50+ January Fun Facts For Kids

Celebrate the month of January with your kids and learn lots of January Fun facts including birthstones, flowers, and holidays.

This January Fun Facts month is full of New Year and winter season fun, and a whole lot of HAPPY. January is the start of the New Year and of new beginnings.

Learn with us all about January with these fun facts and we have some added crafts and printables that will make you love the 1st month as much as we do!

Before we get into all of HAPPY January, don't forget to check out last month's December Fun Facts too!

Check out our 365+ Fun Facts For Kids

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The Month of January

The month of January is fun and a HAPPY month! Some of the stats about this month include:

What Month is January? January is the (1st month) the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (12-month calendar).
How Many Days Are In January? There are 31 days in the month of January

While the current calendar has January as the first month of the year, that wasn't always the case. The early Roman calendar (Julian Calendar) only had 10 months and January and February didn't exist.

January Symbols

Each month of the year has a few different symbols within the month. There are birthstones associated with each month. A monthly flower and astrological signs based on a January birth month.

These are all based on the month you were born. These are for the people's January Birthdays - January Babies!

January's Birthstone - Garnet. It is considered a symbol of friendship, trust, protection, commitment, and love. Garnet is also said that the one who wears it will be kept safe during travel.
January's Birth Flower - Carnation
Astrology Zodiac Signs of January - Capricorn, and Aquarius
- Capricorn - December 22nd – January 19th
- Aquarius - January 20 – February 18

Holidays in January

January is the second of the Winter months in the northern hemisphere (above the equator). It is Summer in the southern hemisphere. In North America, most locations experience lots of rain, snow, and cooler temperatures.

Don't forget to celebrate all the Winter fun, check out our Happy Winter Coloring Page, Winter Crafts For Kids, Winter Printables, Winter Bingo, and Winter Word Search.

In terms of January Holidays here are a few:

New Year's Day - January 1st
Ellis Island Day - January 1st

National Spaghetti Day - January 4th
World Braille Day - January 4th
National Trivia Day - January 4th
Epiphany - January 6th
Apple Tree Day - January 6th

National Rubber Ducky Day - January 13th
National Sticker Day - January 13th
National French Bulldog Day - January 13th
National Vision Board Day - January 14th
Ben Franklin's Birthday - January 17th

National Winnie The Pooh Day - January 18th
National Popcorn Day - January 19th
Penguin Awareness Day - January 20th
National Hugging Day - January 21st

Australia Day - January 26th
National Chocolate Cake Day - January 27th
National Puzzle Day - January 29th
National Hot Chocolate Day - January 31st

Floating Holidays or Monthly Celebrations

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Third Monday in January
National Thank You Month
National Soup Month
National Book Month
National Hobby Month
National Skating Month
National Pizza Week - Second Full Week in January

Interesting Facts About January

The month of January was named for the Roman god Janus. Janus had two heads, symbolizing one head looking backward and one looking forward.
January originally had 30 days, until Julius Caesar added the 31st day.
Ellis Island opened on January 1st, 1892. Since the opening, over 20 million people have immigrated to the United States.
It is considered the coldest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is considered the warmest month of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959
In leap years, January always starts on the same day as April and July.
Some celebrities whose birthdays are in January include - Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, Betty White, Justin Timberlake, Ellen DeGeneres, Bradley Cooper
The Portuguese landed in South America (now Brazil) on January 1, 1502. They named the city Rio de Janeiro, which means 'River of January.'

Facts About Winter

Winter is the coldest season of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
During the winter solstice, the Arctic Circle encounters a full day of darkness, lasting for 24 hours.
Guinness World Records notes that the lowest temperature ever recorded occurred on July 21, 1983, at Vostok Station in Antarctica, measuring -128.6°F.
The term for the fear of snow is Chionophobia.
A snowflake consistently has six sides.

Fun Facts For New Years

It is estimated there are approximately 1 million people that ring in the New Year in Time Square, New York City.
The first Tournament of Roses Parade was in 1890.
Eating black-eyed peas, ham, and cabbage on New Year’s Day brings good luck in the U.S.
Eating 12 grapes brings good luck over the next 12 months in the coming year in Spain and Peru on New Year's Day.
The first day of January is called New Year's Day.

Chinese New Year Facts

The Chinese Calendar follows the movement of the moon and sun. The Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 21 each year.
The Chinese New Year is the one of most important holidays for the Chinese people.
It is celebrated by close to ¼ of the world's population.
There are many Chinese New Year Snacks and Foods that are traditional to the holiday.
There are quite a few symbols of good luck including the Dragon, Oranges, and the color red!

Martin Luther King Jr. Facts

Martin Luther King Jr started college at age 15. He was gifted and skipped both 9th grade and 12th grade.
He was born with the name Michael King Jr. His father, changed his own name when King Jr. was 5 years old. Then subsequently changed his son's name.
Martin won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964
His famous speech, "I Have a Dream" was delivered in 1963 at a rally named March on Washington.
MLK Jr. was assassinated tragically on his balcony in Tennessee in 1968.

Other Fun January Activities

The beginning of the year is all about starting new and resetting. In January there are lots of Winter, Chinese New Year, and Visual Board fun too. We have lots of different crafts, printables, and coloring pages for January.