Anzac Day Activities the Whole Family Can Enjoy

April 25, 2018, will mark the 103rd anniversary of ANZAC Day, a day dedicated to Australians and New Zealanders who have either served or died in the wars. While our children may have had the privilege of learning the meaning of this special day in school, it would be even more meaningful for them if they learned it within the context of family.

Trace Your Family Tree

Tracing your family’s history with the kids is an excellent way to bond with them on ANZAC Day. You can get a large postcard and some drawing and colouring materials and let the kids map out your family tree with you instructing them. If you’re not familiar with your family tree, there are websites you can check to help you with it. It would be exciting for the kids to learn that they have relatives who served in the military and fought at either the first or second world war.

Anzac Storytelling

Gather everyone in the living room and have the kids sit in front as you tell them wonderful and amazing stories of war heroes. This is best done if you actually did have relatives who have served in the war because the storytelling would be more exciting. Everyone would also feel proud and patriotic that they have a grandfather or great-grandfather who once sacrificed his life for the country.

Make Anzac Day Treats

Take a break from storytelling and get the gang in the kitchen to enjoy some time making a batch of ANZAC treats. Cooking is a great way to bond with children. What makes ANZAC day cooking with the little ones is that it gives you the opportunity to give them some history lessons while creating some special memory with them at the same time. ANZAC biscuits are obviously the choice for this activity, but you can add other Aussie flavours on your list, such as egg and bacon pies, blueberry ripple dampler, and some Leamington doughnuts.

See An Anzac Day March

An ANZAC Day march is one of the best ways to introduce your little ones to the concept of patriotism. There’s a huge chance your community will host a march, and it would be a great idea to take the family to see one. There, your kids will get to see marching bands, rosemaries, poppies, and of course, the Australian flag. If you’re lucky, you could even witness some fighter jets zooming through the skies.

Attend A Dawn Service

A dawn service is usually followed by a march, so attending might be a good idea if you’re also planning to take the kids to the march. You will need some careful planning and preparation for this one, though, especially since you’re taking the entire family including the kids. The key is to have all the stuff the kids need the night before. You might also want to skip breakfast at home and just carry something for the kids to eat on your way to the service. It would also be ideal to explain to the kids the significance of the dawn service and what happens during the service itself, so they’ll know when to talk to each other and when to stay silent and behave like real soldiers.