ANZAC Day Printables and Activities

Because I’m American (and we are routinely terrible about learning other peoples’ history), I don’t know a lot about ANZAC Day, though I have shared some ANZAC Day activities before. If you’re also unfamiliar, it’s basically considered the Australia and New Zealand version of Memorial Day in the states, and it commemorates the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I.

ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps, and the Battle of Gallipoli was their first engagement in the war. You can learn some of the basics with this mini unit study printable from Simply Creative Learning, which is aimed at kids ages 5-10. It includes history, the ANZAC ode, the story of Simpson and his donkey and why poppies are often seen on ANZAC Day.

(Simpson refers to John Simpson Kirkpatrick, better known as John Simpson, who used donkeys to help carry the wounded away from the battle.)

Peace Through Grace has a free 20 page printable pack for ANZAC Day, which includes reading, writing, science and craft activities, and it uses immersive storytelling to make the facts more real and relatable for kids. This one is also aimed at kids ages 5-10, but you could adapt it for older kids as well.

The Sydney Teacher has a printable pack that includes a poppy to color, comprehension passage about ANZAC biscuits, and a recipe for making them. (ANZAC biscuits were a food that became popular during the war because of their long shelf life.)

Another great learning pack comes from Laughing Kids Learn. This one includes hands on activities, coloring pages and a word scramble, as well as facts, printable posters, writing exercises, comprehension worksheets and more. You can buy it direct from her Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Little Learner Hub on Teachers Pay Teachers also has an activity for making ANZAC biscuits, which includes the recipe and a worksheet where kids can describe the process.

If you want to dig more into the stories of ANZAC Day in a way that’s appropriate for kids, check out this picture book list from A Few Small Adventures.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?

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