Three Kings Day With Kids: Shoe Night and a School Morning

In 2027, Three Kings Day (Día de Reyes) falls on Wednesday, January 6, which means the magic night of January 5 is a Tuesday and, for many families, the morning after is a school day. You can absolutely do both. Set out the shoes and the grass right after dinner, keep bedtime at its usual time, let the kids open their gifts before breakfast with ten extra minutes on the clock, and save the rosca for after school. Here’s the whole plan, friend, from the shoe line-up to the backpack by the door.

What happens on the night of January 5

Three Kings Day marks the arrival of the three wise men, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, with their gifts for baby Jesus. The Los Angeles Public Library explains that in many Spanish-speaking countries it’s the day “that gifts are traditionally exchanged and not on Christmas.”

The evening before is the part kids love most. The library describes it this way: “The night before January 6th, thousands of children clean their shoes and leave them ready with a list for the Magi. Sometimes, they also leave food for the Magi and straw and water for the camels. The next day, shoes are filled with toys, gifts or treats.”

Families do it a little differently from place to place. FamilySearch’s guide to Three Kings Day notes that:

• In Mexico, “on January 5, children across the country eagerly leave out their shoes, anticipating the arrival of goodies and small gifts left by the three wise men.”
• In Puerto Rico, children fill “boxes with grass or hay to offer to the camels and horses that the magi ride,” then “place the box under their beds.”
• In Argentina, shoes are left “either under the Christmas tree or by the door” on the Night of Kings, along with grass, snacks and water.

Then comes the rosca de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread shaped like a crown. In Mexico, the library says, “a small plastic figure representing baby Jesus is introduced in the bread and the person who finds it gains the title of godfather and will have to host a party on Candlemas, on February 2.” FamilySearch adds that the party is “a meal of tamales.”

The 2027 problem: a Tuesday night and a Wednesday morning

Winter break end dates vary by district, so check your school calendar first. If school is back by January 6, you’re juggling a once-a-year night with a regular weekday.

Betteroo’s month-by-month calendar for January 2027 suggests that families “start shifting back to the school or daycare schedule two or three days before the first day back, moving bedtime and wake time toward normal in small steps.” If your kids have had two weeks of late nights, start that shift by Saturday or Sunday, January 2 or 3. That way the excitement of Tuesday night lands on a child who’s already back on school time.

Shoe night, run like a party plan

Think of January 5 as a small party with a hard stop.

1. Early dinner. Aim to be finished by 6:00, so there’s time for everything without pushing bedtime.
2. Grass collecting. In much of the US, the yard is frozen or brown in January, so a handful of straw or hay from a craft or feed store works just as well. Let the kids fill a shoebox or a small basket. It’s a great job for a 3-year-old.
3. Shoe cleaning. The library mentions children cleaning their shoes. Give each child a damp cloth and let them wipe down one pair. It’s a calm, focused job right before bed.
4. Letters to the Kings. Kids who can write make a short list. Little ones can draw a picture or dictate one wish to you.
5. The line-up. Shoes by the door, under the tree or a box under the bed, whatever your family does. Add a small bowl of water for the camels.
6. Straight into the routine. Bath, pajamas, book, lights out. Same as any school night.

A picture book helps everyone settle. Hurray for Three Kings’ Day! is one of the titles on the Los Angeles Public Library’s Three Kings Day book list, and it makes a cozy shoe-night read.

Babies and toddlers on shoe night

Babies. Set out their tiny pair for the photo and keep bedtime exactly as usual.

Toddlers. They’ll love the grass collecting and the water bowl. Two things to watch. First, the gifts: HealthyChildren’s choking-prevention page lists “toys with small parts” and “coins” among household choking hazards, so keep tiny trinkets and chocolate coins out of a toddler’s shoe. Second, the siblings. The same page warns that “many choking incidents happen when older brothers or sisters give dangerous foods, toys or small objects to a younger child.” Ask big kids to check with you before they share their shoe treats.

Bedtime on an exciting night

Expect it to take longer to fall asleep. Excitement looks a lot like being wired: chatty, thirsty, popping out of bed to check the shoes. Our guide to bedtime the night before something exciting has the full wind-down, and the short version is: walk through tomorrow once, then close the subject and keep the routine boringly identical.

Don’t push bedtime later. Don’t move it much earlier either, or you’ll have a child lying awake for an hour. Keep the usual school-night time.

Set one clear morning rule before lights out, too: nobody checks the shoes until it’s time to get up. Otherwise you’ll have a 5 a.m. visitor.

The school morning after

This is where the plan pays off.

• Set your own alarm ten minutes early. Give the kids those ten minutes to open their shoes before breakfast. That’s plenty of time for a few small gifts.
• Keep the gifts small and simple. A book, a small toy, some treats. Save the big building set for after school, when they have time to enjoy it.
• Backpacks packed the night before. Bags, shoes for school and lunches all ready on Tuesday evening. The magic shoes are not the school shoes!
• Check the school’s toy rule before anyone packs a new gift in their backpack.

If someone’s tired by Wednesday afternoon, that’s normal. Betteroo’s guide to how many hours school-age kids need puts 6- to 12-year-olds at “9 to 12 hours” and suggests you “pick bedtime by counting back from wake-up time.” If Tuesday ran late, keep the wake-up time and make Wednesday’s bedtime a little earlier.

The rosca after school

Cut slices for little ones yourself. That tiny baby figurine is a small plastic object, and HealthyChildren’s choking page lists “toys with small parts” as a hazard. Cut a young child’s slice and check it before you hand it over. The same page recommends cutting food for young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch.

Then the fun part: whoever finds the figurine hosts on February 2. It’s a built-in excuse for another party in a month that needs one.

If December already had you hosting nine nights of Las Posadas with kids, Three Kings Day is the sweet, smaller finale of the season.

Magic night, easy school morning. Betteroo builds an age-right bedtime plan from a quick quiz, so the holidays wind down and school mornings start on time. Take the free sleep quiz →

FAQ

When is Three Kings Day in 2027?

Wednesday, January 6, 2027. The evening of the shoes and the grass is Tuesday, January 5.

What do kids put in their shoes for Three Kings Day?

Children clean their shoes and leave them out, often with a letter or list for the Kings. Many families also leave grass or hay and water for the camels. In the morning, the shoes hold small gifts and treats.

What if Three Kings Day is a school day?

Do the shoes and grass right after an early dinner, keep the usual bedtime, give ten extra minutes in the morning for gifts and save the rosca for after school.

Shine the shoes, fill the box with grass and get everyone to bed on time. The Kings will handle the rest, you guys!