Scissors
• Tape

How to make:
Start by drawing straight horizontal and vertical lines across the page to form a grid. Colour some sections with crayons, choosing a limited palette or experimenting freely. Once finished, paint over the entire page with watercolours and allow it to dry fully. Cut the paper into strips, then loop and tape them together to create bright tartan paper chains.

These make wonderful decorations for classrooms, shelves, or party spaces, and each chain tells its own story through colour and pattern.

Perfect for decorating classrooms or party spaces.

Burns Night Kilts for Peg Dolls

One of the loveliest ways to bring Burns Night to life is through small world play. For this activity, Danielle and her little ones used the Grapat Together Toy Set, dressing the wooden figures in tartan kilts, cosy bonnets, and even handmade bagpipes, all created using Medenka beeswax modelling clay.

The Grapat Together Set is ideal for open ended play. Each figure has a simple, expressive form that invites children to imagine characters, stories, and celebrations rather than follow a fixed script. In this context, the figures became Burns Night guests, musicians, and storytellers, helping children connect tradition with play in a natural, meaningful way.

Using Medenka modelling clay with the Grapat figures was a joy for the children. The clay is beautifully soft and easy to shape, warming quickly in the hands so it can be rolled, pressed, and layered without effort. Because it does not dry out, children can return to their creations again and again, adjusting outfits or inventing new details as their stories grow.

There is also a gentle natural beeswax scent, which adds a subtle sensory element to the activity and makes working with the clay feel calm and comforting rather than messy or overwhelming.

How to make Burns Night peg doll outfits:

• Roll a short strip of beeswax clay and wrap it around the peg doll to form a kilt
• Press gently to secure and smooth the edges
• Add thin lines or small dots of contrasting colours to create a tartan pattern
• Shape a small piece of clay into a bonnet or Tam o’ Shanter
• Use leftover clay to make simple bagpipes or accessories

Because the clay remains soft, children are free to reshape their figures as play develops. This kind of small world activity supports imagination, storytelling, and fine motor skill development in a relaxed and playful way.

Burns Night Print Outs

Sometimes the simplest activities offer the most space for creativity. Colouring and activity sheets allow children to slow down, focus, and enjoy the process of making without instruction or expectation.

Our Burns Night printables work beautifully with crayons, pencils, or watercolours and are ideal for quieter moments at home or as part of a classroom activity.

👉 [Click here to download our free Burns Night activity and colouring sheets]