We are so super lucky to live in this beautiful country. It is a land of breathtaking beauty and unspoilt nature. It’s easy to take it for granted. We thought we’d put together some simple Australia Day craft to do with the kids. These activity sheets are available to print out from our website.
Australian Flag
What you’ll need:
Watercolour Paints
Paintbrush
Method:
Show the kids a picture of what the Australian Flag looks like. Talk about the different parts of the flag and why they are significant. See below if you need a refresher course on the Australian Flag! Invite them to paint the flag. They might want to paint it exactly the same or they might feel creative and want to make up their own colour scheme. Either option is perfect.
Why does the Australian Flag look the way it does?
In the top left hand corner is the Union Jack. This shows that Australia is part of the British Commonwealth. Beneath the Union Jack is a large white star with seven points. The points represent the six states and the territories. Originally this star had six points. The seventh point, for the territories was added in 1908. On the right hand side are the stars of the Southern Cross. The Southern Cross was chosen because it can always be seen in the Australian sky at night.
Map of Australia
What you’ll need:
Dot Markers, colouring pens, crayons or paints
Method:
Ask your kids if they know whereabouts on the map you are located. Talk about how the landscape differs on the coast compared to the centre. Use your markers or paints to colour the coastal areas green, yellow toward the centre and blue for the ocean.
Aboriginal Flag
What you’ll need:
Cotton Buds or Q-Tips
Red, Yellow and Black Paint
Method:
Show the kids a picture of an Aboriginal Flag. Talk about the reasons behind the colours and shapes of the flag. The black represents the Aboriginal people, the red the earth and their spiritual relationship to the land, and the yellow the sun, the giver of life.
Show them pictures of Aboriginal Art Work. Explain how Aboriginals started using dots to paint their special Dreamtime stories in order to hide the secret meaning. They also used items found in nature to colour their paints. Ask your kids what they could find in nature to make a red, yellow or black colour paint. Invite your kids to paint the Aboriginal Flag using the special dot method.
We'd love to see pictures of your kids enjoying these craft ideas. Please tag us or send us pictures of your kids' beautiful creations.
Here are some other pages available in our Australia Digital Resource. Also check out our gorgeous Australia Craft Box.
