Remembrance Day Classroom Activities

Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November in Australia to commemorate the end of hostilities in World War I. On that date in 1918, the armistice – a historical document which led to the end of the war – was signed between Germany and the Entente (the alliance between Britain, France and Russia, and their respective allies).

We’re certain that you’ll be looking for teaching resources to support your lessons and help your students to learn about this important part of modern history.

“At 11am, stop for one minute and give thanks to all those who sacrificed their todays for our tomorrows”, – Armistice, Queensland Remembers.

Symbolism and Remembrance Day

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields, is an emotive and renowned piece that inspired the use of poppies to remember the fallen. This is a short, informative video produced by the Australian War Memorial, which discusses the symbolism of the red poppy:

Our Remembrance Day Poppy Template is a versatile, free resource which you can use a number of ways in your classroom to help your students remember and honor the men and women who have served in our armed forces.

Remembrance Day Wreath

If your school is holding a ceremony or assembly prior to Remembrance Day itself, representatives from your class may be asked to present a wreath. Try making a  simple wreath from green hand cut-outs (symbolising leaves) and paper poppies made from our Remembrance Day Poppy Template.

Pay Respect to a Soldier

Our Soldier Writing and Craft template is an open-ended activity where students could:

• Write a thank you letter to a current service person
• Write a list of things they’re grateful to the soldiers for
• Write a story about a brave soldier
• Recount a story you’ve read together.

Remembrance Day Poppies

Our new Remembrance Day Poppy Writing Template is an effective way to prompt students to reflect on the sacrifices soldiers and others in service made in World War 2. Have your students record their thoughts and feelings, and display for them to read others’.

Our Remembrance Day Poppy Template is a simple way to have students contribute messages of appreciation for service people and place them into a collective bouquet of poppies. This activity helps children to make personal connections to the past, and express their gratitude to those who have bravely served our country.

Remembrance Day Collaborative Mural

Bring your students together to colour in this beautiful, larger collaborative mural. Our Remembrance Day Collaborative Art activity is a perfect combined effort and would make a beautiful display to welcome visitors, students, and families to your school’s Remembrance Day ceremony.

Remembrance Day Mosaic Activity

To help your class learn even more about the symbolic poppy, we have produced a meaningful Mosaic Poppy Art Activity.

Mosaic art is wonderful for promoting mindfulness. It takes care and consideration – but the effort is well worth the stunning result.

The Mosaic Poppy Art Activity includes all you need to make a rich, eye-catching class display.

• poppy template
• patterned grids for the petals and centre of the flower
• poppy stem.

Remembrance Day Art and Craft

 

After learning all about the symbolism of the poppy, and reflecting on the importance and reverence of Remembrance Day, your students will love creating their own special artwork. As Remembrance Day falls on a Friday this year, having something special to show their family will open up a dialogue about your students’ knowledge and understanding of this important commemoration.

Find all of the above resources, templates, and more classroom resources in our Remembrance Day Resource Collection.