Every Catholic child has a whole family in heaven cheering them on—and All Saints Day is the day we celebrate them. It’s one of the most joyful feasts of the year—and a big reminder that your kids are called to be saints too. Here is everything you need to explain it simply and celebrate it well with kids ages 2–8.

In This Guide

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• What Is All Saints Day? (A Kid-Friendly Explanation)

• All Saints Day 2026 at a Glance

• Why Do Catholics Celebrate the Saints?

• A Short History of All Saints Day (and Halloween)

• 10 Simple Ways to Celebrate All Saints Day with Kids

• All Saints Day Activities by Age

• How to Host a Simple All Saints Day Party

• All Saints Day FAQ

What Is All Saints Day? (A Kid-Friendly Explanation)

A saint is someone who loved God with their whole heart and is now with Him forever in heaven. Some saints are very famous, like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Thérèse. But there are many, many more saints whose names we don’t know—moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, children, farmers, teachers, and helpers who quietly loved Jesus every day.

Most saints have their own feast day on the calendar. All Saints Day is the one day each year when the Church celebrates all of them together—like a giant family party in heaven that we get to join from earth.

How to explain All Saints Day to a preschooler:

• “Saints are God’s friends who are in heaven with Jesus.”

• “They are part of our Church family, and they pray for us.”

• “Today we say thank you to God for all of them—even the ones we don’t know by name!”

• “God wants you to be a saint too, by loving Him and loving others.”

All Saints Day 2026 at a Glance

• Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026

• Official name: The Solemnity of All Saints

• Holy Day of Obligation? Yes. Because it falls on a Sunday in 2026, the Solemnity of All Saints replaces the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, and Catholics attend Mass just as they do every Sunday. Saturday evening vigil Masses on October 31 celebrate All Saints.

• Liturgical color: White

• Mass readings: Revelation 7:2–4, 9–14; Psalm 24; 1 John 3:1–3; Matthew 5:1–12a (the Beatitudes)

• The day before: Halloween, October 31 (“All Hallows’ Eve”)

• The day after: All Souls Day, Monday, November 2, 2026

Good to know: In the United States, when November 1 falls on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted. That doesn’t apply in 2026, since the feast is on a Sunday.

Why Do Catholics Celebrate the Saints?

Catholics believe in the Communion of Saints—that all of God’s people, living and dead, are joined together as one family in Christ (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 946–962). The Church describes this family in three parts:

• The Church Triumphant — the saints in heaven. We celebrate them on All Saints Day, November 1.

• The Church Suffering — the souls in purgatory being made ready for heaven. We pray for them on All Souls Day, November 2.

• The Church Militant (the pilgrim Church) — all of us still here on earth, trying to follow Jesus.

Because we are all one family, the saints in heaven can pray for us—this is called intercession (CCC 954–959). When we ask a saint to “pray for us,” it’s like asking a good friend to pray for you, except this friend is already with God.

One important thing to teach kids: we honor the saints, but we worship God alone. The saints are not rivals to Jesus. They are like mirrors reflecting His light, and every one of them points us back to Him.

A Short History of All Saints Day (and Halloween)

• Early 600s: Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome—once a pagan temple—to Mary and all the martyrs, on May 13 in the year 609 or 610.

• 700s: Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica to all the saints and set the celebration on November 1.

• 800s: Pope Gregory IV extended the feast to the whole Church (around the year 835).

So how is Halloween connected? The old English word hallow means “holy one” or “saint.” All Saints Day was once called All Hallows’ Day, and the evening before it was All Hallows’ Eve—which we now shorten to “Halloween.” Halloween is the vigil (the night before) of All Saints Day, the way Christmas Eve comes before Christmas.

10 Simple Ways to Celebrate All Saints Day with Kids

You don’t need to do all of these! Pick two or three that fit your family this year, and let the rest become traditions over time.

1. Go to Mass together.
Mass is the heart of the day. Before you go, tell your kids to listen for the Gospel of the Beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor in spirit…”)—Jesus’ own “recipe” for becoming a saint. Afterward, ask: “Which ‘blessed are’ did you hear?”

2. Pray a kid-sized Litany of the Saints.
Take turns naming a saint, and everyone answers, “Pray for us!” Include each family member’s name saint, your parish patron, and grandparents’ favorite saints. Little ones love shouting the response.

3. Learn about your name saints and patron saints.
Look up the saint each child is named after (or choose a patron together), find their feast day, and add it to your family calendar so you can celebrate it next year.

4. Dress up as a saint.
Saint costumes are a beloved All Saints tradition—and they don’t have to be fancy. Our easy DIY saint costume guide shows how to make dozens of saints with T-shirts, sheets, and one good prop.

5. Read saint stories aloud.
Build a small stack of saint books and snuggle up for story time. Our list of beautiful Catholic picture books for preschoolers is a great place to start.

6. Make a saint craft.
Hands-on crafts help little ones remember what they learn. Pop-up saints for your prayer table, prayer pockets, little saint books, and candle covers are all simple enough for preschoolers. See step-by-step ideas in our All Saints Day crafts and activities guide.

7. Set up an All Saints prayer table.
Cover a small table with a white cloth (the color of the feast) and add a candle, a crucifix, and your family’s favorite saints.

8. Choose a “saint virtue” for the week.
Pick one saint and one virtue to practice together: St. Thérèse’s “little way” of small kindnesses, St. Francis’s care for animals and the poor, or St. Martin de Porres’s cheerful helpfulness.

9. Have a feast day treat.
Even a simple “halo” donut makes the day feel special (more snack ideas in the party section below).

10. Remember that you are called to be a saint.
End the day by asking each child, “What is one way you can love God like a saint tomorrow?” This is the real point of the feast: holiness isn’t just for people in stained-glass windows—it’s for us.

All Saints Day Activities by Age

Toddlers (ages 2–3)

• Practice saying “Pray for us!” during a short litany.

• Color one simple saint picture while you tell that saint’s story in two or three sentences.

• Play “find the saint” with holy cards or saint figures hidden around a room.

Preschoolers (ages 4–5)

• Assemble a pop-up saint or a little saint book and place it on your prayer table.

• Match saints to their symbols: St. Thérèse and roses, St. Patrick and the shamrock, St. Lucy and her candle crown, St. Joan of Arc and her armor.

• Dress up and act out one short scene from a saint’s life.

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

• Research a patron saint and present three clues in a “Guess Who?” game.

• Read the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12) and match each one to a saint who lived it.

• Make a saint bookmark and use it in their reading book all month.

Catechists and classrooms: Assign each child a saint a week ahead, invite them to bring one prop from home, and hold a short saint parade with a litany at the end. Crafts that stand up on their own (like pop-up saints) make a beautiful display for parents.

How to Host a Simple All Saints Day Party

An All Saints Day party is one of the most joyful ways to celebrate with friends, your co-op, or your parish. Here’s a simple plan that works for a family gathering or a big group:

1. Invite guests to come dressed as a saint. Ask each child to be ready to share one fact about their saint.

2. Start with a costume parade. Each child walks in, shares their clue, and everyone guesses the saint.

3. Play saint games. Saint bingo, “Guess the Saint” from three clues, a saint matching game, or a saint board game all work well for mixed ages.

4. Serve saint-themed snacks. Rose cupcakes (St. Thérèse), goldfish crackers (St. Peter the fisherman), shamrock cookies (St. Patrick), animal crackers (St. Francis), and “halo” donuts for everyone.

5. Close with prayer. Pray a short Litany of the Saints, with the kids answering “Pray for us!”

Parish and co-op tip: Keep games short, add a quiet coloring table for the youngest guests, and ask a few parents to each run one station.

A Simple All Saints Day Prayer for Families

Dear God, thank You for all the saints in heaven—the ones we know by name and the ones only You know. Thank You for giving us such a big family to cheer us on. Help us to love You and love others the way they did, so that one day we can be saints with them in heaven. All you holy men and women, pray for us. Amen.

All Saints Day FAQ

Is All Saints Day a holy day of obligation in 2026?
Yes. In 2026, All Saints Day falls on Sunday, November 1, so Catholics fulfill the obligation by attending Mass as on any Sunday (including a Saturday evening vigil Mass on October 31). The Solemnity of All Saints replaces the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time that year.

What’s the difference between All Saints Day and All Souls Day?
All Saints Day (November 1) celebrates everyone who is already in heaven. All Souls Day (November 2) is a day to pray for all the faithful departed who are still being purified in purgatory. One day we celebrate; the next day we pray. Read more in our post on remembering All Souls Day.

Is Halloween related to All Saints Day?
Yes. “Halloween” comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” the evening before All Hallows’ (All Saints’) Day. Hallow is an old word for a holy one, or saint.

Do Catholics worship the saints?
No. Catholics worship God alone. We honor the saints as holy members of God’s family and ask them to pray for us, just as we would ask a friend to pray for us.

What color is used at Mass on All Saints Day?
White, the color of joy and of the Church’s greatest celebrations.

Keep Celebrating the Saints

• All Saints Day Crafts & Activities for Kids — step-by-step saint crafts, printables, and DIY ideas.

• Easy Saint Costumes for Kids — no-sew costume ideas and a saint prop cheat sheet.

• November Feast Days — All Saints, All Souls, Christ the King, and more.

• Remembering All Souls Day — the very next day, November 2.

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