Educator Guide
Meaningful Harmony Week and Belonging Activities
Plan respectful belonging activities that go beyond a one-day display, with discussion prompts, cultural resource checks and ready-to-print resources.
Belonging & cultural diversity · Ages 5–12, with adult reading and age-appropriate discussion · 40-minute sample session
Begin with the practical question “What helps someone take part here?” rather than asking children to represent a country or explain their family. A welcoming message matters most when it is connected to choices about language, access, play and respectful treatment. Harmony Week can introduce this conversation, but inclusion needs to remain visible in ordinary sessions.
Separate a child’s voluntary personal story from claims about an entire culture. Read a source by its named creator, identify the place and context it describes, and avoid treating national flags, food or clothing as a complete picture of someone’s identity.
Set up
Belonging prompts, blank cards, pencils, a shared poster and one carefully selected book or creator-approved resource.
Teaching activities
Notice participation barriers
Give a fictional example: a new participant cannot read the game instructions, or a child wants a quieter role. Ask groups what needs to change in the invitation. Invite two possible solutions and test whether either solution still assumes a skill or material the character may not have.
Build a welcome that offers choices
Pairs design a welcome card that explains what can happen next: watch, ask for help, choose a table or join later. Read the card aloud and ask another pair to follow it. Revise unclear instructions. A decorative “everyone welcome” message can stay, but the practical choices make it usable.
Read a specific story carefully
Choose a book or approved resource by a named creator. Ask who is telling the story, where it is set and what the text actually says. Children can respond to the character without comparing their families. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content, use the AIATSIS resource-selection guidance and seek appropriate local advice; do not copy sacred designs or invent cultural ceremonies.
Turn a belonging display into an action
Add one original contribution per willing participant to a group poster. Translate an idea such as “include others” into an observable action: offer a second role, explain a rule or ask before helping. Return to the display the following week and discuss which change the group actually tried.
A 40-minute session plan
- 5 minutes: Introduce one fictional inclusion scenario.
- 10 minutes: Design and peer-check practical welcome cards.
- 10 minutes: Read and discuss a short, carefully selected text.
- 10 minutes: Build a display with one action the group can trial.
- 5 minutes: Invite an optional reflection or choose the next welcoming change.
Printables to use
Choose the resource that supports your purpose, preview its instructions and select the available paper size. One well-used sheet is enough for a short session.
- Our Group Belongs Poster — Create a shared display linked to a specific participation change.
- Belonging Wall — Collect optional original contributions without requiring family histories.
- What Does Belonging Feel Like? — Use drawing, speaking or a fictional example to discuss belonging.
- Harmony Week Scavenger Hunt — Look for welcoming practices or use a seated picture-based version.
Adapt for the group
Offer picture choices, adult reading and a partner scribe. Children can use fictional characters and may pass. Do not assign a child the role of translator or cultural spokesperson. Extend older learners by comparing the purpose and authorship of two resources rather than asking for more personal disclosure.
Notice and reflect
Notice whether children offer usable choices, ask permission and revise an invitation after feedback. Discuss discrimination directly through age-appropriate fictional examples; do not reduce the conversation to decorations or infer a child’s identity from an artwork.
Research and further reading
The official Harmony Week website places inclusiveness and respect alongside attention to racism. AIATSIS provides a resource-evaluation framework for choosing materials about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Harmony Week — official organiser information
- AIATSIS — evaluating and selecting education resources
Source information checked 15 October 2026. The teaching activities and sample plans are original suggestions from After School Care Printables; source links do not imply endorsement. Check current local curriculum and service requirements when planning.