Anzac Day Activities for Kids

Anzac Day is basically the Australian and New Zealand equivalent of Memorial Day or Remembrance Day. Anzac stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps, and it commemorates in particular the conflict at Gallipoli in World War I, though it’s generally a way to honor all those who have died in service to the country.

While it’s a heavy thing to talk to kids about, it’s important for them to know the meaning of these important holidays and to learn more about them.

KidsKonnect has some good facts about the day and printable worksheets about the historical figures involved, what Anzac means and the flags of the different countries that mark Anzac Day.

Twinkl.au has a printable Anzac Day medal worksheet so kids can design their own memorial. They also have a printable silhouette craft and coloring pages including soldiers, poppies, wreaths and more. (These require a free account to download.)

Foundation into First talks about how to talk about Anzac Day with younger kids, and they have a set of Anzac Day activities for grades 1-3 on Teachers Pay Teachers.

A Few Small Adventures has a great collection of picture books about Gallipoli, World War I and Anzac Day to read with kids. Top Teaching Tasks has some great ideas for older kids such as researching war memorials, finding a soldier and taking a virtual tour of Gallipoli.

Poppies are a well-known decoration used for remembrance, and kids can make poppy crafts such as this bottle cap field of poppies from Danya Banya or some of these crafts done by Happy Hooligans. I love the cupcake liner poppy, which is shown here.

If you have access to a kitchen or are willing to bake at home you can also make Anzac biscuits, which are said to have been made by the soldiers’ wives because they could stay fresh for a really long time while they were away from home. Get a recipe from Recipe Tin Eats.

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Learning about Australia for Kids

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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