All About Australia Hands-on Activities and Printables

This Australia Country Pack provides an engaging and hands-on learning experience for preschool and primary students. This educational tool helps children learn about geography by exploring Australia, its culture, people, animals, landmarks, and flag. It improves their geographical knowledge, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, mastering of some early mathematic concepts and encourages curiosity.

About Australia

Australia is known as the world’s largest island. It has over 10,000 beaches, which means you could visit a new beach every day for almost 30 years! The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure in the world and stretches over 2,600 km off the coast of Queensland. Australia is home to unique animals such as kangaroos, koalas, wombats, and wallabies. Cricket and Australian rules football are popular sports in the country, and the Sydney Opera House is a well-known landmark. The capital city is Canberra, but the largest city is Sydney.

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Learning about Australia is important for preschool kids as it helps them develop an early appreciation and understanding of the world around them. It provides exposure to a different country and culture and welcomes diversity. They can learn about the unique animals, geography, and indigenous culture, which can inspire their curiosity and creativity. Understanding different perspectives can also help develop empathy and respect for others. Overall, teaching kids about Australia can broaden their outlook and enrich their early education experiences.

Australia-themed hands-on activities for children

Map of Australia: Use a large map of Australia and let the children identify the different states and territories using tactile exercises like tracing, drawing, or coloring.

Animal Sorting: Provide a collection of pictures of different Australian animals like kangaroos, wombats, and koalas. Let the children sort them into categories based on their habitat, diet, or type of animal.

Aboriginal Art: Introduce the children to the traditional art of Australia’s indigenous people, the Aboriginals. Provide them with samples and materials like bark, stones, or paint to create their own.

Coral Reef Sensory Bin: Create a small sensory bin filled with blue water, sand, rocks, and plastic sea creatures like fish and starfish. Include pictures of the Great Barrier Reef in the activity to learn more about Australia’s coral reef system.

Aussie Cooking: Prepare simple and healthy Australian dishes like Vegemite on toast, Anzac biscuits, or Lamingtons with the children. Encourage them to try new flavors and learn about the country’s culinary culture.

Didgeridoo Music: Play some traditional didgeridoo music for the children and let them listen to the unique sounds and rhythms. You can also provide instruments like drums or shakers for them to create their music.

Outback Play: Set up a small play area representing the Australian outback, complete with rocks, sand, and small plastic animals. Encourage the children to use their imagination to create their adventures and learn about the country’s wildlife.

There are many ways to celebrate Australia Indigenous Day with preschool children, here are a few ideas:

Acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional custodians of the land where the preschool is situated. This could be done through a simple acknowledgment before starting activities or singing a traditional song.

Share stories about Indigenous culture, such as Dreamtime stories or stories about the land and animals. You could read traditional Indigenous books or tell stories verbally.

Have an art and craft activity where children create Indigenous art. This could be using paint, crayons or even creating traditional Indigenous symbols in the sand.

Have a dance session to traditional Indigenous music. Depending on the age and size of your group, you could even have a traditional dance performance or invite an Indigenous performer to come and show the children traditional dances.

Cook traditional Indigenous foods for the children to taste and explore. This could include traditional breads, bush tucker berries, or even kangaroo meat if your preschool has permission to source it.

Use the occasion to learn some Australian Indigenous languages and introduce some Indigenous words to the children. You could print out simple phrases in Indigenous language and teach the children the phrases.

Finish the day with a reflection on what the children have learned and experienced during the celebrations. You could discuss what the children have learned, what they enjoyed and found interesting.

Australia Country Printable

The Australia themed preschool Montessori pack is a comprehensive educational resource that introduces young children to the unique wildlife, culture and geography of Australia. It includes fun and engaging activities designed to enhance language, cognitive, math, and fine motor skills, such as matching cards featuring native animals, mapping exercises, and counting activities. The pack also features lesson plans and teaching guides for teachers to incorporate into their classroom activities and complement their existing curriculum. With lively illustrations and interesting facts, this Montessori pack is a perfect introduction to Australia for preschoolers.