Harmony Week Activities for Primary School

Harmony Week Activities for Australian Primary Schools

Harmony Week is one of the most meaningful events on the Australian school calendar. Held annually in the week surrounding March 21 — the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — Harmony Week celebrates Australia's cultural diversity and promotes a message of inclusiveness, respect, and belonging. The permanent theme is "Everyone Belongs".

For primary school teachers, Harmony Week offers an opportunity to go beyond a single day of orange clothing and create genuine learning experiences about cultural diversity, identity, and what it means to belong. Whether you're planning a whole-school event or embedding activities into your regular classroom program, the key is making it authentic — helping students understand, appreciate, and celebrate the diverse backgrounds represented in their school community.

Why Schools Celebrate Harmony Week

Australia is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. According to the Department of Home Affairs, nearly half of all Australians were born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas, and more than 300 languages are spoken in Australian homes. Harmony Week acknowledges this diversity as a strength and encourages schools to:

• Build understanding of different cultures, traditions, and perspectives
• Promote inclusion so every student feels they belong
• Address prejudice by fostering empathy and respect for difference
• Connect to curriculum through meaningful, cross-curricular learning — resources like Narragunnawali from Reconciliation Australia can help weave First Nations perspectives into your Harmony Week program

Harmony Week is also an important date in the broader calendar of events that shape the school year. See our Key Education Dates 2026 page for other significant dates to plan around.

Why Orange?

Orange is the official colour of Harmony Week. It was chosen because orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and mutual respect. You'll see students and teachers wearing orange clothing, creating orange decorations, and using the colour as a visual symbol of the week's message. It's a simple but effective way to create a sense of shared participation across the school.

Younger students respond best to concrete, hands-on activities that connect to their own experiences. At this age, the focus should be on helping children recognise that people are different and that difference is something to celebrate — not fear.

"All About Me" and "All About Us" Activities

These are the cornerstone of Harmony Week for early years classrooms:

• Cultural identity portraits — students draw or paint self-portraits and share something about their family's cultural background, favourite food, or language spoken at home
• "Where We Come From" class map — use a world map display and have students (or their families) mark where their family has connections. This creates a powerful visual of the diversity in your classroom
• Family traditions sharing — invite students to bring in a photo, object, or recipe that represents something special about their family. Create a class display or "museum walk"
• "My Name" stories — read picture books about names and identity, then have students share the story behind their own name (who chose it, what it means, family significance)

Craft Ideas for F-2

• Orange hand-print wreath — trace and cut out orange hand prints, then assemble into a class wreath with "Everyone Belongs" in the centre
• Flags of our heritage — students research and colour the flag of a country connected to their family. Display as a bunting across the classroom
• Cultural dress paper dolls — provide templates and materials for students to decorate paper dolls in traditional clothing from different cultures
• Kindness chain — cut orange paper strips and have each student write or draw one way they can help everyone feel they belong. Link into a chain and display in the classroom or corridor

Stories and Read-Alouds

Picture books are essential for Harmony Week in the early years. Some excellent choices:

• The Colour of Us by Karen Katz — celebrates the many beautiful shades of skin colour
• My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald — a story about migration, belonging, and finding comfort in a new country
• I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox — explores who is Australian and what it means to belong
• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson — about the courage it takes to share your story when you feel different
• Under the Love Umbrella by Davina Bell — about the love that surrounds us wherever we come from

Curriculum link: These activities connect to the Australian Curriculum v9 HASS strand (Knowledge and Understanding) for Foundation to Year 2 — specifically exploring how people describe their identity and the groups to which they belong, and how places and spaces are important to people. They also support the Personal and Social Capability general capability, particularly self-awareness and social awareness.

Upper primary students are ready for deeper exploration of cultural diversity, identity, and what makes communities inclusive. Activities at this level should encourage critical thinking, empathy, and real engagement with diverse perspectives.

Discussion and Inquiry Activities

• Cultural diversity research projects — students choose a culture represented in their school community (or one they're curious about) and research its traditions, celebrations, food, music, and values. Present as posters, oral presentations, or digital slideshows
• "Walk in Someone Else's Shoes" empathy activity — read a story or scenario about a child who is new to Australia or who feels different, then discuss: How might they feel? What could you do to help them feel they belong?
• Class charter for belonging — collaboratively create a class charter or pledge about inclusion, using the theme "Everyone Belongs". Students write commitments and sign it as a class agreement
• Interview a family member — students interview a parent, grandparent, or family member about their cultural heritage, migration story, or family traditions. Write up as a narrative or biography

Writing Activities

• Persuasive writing — "Why is cultural diversity important for Australia?" or "Should every school celebrate Harmony Week?" are excellent persuasive text prompts
• Narrative writing — "Write a story about a child who moves to Australia from another country" or "Imagine you are visiting a friend's cultural celebration for the first time"
• Poetry — write poems about belonging, identity, or what "home" means. Explore different forms: free verse, acrostic (HARMONY, BELONG), or shape poetry
• Information reports — research Australia's cultural diversity statistics and write an informative text about multiculturalism in Australia

Creative and Performing Arts

• Harmony Week assembly item — classes can prepare songs, dances, or dramatic performances that celebrate cultural diversity. Students could learn a greeting or a short phrase in multiple languages
• Collaborative art mural — create a large-scale mural representing the theme "Everyone Belongs". Each student contributes a tile, panel, or section
• Music exploration — listen to music from different cultures, discuss instruments and styles, and compare musical traditions. Students could bring in music from their own cultural background
• Cultural cooking — if your school allows it, a shared lunch or cooking activity where families contribute dishes from their heritage is one of the most memorable Harmony Week experiences

Curriculum link: These activities align with the Australian Curriculum v9 HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) outcomes for Years 3-6, including exploring diverse cultural groups and their contributions to Australian society, and the significance of celebrations and commemorations. They also connect to English (creating persuasive, narrative, and informative texts), The Arts (visual arts, music, drama, and media arts), and the General Capability of Intercultural Understanding.

One of the strengths of Harmony Week is how naturally it connects across learning areas. Rather than treating it as a standalone HASS lesson, weave the theme through your whole program for the week.

English

• Speaking and Listening — class discussions about belonging, sharing cultural stories, oral presentations on heritage research
• Reading — picture books and novels that explore themes of identity, migration, belonging, and cultural diversity (see book recommendations above)
• Writing — persuasive, narrative, informative, and poetry writing using Harmony Week themes
• Vocabulary — introduce and explore words like diversity, heritage, culture, tradition, belonging, multicultural, respect, and identity

HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences)

• Geography — map where students' families come from; explore how places shape cultural identity
• History — investigate the history of migration to Australia and how it has shaped the country
• Civics and Citizenship — discuss what it means to be a responsible citizen in a diverse community; explore rights, responsibilities, and respect for difference

The Arts

• Visual Arts — self-portraits, collaborative murals, flag art, cultural pattern exploration
• Music — explore music from different cultures and traditions
• Drama — role-play scenarios about inclusion, perform cultural stories, prepare assembly items
• Media Arts — create digital posters, short videos, or slideshows celebrating diversity

Health and Physical Education (HPE)

• Personal and Social Capability — discussions about identity, empathy, managing relationships, and respecting difference. This connects naturally to your ongoing SEL activities
• Traditional games — play games from different cultures around the world. This is both a PE lesson and a cultural learning experience

Mathematics

• Data and statistics — survey the class about languages spoken, countries of heritage, or cultural traditions. Create graphs and charts to represent the data
• Problem solving — use culturally diverse contexts for word problems (e.g. cooking with different measurement systems, planning a multicultural lunch budget)

Classroom discussions are at the heart of Harmony Week. The best conversations happen when students feel safe to share their own experiences and genuinely listen to others. Here are some prompts you can use for circle time, think-pair-share, or whole-class discussions.

For All Year Levels

• What does "Everyone Belongs" mean to you?
• What makes our classroom a place where everyone belongs?
• What is something special about your family's culture or traditions?
• How does it feel when someone makes you feel welcome? How does it feel when they don't?
• What can we do to make sure new students feel welcome at our school?

For Foundation to Year 2

• What is one thing you love about your family?
• Can you teach us a word in another language?
• What is your favourite food from your family's culture?
• What would you do if someone at school felt left out?
• How are we the same? How are we different? Why is that a good thing?

For Year 3 to Year 6

• Why do you think Australia celebrates Harmony Week?
• What does the word "diversity" mean, and why is it important?
• Have you ever felt like you didn't belong somewhere? What helped?
• How can we show respect for someone whose culture or beliefs are different from our own?
• What would our school look like if everyone felt they truly belonged?
• Why is it important to learn about other cultures, even ones that aren't represented in our class?

Picture books and novels are powerful tools for building empathy and understanding during Harmony Week. Here are teacher-recommended titles organised by year level.

Foundation to Year 2

• The Colour of Us by Karen Katz — celebrates the beautiful range of skin colours
• My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald — a gentle story about a refugee girl finding comfort between two worlds
• I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox — who is Australian and what does it mean?
• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson — about finding the courage to share your story
• Under the Love Umbrella by Davina Bell — love surrounds us wherever we come from
• Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy — connecting diversity with First Nations welcome
• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold — a school where every child belongs

Year 3 to Year 6

• Refugees by David Miller — a wordless picture book about the refugee experience (powerful for inference and discussion)
• The Arrival by Shaun Tan — a wordless graphic novel exploring migration, isolation, and finding a new home
• Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman — an accessible novel about an Afghan boy who dreams of playing soccer in a free country
• Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta — identity, belonging, and cultural expectations in an Italian-Australian family (upper primary / early secondary)
• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai — a verse novel about a Vietnamese girl adjusting to life in America
• The Peasant Prince by Li Cunxin — the true story of a Chinese ballet dancer's journey to Australia

How to Use Books in Harmony Week

• Before reading — activate prior knowledge about the theme (belonging, migration, cultural identity)
• During reading — pause to discuss characters' feelings, motivations, and the challenges they face
• After reading — connect to students' own experiences, compare across texts, and use as a springboard for writing or art activities
• Text-to-self connections — ask students how the story connects to their own life or someone they know
• Critical literacy — for upper primary, discuss whose perspectives are included and whose might be missing