Join the Toy-Free Month

Join the Toy-Free Month community across Europe and remove commercial toys for a few weeks, a whole month or longer. Invite children to care for nature and explore the world of sustainability through play with natural, recycled and self-made materials and toys.

The Toy-Free Month initiative promotes creativity, imagination, cooperation, problem-solving and early environmental awareness.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Decide to join & form a TFM team
​2. Let us know that you are ready to join the Toy-Free Month community.
Send a short email to [email protected] to express willingness to join the TFM initiative.

Use subject: “TFM – [Kindergarten name] – Interest to participate

Share the following information:

• Name of the kindergarten
• Name(s) of the teacher(s) who will coordinate the TFM practice in the kindergarten
• Number of groups of children where the TFM will be implemented
• Contact information of the coordinator (email, phone)

3. Use the handbook: Sustainable Guide: A Guide to a Toy-Free Month as a tool to prepare for the implementation of the TFM in your kindergarten.
The guide is available here.

4. Plan and implement the TFM practice in your kindergarten.
Review the implementation guidelines available here.
Involve children, kindergarten staff, parents, and local community.
The TFM practice needs to be implemented by the end of July 2026.

5. Reach out for additional support.
Project partners will ensure support via a Q&A document (available here), individual consultations and online TFM sessions.
Reach out and write an email at [email protected].
Kindergarten teachers from partner countries can also write an email to national coordinators:
POLAND: Danuta Łukasińska, Ekopotencjal, [email protected]
REECE: Konstantina Tsafitsa, Innovation Footprint, [email protected]
AUSTRIA and SLOVENIA: Jerneja Šibilja, Primera Zentrum/STEP Institute, [email protected]
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​6. Prepare a report on the implementation of the TFM in your kindergarten and apply for the TFM Ambassador certificate
The template for reporting is available here.
You will receive the Word version by email after you register your interest for the implementation to [email protected].

The report needs to be prepared in English language.
For each group of children in which the TFM will be implemented a separate report has to be prepared.

We recommend documenting the progress of the TFM practice regularly, so it is easier to fill out this report at the end of the TFM practice.

The report will be presented in the second part of the Sustainable Guide for Teachers in August 2026.

The report document is required in order do issue the Toy-Free Month Ambassador certificate. Send the completed report to [email protected].

Let’s make Toy-Free Month the most playful month of the year!

​The Toy-Free Month initiative empowers kindergarten teachers to replace synthetic toys with nature-based activities and sustainable play materials for an entire month (or more). By engaging young learners in hands-on, eco-friendly experiences, the project cultivates environmental stewardship, creativity, and critical-thinking skills from an early age.

​Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the National Agency can be held responsible for them.