Celebrating ANZAC Day at Kids College: Learning Through Remembrance

The gentle sound of “The Last Post” drifts across our playground as three-year-old Emma stands perfectly still, her small hand placed solemnly over her heart. Nearby, four-year-old Marcus carefully arranges red paper poppies he’s crafted, explaining to his friend that “these flowers help us remember the brave people.”

These moments capture something profound about early childhood education: even our youngest learners can grasp concepts of respect, gratitude, and community when we present them in developmentally appropriate ways.

At Kids College, ANZAC Day represents far more than a public holiday. It’s an opportunity to introduce fundamental values—courage, sacrifice, compassion, and community service—through stories, songs, and hands-on activities that resonate with young minds. Our approach honours the significance of this day while ensuring our activities remain meaningful and accessible for children aged six months to six years.

Understanding ANZAC Day Through Young Eyes

Teaching young children about ANZAC Day requires careful consideration of their developmental stage and emotional capacity. Rather than focusing on the complexities of war or conflict, we frame our ANZAC Day learning around universal values that children can understand and apply in their own lives.

Core Concepts We Explore:

• Bravery: Not just in dramatic circumstances, but in everyday situations like trying something new or helping a friend
• Helping Others: Understanding how people work together to care for their community
• Remembering: The importance of keeping special people and events in our hearts and minds
• Gratitude: Appreciating the people who work to keep us safe and happy
• Community: Recognising that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves

These concepts provide a foundation that children can build upon as they grow, while ensuring our ANZAC Day activities remain positive and age-appropriate.

Stories That Speak to Little Hearts

Literature forms the cornerstone of our ANZAC Day learning program. Carefully selected picture books help children connect with the themes of courage, remembrance, and community service in ways that feel accessible and non-threatening.

“My Grandad Marches on ANZAC Day” by Catriona Hoy This gentle story follows a young child walking alongside their grandfather in an ANZAC Day march. The narrative focuses on family connection, pride, and the continuation of remembrance across generations. Children relate to the family relationship while beginning to understand the significance of commemoration.

During our reading sessions, children often share their own stories about grandparents and special family traditions, creating natural connections between the story and their lived experiences.

“The ANZAC Puppy” by Peter Millett This story introduces the concept of service animals and mateship through the journey of a puppy who becomes an army mascot. The animal protagonist makes the story immediately engaging for young children while introducing ideas about loyalty, friendship, and working together.

“Lest We Forget” by Kerry Brown A beautifully illustrated book that introduces ANZAC symbols like poppies, medals, and dawn services through simple, respectful language. The book helps children understand why we have special symbols and ceremonies for remembrance.

Creating Story Connections After each story reading, we facilitate gentle discussions where children can:

• Share their own examples of being brave or helpful
• Talk about special people in their families
• Discuss ways they can help others in their community
• Connect story themes to their daily experiences at Kids College

These conversations help children internalise the values presented in the stories while building their language and critical thinking skills.

Hands-On Learning Through Creative Expression

Young children learn best through active engagement with materials and concepts. Our ANZAC Day craft activities provide tactile experiences that reinforce learning while creating meaningful keepsakes for families.

Poppy Creation Projects The red poppy serves as a powerful symbol that young children can understand and appreciate. Our poppy-making activities vary by age group:

For Younger Children (6 months – 2 years):

• Sensory play with red and black materials
• Hand-print poppies using washable paint
• Simple sticking activities with pre-cut poppy shapes

For Older Children (3-6 years):

• Paper plate poppies with crepe paper petals
• Coffee filter poppies that demonstrate colour bleeding
• Collaborative poppy gardens using various art materials

Each child’s poppy creation becomes part of a larger display, demonstrating how individual contributions create something beautiful for the whole community.

ANZAC Biscuit Baking Our kitchen becomes a hub of learning as children participate in making traditional ANZAC biscuits. This activity connects children to historical practices while developing:

• Fine motor skills through measuring and mixing
• Mathematical concepts through counting and measuring
• Scientific understanding through observing changes during baking
• Cultural awareness through discussing traditions

Children learn that families used to send these biscuits to soldiers as a way of showing care and support, connecting the activity to themes of kindness and thinking of others.

Memory Books and Art Projects Children create simple memory books where they can:

• Draw pictures of people they’re grateful for
• Dictate stories about times they’ve been brave
• Include photos of family members who serve the community
• Add their poppy artwork and other commemorative pieces

These books become treasured family keepsakes while helping children understand the concept of preserving memories and showing appreciation.

Music and Ceremony: Creating Meaningful Moments

Music provides a powerful way to create atmosphere and teach respect during commemorative activities. Our ANZAC Day observations include carefully selected songs and simple ceremonies that help children understand the solemnity and significance of remembrance.

Songs That Teach and Inspire We incorporate songs that emphasise positive themes:

• “We Are Australian” celebrates our shared identity and diversity
• Simple versions of “Advance Australia Fair” help children connect with national identity
• Original songs about helping others and being brave

Age-Appropriate Ceremonies Our ANZAC Day ceremony is designed to be meaningful yet comfortable for young children:

Flag Raising: Children take turns helping to raise the Australian flag while we discuss what the flag represents. We keep explanations simple: “This flag represents all of us living together in Australia.”

Moment of Silence: We practice brief moments of quiet reflection, explaining that this is a time to think about people we’re grateful for. For very young children, this might last only 10-15 seconds, gradually extending as children develop the capacity for longer periods of quiet reflection.

Laying of Wreaths: Children can participate in laying simple wreaths or individual poppies at a designated area, understanding this as a way of showing respect and remembrance.

The Last Post and Reveille We introduce these traditional bugle calls in a way that helps children understand their significance:

• “The Last Post” signals a time for quiet thinking
• “Reveille” marks the end of our quiet time and a return to activity

Children often describe these sounds as “special music that helps us remember,” demonstrating their understanding of the ceremonial importance.

Connecting ANZAC Values to Daily Life

The most powerful aspect of our ANZAC Day learning is how we connect commemorative themes to children’s everyday experiences. This approach helps ensure that the values we explore during ANZAC Day become integrated into children’s developing character rather than remaining abstract concepts.

Everyday Courage Throughout the year, we reference ANZAC Day learning when children demonstrate bravery:

• Trying a new food becomes an act of courage
• Standing up for a friend connects to protecting others
• Persisting with a challenging task demonstrates determination

Community Service Projects We extend ANZAC Day learning through ongoing community service activities:

• Creating artwork for local nursing homes
• Participating in community garden projects
• Helping with centre maintenance tasks
• Collecting items for local charity drives

These activities help children understand that serving others is something they can do right now, not just something that happens in stories or history.

Gratitude Practices Our ANZAC Day focus on gratitude extends throughout the year:

• Daily acknowledgments of people who help us
• Thank you notes to community workers
• Appreciation activities for families and educators
• Recognition of children’s helpful actions toward peers

Supporting Families in Home Commemoration

We recognise that ANZAC Day learning extends beyond our centres, and we provide resources to help families continue meaningful commemoration at home.

Family Activity Suggestions:

• Attending local ANZAC Day services with young children (with preparation about what to expect)
• Creating family gratitude books or photo albums
• Cooking ANZAC biscuits together and discussing family traditions
• Visiting local war memorials and reading the names together
• Sharing family stories about relatives who served in various community roles

Conversation Starters for Families: We provide parents with simple questions that can spark meaningful discussions:

• “Who are some people who help keep our community safe?”
• “How can we show we’re grateful for the people who help us?”
• “What does it mean to be brave in our family?”
• “How do we remember special people in our family?”

Resource Sharing: Our newsletter includes recommendations for:

• Age-appropriate books families can read together
• Local ANZAC Day events suitable for young children
• Simple craft activities that can be done at home
• Songs and music that reinforce ANZAC themes

Respectful and Inclusive Commemoration

Our approach to ANZAC Day learning is designed to be inclusive and respectful of our diverse community. We acknowledge that families come from many different backgrounds and may have varying relationships with military history and national commemoration.

Cultural Sensitivity:

• We focus on universal values (courage, helping others, community) that resonate across cultures
• We acknowledge that people serve their communities in many different ways
• We welcome families to share their own traditions of remembrance and gratitude
• We ensure our activities remain optional for families who may prefer not to participate

Diverse Perspectives on Service: Our discussions of service and helping others include:

• Healthcare workers, teachers, and emergency responders
• Community volunteers and charity workers
• Family members who care for others
• Children’s own acts of helpfulness and service

This broad perspective helps all children see themselves and their families reflected in our commemoration while maintaining respect for traditional ANZAC themes.

The Lasting Impact of Early Commemoration

Research in early childhood development shows that values and attitudes formed during the preschool years often persist throughout life. By introducing concepts of remembrance, gratitude, and community service during these formative years, we’re contributing to the development of citizens who understand their responsibility to others and their community.

Long-term Benefits We Observe:

• Increased empathy and consideration for others
• Better understanding of community roles and responsibilities
• Enhanced appreciation for family and cultural traditions
• Stronger sense of belonging to something larger than themselves
• Improved ability to show respect in formal or ceremonial situations

Children who participate in our ANZAC Day learning often continue to demonstrate these values throughout their time at Kids College and beyond, suggesting that early exposure to commemoration and service creates lasting positive impact.

Building Tomorrow’s Community Leaders

Through our ANZAC Day program, we’re not just teaching children about history—we’re nurturing the development of future community leaders who understand the importance of service, sacrifice, and mutual support.

When four-year-old Sarah helps a younger child who has fallen, or when three-year-old James shares his snack with a friend who has forgotten theirs, we see the practical application of ANZAC values in action. These small acts of courage and kindness demonstrate that our commemoration learning is taking root in meaningful ways.

Join Us in Meaningful Commemoration

At Kids College, we believe that even our youngest learners can participate meaningfully in community traditions when we present them in developmentally appropriate ways. Our ANZAC Day program demonstrates our commitment to values-based education that prepares children not just for school success, but for meaningful participation in their community.

Share Your Family’s ANZAC Traditions

We’d love to hear how your family observes ANZAC Day and celebrates the values of courage, service, and remembrance. Whether it’s attending dawn services, visiting family graves, sharing stories about relatives who served, or simply talking about people who help others, your family traditions enrich our community understanding.

Send us your stories, photos, or family traditions—we’d be honoured to feature them in our newsletter and share them with our Kids College community. Together, we can show our children the many ways families remember, honour, and serve.

Experience Values-Based Learning at Kids College

Our ANZAC Day program represents just one example of how we integrate meaningful learning opportunities throughout our curriculum. From cultural celebrations to community service projects, we’re committed to raising children who understand their place in the broader community and their capacity to make positive contributions.

Contact us to learn more about our values-based approach to early childhood education and discover how we can support your child’s development into a confident, caring, and community-minded individual.