ANZAC Day Teaching Resources for Primary School

ANZAC Day Teaching Resources for Australian Primary Schools

ANZAC Day, 25 April, is one of Australia's most important national commemorations. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War — the landing at Gallipoli in 1915. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Today, ANZAC Day is a day of remembrance for all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. For schools, it is an opportunity to help students understand the values of remembrance, service, sacrifice, mateship, and the ANZAC spirit — and to do so in a way that is age-appropriate, respectful, and culturally sensitive.

Teaching ANZAC Day with Sensitivity

ANZAC Day is a topic that requires careful, thoughtful handling in the classroom. Students come from diverse backgrounds, and the subject involves loss, grief, and the realities of conflict. Some practical guidelines:

• Focus on values, not violence — centre your teaching on remembrance, courage, mateship, and service rather than graphic details of war. Young children do not need to know the specifics of battle
• Use age-appropriate language — Foundation students can understand "people who helped keep us safe" without needing to confront the full weight of war
• Acknowledge diverse service — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have served in every conflict involving Australia, often despite facing discrimination at home. Acknowledging Indigenous service is an important part of teaching the full story of ANZAC Day and aligns with schools' Reconciliation Action Plans
• Acknowledge women's contributions — nurses, volunteers, and women on the home front played essential roles. Their service is an important part of the ANZAC story
• Be mindful of students' personal connections — some students may have family members who have served or been affected by conflict. Create space for these conversations without requiring disclosure

Curriculum link: ANZAC Day connects to the Australian Curriculum v9 for HASS (History) — particularly the sub-strand of "community, remembrance, and celebration" — as well as English (creating informative, imaginative, and persuasive texts) and The Arts.

See our Key Education Dates 2026 calendar for the full list of important dates for Australian schools this year.

For younger students, ANZAC Day teaching should be gentle, concrete, and focused on the idea of remembering people who helped others. At this age, students are building their understanding of community, belonging, and care — and ANZAC Day fits naturally within that framework.

Picture Books

Reading aloud is one of the most effective ways to introduce ANZAC Day to young children. Quality picture books handle the topic with sensitivity and age-appropriate language. Some well-known titles include:

• My Grandad Marches on ANZAC Day by Catriona Hoy — a child's perspective on marching with their grandfather on ANZAC Day
• ANZAC Ted by Belinda Landsberry — the story of a teddy bear that travels with a soldier, told gently for young readers
• The Bantam and the Soldier by Jennifer Beck — a picture book about a small bantam rooster that befriended soldiers at Gallipoli
• Lest We Forget by Kerry Brown — introduces the ANZAC tradition through a child attending a dawn service
• Simpson and His Donkey by Mark Greenwood — the famous story of John Simpson Kirkpatrick, retold for young audiences

After reading, use simple discussion questions: Who was the story about? How did they help others? Why do we remember them?

Craft Activities

• Poppy craft — paper poppies using red tissue paper, crepe paper, or cupcake liners glued to green pipe cleaner stems. Display as a class wreath or individual poppies
• Rosemary sprigs — talk about why Australians wear rosemary on ANZAC Day (it grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula) and let students make paper rosemary or bring a real sprig to school
• ANZAC Day wreath — collaborative class wreath made from handprints, paper poppies, or painted contributions from each student
• Medal craft — simple paper medals with a message of thanks, helping students understand what medals represent

Writing and Literacy

• Thank you cards — students write simple messages of thanks for people who help keep our community safe
• Procedural writing: ANZAC biscuits — follow a recipe together and write the steps (see the FAQ section for guidance on ANZAC biscuits in schools)
• Word wall — build topic vocabulary: remembrance, courage, brave, service, dawn, poppy, rosemary, march, medal, soldier
• Shared writing — as a class, write sentences about what ANZAC Day means, using picture book discussions as a starting point

Discussion and Reflection

• What does it mean to remember someone? — a simple circle-time discussion that connects ANZAC Day to students' own experiences of remembering people they care about
• Symbols of ANZAC Day — introduce the red poppy, rosemary, The Last Post, and the dawn service. Explain each symbol in simple terms
• Community helpers — connect ANZAC Day to the broader concept of people who serve and help our community (linking to HASS "community" content)

Older primary students can engage with ANZAC Day at a deeper level — exploring historical events, considering multiple perspectives, and producing more sophisticated written responses. The key is still to centre the teaching on values and human stories rather than the mechanics of warfare.

Research and History

• Timeline activities — create a timeline of key events: the formation of the ANZAC forces, the Gallipoli landing (25 April 1915), the eight-month campaign, the evacuation, and how ANZAC Day has been commemorated since. Students can research dates and add illustrations or captions
• Research projects — investigate topics such as the Gallipoli campaign, the role of animals in wartime (donkeys, horses, carrier pigeons), the home front, or the experiences of specific groups (nurses, Indigenous soldiers, the ANZACs from New Zealand)
• Primary sources — examine photographs, letters, diary entries, and postcards from the Australian War Memorial's digitised collection. Discuss what these sources tell us and what questions they raise
• The Ode and The Last Post — read and discuss the meaning of the Ode of Remembrance ("They shall grow not old...") and listen to The Last Post. Students can write a reflection on what these traditions mean

Writing Activities

• Diary entry from a soldier's perspective — students write an imaginative diary entry as if they were a soldier at Gallipoli, a nurse, or someone waiting at home. Emphasise feelings, observations, and human experiences rather than violence. This connects to Narrative Writing skills
• Letter writing — write a letter home from the perspective of a soldier, or write a modern letter to a returned service person expressing gratitude
• Information reports — research and write an information report on an ANZAC Day topic: the history of the dawn service, the story of Simpson and his donkey, or the significance of the red poppy. See our Information Report Writing guide for structure support
• Persuasive writing — "Why is it important for young Australians to remember ANZAC Day?" or "Should ANZAC Day remain a public holiday?" are meaningful persuasive topics. See our Persuasive Writing resources for scaffolds and examples
• Poetry — read ANZAC poems (In Flanders Fields, The Ode) and write original poems about remembrance, courage, or peace

Cross-Curriculum Connections

• HASS (History) — the Australian Curriculum v9 History sub-strand on "community, remembrance, and celebration" directly supports ANZAC Day teaching. Students examine why and how Australians commemorate significant events and the role of remembrance in national identity
• HASS (Civics and Citizenship) — explore the concept of civic responsibility, community values, and what it means to serve others
• English — ANZAC Day provides rich contexts for all major text types: narrative, persuasive, informative, and recount. Students practise creating texts for different purposes and audiences
• The Arts — visual arts (poppy art, war memorial sketches, commemorative posters), music (The Last Post, wartime songs), and drama (re-enacting a dawn service or reading The Ode)

Acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Service

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have served in every major conflict involving Australia — from the Boer War to the present day — often while being denied basic rights at home, including the right to vote or to be counted in the census. Their service is a vital and sometimes overlooked part of the ANZAC story.

• Discuss the contributions of Indigenous servicemen and women and the barriers they faced
• Research specific individuals using the Australian War Memorial's collection search
• Connect to your school's Reconciliation Action Plan by embedding Indigenous perspectives into ANZAC Day teaching
• Highlight that for many Indigenous families, military service was both an act of patriotism and a path toward recognition and equality

Understanding the symbols and traditions of ANZAC Day helps students connect with its meaning. These symbols carry deep significance and can be explored across multiple year levels.

The Red Poppy

The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance after poppies grew on the battlefields of the Western Front during World War I. The poem In Flanders Fields by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae helped establish the poppy as a symbol of sacrifice. In Australia, poppies are worn on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day (11 November) as a mark of respect.

Rosemary

Rosemary is the herb of remembrance. It grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula, and Australians wear a sprig of rosemary on ANZAC Day to remember those who served. It is a particularly meaningful symbol for Australian commemorations because of this direct connection to Gallipoli.

The Dawn Service

The dawn service is held in the early hours of 25 April, reflecting the time of the original Gallipoli landing at dawn. Dawn services are held at war memorials and cenotaphs across Australia and at Gallipoli itself. Many schools hold their own commemorative assemblies.

The Ode of Remembrance

Taken from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen (1914), the fourth stanza is recited at ANZAC Day services across Australia:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We shall remember them.

The Last Post

The Last Post is a bugle call played at ANZAC Day services, originally used to signal the end of the day in military camps. It has come to represent the final farewell to the fallen and is one of the most recognisable sounds of ANZAC Day.

The ANZAC March

On the morning of 25 April, veterans, current serving members, and their families march through city streets and towns across Australia. Many schools encourage students to attend or watch the march as a way of connecting with the community's act of remembrance.

Classroom Ideas for Teaching Symbols

• Create a poster or display explaining each ANZAC symbol with illustrations and descriptions
• Listen to a recording of The Last Post and write a reflection
• Read the Ode of Remembrance together and discuss its meaning line by line
• Compare ANZAC Day symbols to other symbols of remembrance around the world

Quality literature is one of the best ways to introduce ANZAC Day respectfully and meaningfully. These books are commonly used in Australian primary classrooms and handle the topic with care.

Foundation to Year 2

• My Grandad Marches on ANZAC Day by Catriona Hoy — a gentle, child-centred perspective on ANZAC Day
• ANZAC Ted by Belinda Landsberry — a teddy bear's journey with a soldier, suitable for very young children
• The Bantam and the Soldier by Jennifer Beck — a picture book about an unlikely friendship at Gallipoli
• Lest We Forget by Kerry Brown — introduces dawn services and ANZAC traditions for young readers
• Where the Poppies Now Grow by Hilary Robinson — a picture book about friendship and remembrance

Year 3 to Year 6

• Simpson and His Donkey by Mark Greenwood — the iconic Australian story, beautifully illustrated
• Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood — a more detailed account for older primary readers
• Meet the ANZACs by Claire Saxby — an engaging introduction to who the ANZACs were
• An ANZAC Tale by Ruth Starke — follows two boys, one Australian and one Turkish, during the Gallipoli campaign
• The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett — a novel about a soldier in France who carries a silver donkey charm, suitable for Year 5–6 independent readers or class read-aloud
• Soldier Boy by Anthony Hill — a novel based on the true story of a young Australian soldier at Gallipoli, appropriate for Year 6