World Oceans Day

From UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea

Resource type: Event

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5

Region(s): All of UK

In 2008, the United Nations designated 8th June as World Oceans Day, a day to celebrate the vital importance of our oceans and to raise awareness of our need to protect their resources for future generations. The theme for 2026 is Reimagine: Beyond the World We Know. A New Relationship with Our Ocean.

Download a free World Oceans Day 2026 Guide with discussion prompts to help start conversations around a range of relevant themes and issues.

Cost: Free

About United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea: The UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea provides information and advice to member states to help them implement the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a comprehensive set of rules governing the use of the oceans.

Further resources:

Register on the World Ocean Day for Schools website to access an online assembly on 8th June, live Q&As with ocean professionals and free teaching resources and activities designed to encourage young people aged 5-14 to connect to their local blue space and become ocean advocates.
Explore Books for Topics’ Oceans and Seas and Under the Sea booklists for books to share with primary aged children.
Catch up with author/illustrator Chloe Savage’s online drawing workshop for pupils in Years 1-3 based on her book The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish.
Listen to poets read their poems about Seas and Rivers and find resources to support the teaching of poetry on the Children’s Poetry Archive.
CLPE has created free teaching and discussion notes for a range of award-winning titles that explore Rivers, Seas and Oceans. Sign up for a free introductory membership to access the filters and download the teaching notes.
Hear a selection of poems on the theme of Seas and Rivers read out loud on the Children’s Poetry Archive and explore the range of resources provided to support the teaching of poetry in primary and secondary classrooms.
Ensure your pupils can keep up to date with environmental issues by taking out a school subscription to a junior newspaper or nature magazine. Find a selection here.
Sign up to become a Plastic Clever School, a school-wide challenge to reduce plastic waste with young people at the heart of the action. Free toolkits and supporting resources available for primary and secondary schools.
The Marine Conservation Society has created teaching resources for primary schools.
Find curriculum-linked resources created by the WWF to help primary and secondary pupils explore environmental issues in an engaging and motivating way.