World Space Week runs from 4 to 10 October, which in 2026 gives schools a full Monday to Friday, 5 to 9 October, early in the autumn term. The easiest World Space Week activities for schools are short, hands-on investigations that fit a single lesson, build up to a launch on Friday, and link straight to the science curriculum: forces, Earth and space, and working scientifically.
This is a week plan you can lift as it is, written by engineers who run space workshops in primary schools, with what each activity covers in the curriculum and how to adapt it from Reception to Year 6.
Why World Space Week works in a primary school
World Space Week is a United Nations celebration of space, held every year since 2000, and anyone can take part. For a school it is a ready-made hook: a fixed date, an international theme to hang a week on, and a subject almost every child is already curious about. The 2026 theme is the Rocket Revolution, about reusable rockets and the growing number of countries that can launch, which makes rockets the natural thread through the week.
It also costs almost nothing. Everything below uses paper, straws, balloons, string, tape and a few plastic bottles.
Curriculum links
| Activity | Best for | National Curriculum link |
|---|---|---|
| Straw rocket fin test | Year 2 upwards | Working scientifically: fair testing, changing one variable |
| Balloon rocket investigation | Years 3 to 6 | Forces (Year 3), measuring and recording results |
| Lander challenge | Years 4 to 6 | Forces (Year 5): gravity and air resistance; design and technology |
| Moon and space station watch | Years 1 to 6 | Earth and space (Year 5): the Moon, the Earth’s movement |
| Launch day showcase | Whole school | Working scientifically: explaining results to others |
Curious what a session looks like?
See how a weekly Space Club runs, week by week, across a term.
A World Space Week plan for school, Monday to Friday
Monday 5 October: launch the week with an assembly
Start with the big question on everyone’s mind: how does a rocket get to space? Show a rocket launch, set up a question wall in the hall where children can post what they want to know, and announce Friday’s launch day. If you would rather have an engineer do it, we run a free whole-school space assembly for primary schools, built around exactly these questions.
Tuesday 6 October: the straw rocket fin test
Each child rolls a paper tube round a pencil, seals one end and launches it by blowing through a straw. Groups then make three rockets that differ in only one way: no fins, small fins, big fins. They launch each one three times, measure the distance or score how straight it flew, and record the results in a table.
This is a clean first fair test: one variable changed, everything else kept the same, repeated measurements. Ask groups to predict before they launch.
Wednesday 7 October: the balloon rocket investigation
Run string across the classroom, thread on a straw and tape a blown-up balloon to it. Let go and it races along the line. Groups investigate one question each: does a bigger balloon go further? Does a longer or shorter straw matter? What if the string slopes upwards? They measure, repeat and compare.
It is the clearest demonstration of how a rocket works: air pushed out of the back, balloon pushed forwards. For older classes, our explainer on how rockets work goes one step further, to why real rockets are mostly fuel.
Thursday 8 October: the lander challenge
This is the Rocket Revolution theme in one lesson. Reusable rockets have to come down gently, so each group designs a lander that protects an egg dropped from a set height. Give every group the same materials, a budget of tape, and fifteen minutes to redesign after the first drop.
Year 5 can name the forces at work, gravity pulling the lander down and air resistance slowing it. Younger classes can use a hard-boiled egg or a small toy instead, and drop from a table.
Friday 9 October: launch day
Take the best designs from the week into the playground. Each class launches its straw rockets, the lander finalists do their drop in front of an audience, and, with enough adults, older classes launch water rockets. Our bottle rocket guide has the build and the launch rules we use: one adult on the pump, everyone behind a marked line, and eye protection for anyone near the launcher.
Finish with the question wall from Monday: which questions can the children now answer themselves?
Adapting it for each key stage
| Stage | What to change |
|---|---|
| EYFS and Year 1 | Decorate and launch paper rockets with a whole-class countdown; watch the balloon rocket as a demonstration; draw the Moon. |
| Years 2 and 3 | Run the fin test with two rockets instead of three; record results with ticks and pictures. |
| Years 4 to 6 | Full fair tests with repeated measurements and averages; the lander challenge with a materials budget; write up a conclusion. |
Register your school’s event
World Space Week keeps a calendar of events around the world, and schools can add theirs on the official World Space Week website. It is free, it puts your school on the global map for the week, and registered events can use the official World Space Week logo on letters home and displays.
After the week
If the week lands well, a space club is a natural next step. We have written about what a good STEM club looks like and how to start an after-school science club. Families who want to carry on at home can use a World Space Week activity for every day of the week, and if your school is near Portsmouth, point parents to Build Your Rocket at Portsmouth libraries on Saturday 10 October.
Questions teachers ask about World Space Week
When is World Space Week 2026?
World Space Week 2026 runs from Sunday 4 October to Saturday 10 October, so the school days are Monday 5 to Friday 9 October.
Does it cost anything for a school to take part?
No. Taking part and registering an event are free, and the activities above use cheap classroom materials.
Can we do World Space Week in a single lesson?
Yes. The straw rocket fin test fits one lesson on its own, covers fair testing, and needs only paper, tape and straws.
Which year groups does it suit?
All of them. Reception and Key Stage 1 build and launch; Key Stage 2 investigates, measures and explains. The table above shows how to adapt each activity.
Mirko Viviano
Founder of Louno Space Education CIC. Runs space-themed STEAM clubs, workshops and assemblies in primary schools across the UK.
Ready when you are
Start with a free assembly
Forty-five minutes, the whole school, no cost and no catch: the easiest way to see what we do before committing to anything.
