NAIDOC Week ideas for OSHC
30 DIY activities for NAIDOC Week at before and after school care or vacation care. Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Acknowledgement of Country Writing
Children write or draw their own Acknowledgement of Country, reflecting on the land they live and play on. A respectful way to mark Reconciliation Week.
NAIDOC Week · Animal Theme · Aussie Outback Day +3Animal Track Casting
Children press model animal tracks into clay or plaster to make casts, then learn to identify native animal footprints.
All About Australia Day · NAIDOC Week · Cooking Day +1Bush Foods Tasting Table
Children taste and smell native Australian foods like lemon myrtle, wattleseed and finger lime, and learn where they grow and who has known them longest.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Gardening Day +3Bush Tucker Garden
Children plant native food species with guidance from a local Aboriginal organisation or nursery, learning how to care for them.
Reconciliation Week · Clean Up Australia Day · Environmental Day +3Caring for Country Walk
Children pick up litter and notice native plants on a nature walk. Connects caring for the environment with respect for Country.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Music and Dance Day +1Clapstick Rhythm Patterns
Children create and copy rhythm patterns with clapsticks or dowels, learning about their use with guidance from local First Nations resources.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Art Attack Day +1Collaborative NAIDOC Mural
Children design and paint a group mural responding to the year's NAIDOC theme, after learning what the theme means.
All About Australia Day · Reconciliation Week · NAIDOC WeekDifferent Views of 26 January
An optional, educator-led talk for older children about why 26 January means different things to different Australians, ending with ideas for a fair and welcoming Australia.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples · NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week +2Everyone Has Rights Poster
Children design posters about Indigenous peoples' rights to their languages, cultures and lands, inspired by the United Nations declaration on these rights.
Torres Strait Islander Culture · NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week +1Exploring Coconuts
An educator opens a coconut while children observe, taste the water and scrape the flesh, learning how coconuts are used in Torres Strait Islander cooking.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Games Day +3First Nations Children's Games
Children play games from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures using official sport resources, learning the story behind each game.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Book Week +1First Nations Story Retelling
Children listen to a story by First Nations authors, then retell it through art or drama in their own way.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples · Science Week · NAIDOC Week +2Indigenous Knowledge Fact Trail
Children follow a trail of clue cards around the room or yard to discover Indigenous knowledge and achievements, from the Budj Bim eel traps to Pacific star navigation.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples · International Mother Language Day · NAIDOC Week +2Indigenous Languages Listening Lab
Children listen to short official recordings of Indigenous languages from Australia and around the world, then mark each language on a map and talk about why keeping languages alive matters.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples · Around the World Day · Culture Celebration Day +2Indigenous Peoples World Map
Children locate and learn facts about Indigenous peoples around the world, such as the Sámi, Māori, Inuit, Maasai and Ainu, and build a shared wall map.
Torres Strait Islander Culture · NAIDOC Week · Cooking Day +1Island Scones and Coconut Pumpkin
Children help cook simple Island-style dishes, such as scones and pumpkin in coconut milk, ideally guided by a Torres Strait Islander community member or resource.
Torres Strait Islander Culture · International Mother Language Day · Mabo Day +2Languages of the Torres Strait
Children discover the main languages of the Torres Strait, Meriam Mir, Kala Lagaw Ya and Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole), and make word cards from an official or community resource.
Mabo Day · Torres Strait Islander Culture · Reconciliation Week +1Listening to Torres Strait Voices
Children watch a short official video about Mabo Day or hear from a Torres Strait Islander guest, then share one thing they learned on a group 'we learned' wall.
All About Australia Day · NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week +1Local Elder Visit: Bush Foods
A local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community member visits to share stories of Country and the bush foods that grow in your area, in their own words.
Mabo Day · Torres Strait Islander Culture · Reconciliation Week +2Mabo Decision Comic Strip
Children learn the true story of the Mabo case from official resources, then retell its key facts in a four-panel comic strip.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Rock and Gem Day +1Painted Pattern Stones
Children paint patterns on river stones using their own designs, after learning about First Nations art with local guidance.
Reconciliation Week · Rock and Gem Day · Silly Stories Day +2Painted Story Stones
Children paint their own simple pictures on smooth stones, then use them as prompts to make up and retell stories in small groups.
Reconciliation Week · NAIDOC Week · Time Travellers DayReconciliation History Timeline
Older children build a simple illustrated timeline of key moments on the road to reconciliation, such as the 1967 Referendum, and talk about why they matter.
Reconciliation Week · NAIDOC Week · Book Week +1Reconciliation Reading Corner
Children help set up a calm, respectful display of picture books and resources sourced from local First Nations organisations, then spend time reading and exploring it.
Reconciliation Week · NAIDOC Week · Harmony Day +1Reconciliation Reflection Wall
Children write or draw what reconciliation means to them and add it to a shared wall, creating a visible record of the group's thoughts and hopes.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples · NAIDOC Week · Weather Watchers +3Seasonal Signs Nature Watch
Children look at an Indigenous seasonal calendar from an official source, then head outside to record the plants, animals and weather signs they can see right now.
Torres Strait Islander Culture · Mabo Day · NAIDOC Week +2Torres Strait Islander Flag Meanings
Children make a paper collage of the Torres Strait Islander flag while learning what each colour and symbol stands for, from the white dhari to the five-pointed star.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples · NAIDOC Week · Games Day +2Traditional Indigenous Games Session
Children play traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander games taken from the Australian Sports Commission's Yulunga traditional Indigenous games resource, learning where each game comes from.
All About Australia Day · NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation WeekWhose Country Are We On?
Children find the Traditional Owners of the land your service is on, learn their name for Country and help write the service's own Acknowledgement of Country.
Reconciliation Week · NAIDOC Week · Rainbow DayYellow Dress-Up Learning Day
Children wear yellow for the day and take part in short, age-appropriate learning about First Nations history, with an optional gold coin donation to a First Nations-led organisation.