On January 25th, it’s the wackiest, most upside-down day of the year! National Opposites Day is a great time to have breakfast for dinner, read a book from end to beginning, hit the “mirror” button on your next video call, or let your dog take YOU for a walk.
Keep scrolling for family-friendly activities and videos featuring some of our favorite opposites, antis, and inverses to help you not enjoy this downright silly day.
All About Opposites!
Opposites | Sesame Street
Grades PreK-K
Explore the concept of opposites with Upside Downton Abbey and Sesame Street in this topsy-turvy video.
Opposite Bunny: loud/quiet
Grades Prek-2
In this video segment from Between the Lions, an animated superhero bunny uses his special power of opposites to quiet a loud duck. Featured vocabulary words are loud and quiet. This video segment provides a resource for Fluency, Vocabulary, and Language and Vocabulary Development.
Opposite Ms. O | Odd Squad
Grades K-2
In this clip from Odd Squad watch as Ms. O gets trapped in a mirror, and her reflection escapes! Olympia, Otis and Oona must predict where Opposite Ms. O will be to catch her and free the real Ms. O.
Digit’s Inverse Revelation
Grades 3-5
This Cyberchase clip focuses on the meaning of inverse operations. After the Cybersquad opens a tomb door by turning cat-shaped knobs in certain directions, they are told to “undo what they just did” and lock the door back up. Matt explains that inverse basically means “opposite” and demonstrates by opening and closing his backpack flap.
How to Curve a Ball Backwards Using Science | Physics Girl
Grades 6-12
Curving and bending a ball using the Magnus effect is common in every sport. The effect can be reversed though—kick the ball the same way, and it will bend in the opposite direction!
Topsy-Turvy Activities & Games
Synonym and Antonym Party Game | WordGirl
Grades K-2
When Becky plans her Opposite Day party, she is thrilled with the idea of filling an entire day with antonyms. Since it’s Opposite Day, why not add synonyms to the extravaganza, too? Your students can also celebrate the day with a superpowered party game: Pin the Antonym or Synonym on the Monkey! Practice your word skills and have some fun!
Telekinesis: Opposites Attract | Camp TV
Grades K-5
Telekinisis is the ability to move things with your mind. Impossible? Maybe not. In this Camp TV video from Impossible Science, learn how to use science to make the illusion of moving things with your mind.
Thinkport | Opposite Quantities and Zero Pairs
Grades 6-8
Explore numerical opposites by considering the trajectory of a hot air balloon as it rises and falls in this video from MPT. In the accompanying classroom activity, students watch the video and then play a game in which they move a button along a number line in positive and negative directions, finding the total amount that the button travels in each direction in order to end up where it started.
What Are Antibubbles? | Physics Girl
Grades 6-12
Learn how to make antibubbles and the science behind these fun, unusual spheres. Antibubbles are a spherical shell of air enclosing a droplet of water, all submerged in water. Just the opposite of a bubble!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Maraschino Cherries
All Ages
Because every holiday deserves a sweet treat, enjoy this delectable upside-down dessert recipe from PBS Food!