Celebrate Harmony Week in ECE

March 12, 2025

Celebrating Harmony Week: Playful Ways to Embrace Diversity and Inclusion

Harmony Day (now Harmony Week), celebrated annually on March 21st, is a day to recognize and embrace cultural diversity in Australia. With its signature message, "Everyone Belongs," this day is about inclusivity, respect, and a sense of belonging for all. Whether you’re an educator in early childhood, primary or secondary education, or a professional looking to acknowledge Harmony Day in the workplace, this blog will provide ideas and resources to celebrate meaningfully.

The History of Harmony Day aka Harmony Week

Harmony Day was first celebrated in 1999, initiated by the Australian Government to promote unity and inclusivity across communities. It coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, emphasizing the importance of respect and social cohesion. The day encourages Australians to wear orange, a color symbolizing meaningful conversations about diversity and community harmony.

Harmony Day was expanded and renamed as Harmony Week for its 20th anniversary in 2019. It is a government declared observance celebrated annually on or around 21 March in Australia.

harmony day post with people down the bottom with their hands raised in celebration and then the words of harmony day everyone belongs above.

National and International Importance

Harmony Day is not just an Australian celebration; it aligns with global efforts to promote tolerance, acceptance, and anti-discrimination policies. It echoes international values seen in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities and Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

In Australia, Harmony Day promotes multiculturalism and reflects the cultural richness of the country, where almost half of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas.

Facts about Harmony Week

The first people to live in Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people have been calling these lands home for over 65,000 years.
167 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were used at home by 76,978 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The most widely reported language groups used were Arnhem Land and Daly River Region Languages (14.5%) and Torres Strait Island Languages (12.0%).
Since 1945 over seven million people have migrated to Australia.
Harmony Day takes place on the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Harmony Day started in 1999 and since it started, then more than 25,000 Harmony Day events have been held across the country.
Modern Australians identify with over 270 cultural and ancestral backgrounds.
Events celebrating Harmony Day are held by early childhood education and care services, councils, schools, sporting clubs, community groups and work places across the country.

Activities to Celebrate Harmony Week

To make Harmony Day meaningful and engaging, here are activity ideas tailored for different settings:

For Schools (Primary & Secondary Education)

Wear Orange Day – Encourage students to wear orange to symbolize inclusivity and belonging.
Multicultural Feast – Invite families to bring dishes from their cultural backgrounds and share food stories.
‘Cultural Show & Tell’ – Students bring artifacts, stories, or traditions from their heritage.
World Map Display – Have students place their family origins on a world map and discuss connections.
Storytelling from Around the World – Read diverse children’s books that celebrate different cultures.
Language Exchange – Teach simple greetings in multiple languages spoken by students.
Cultural Music & Dance Showcase – Celebrate with music, dances, or performances from different cultures.
Kindness Challenge – Create a daily kindness initiative leading up to Harmony Day.
Diversity Mural – Collaborative art project where students illustrate cultural symbols or self-portraits.
Classroom Pen Pals – Connect with another school in a different part of the country or the world to exchange letters.

For Early Childhood Education (ECE Services)

Handprint Harmony Wreath – Children paint handprints in different shades of skin tones and create a wreath.
Diverse Dolls & Small World Play – Use multicultural dolls and figures to encourage inclusive role play.
Cultural Dress-Up Day – Invite children to wear cultural outfits or colors that represent their heritage.
Cooking Together – Make a simple recipe from a different culture, such as damper (Indigenous Australian) or dumplings.
Songs & Rhymes in Different Languages – Sing nursery rhymes in various languages spoken by families in the community.
Multicultural Play Dough Mats – Create playdough mats featuring different landmarks or cultural patterns.
Puzzle Play with Global Landmarks – Use puzzles featuring different world cultures.
Multicultural Flags Matching Game – Match flags with countries and discuss their origins.
Community Walk – Visit different cultural landmarks or community centers nearby.
‘What Makes Us Special’ Activity – Encourage children to draw or talk about what makes them unique.

For Educators & Workplace Celebrations

‘Cultural Morning Tea’ – Bring in foods that represent personal cultural backgrounds and share stories.
Diversity Wall – Each staff member contributes a piece about their background or culture.
Cultural Trivia Game – A fun quiz about world cultures and history.
Inclusion Pledge – Create a workplace pledge to commit to inclusivity and respect.
Movie Screening – Watch a short documentary or film celebrating diversity.
Cultural Music Playlist – Share and listen to songs from different countries during breaks.
Guest Speaker – Invite someone from the local community to discuss multiculturalism.
Language Exchange Challenge – Learn basic phrases in different languages and practice as a team.
Random Acts of Kindness – Encourage gestures of kindness that celebrate the day.
Cultural Book Swap – Each team member brings a book from their culture to share.

Links to EYLF 2.0 and the National Quality Standard (NQS)

Harmony Day aligns with several EYLF 2.0 Learning Outcomes:

Outcome 1: Children develop a strong sense of identity by recognizing and celebrating diversity.
Outcome 2: Children become connected with and contribute to their world through inclusivity and multicultural experiences.
Outcome 5: Children engage in meaningful communication by learning about different cultures and languages.

It also connects with Quality Areas in the NQS:

QA1: Educational Program and Practice – Embedding multicultural learning experiences.
QA5: Relationships with Children – Fostering a sense of belonging and respect.
QA6: Collaborative Partnerships with Families & Communities – Engaging families in cultural celebrations.

Relevant Theories Supporting Harmony Week

Several early childhood and social theories support the celebration of Harmony Day:

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory – Highlights how learning is socially constructed through cultural interactions.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory – Emphasizes the impact of cultural contexts on children’s development.
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences – Encourages diverse ways of learning, including cultural intelligence.
Anti-Bias Education (Louise Derman-Sparks) – Supports diversity, identity, and inclusivity in education.

Sticks & Stones Education Resources for Harmony Day

Your fave online toy store, Sticks & Stones Education, offers a range of products that support multicultural play and learning:

Multicultural Wooden Peg Dolls – Perfect for small world play and storytelling.
World Landmark Puzzles – Encourage global awareness and problem-solving.
Multicultural Dress-Up Costumes – Celebrate diverse identities through dramatic play.
Wooden Cultural Memory Matching Games – Introduce children to symbols, flags, and artifacts from different countries.
Storybooks About Diversity – A selection of books that highlight inclusion and cultural heritage.
Plan to celebrate diversity with our printable diversity calendar: 2025 Child Care Diversity Calendar - Printable
Loose Parts Play with Natural Materials from Different Cultures – Incorporate items from different parts of the world.
Creative Arts Resources that Celebreate Culture:

Final Thoughts

Harmony Week is an opportunity to celebrate what makes each of us unique while fostering inclusivity. Whether you’re engaging with children in an early learning setting, students in a classroom, or colleagues in a workplace, these activities ensure that "Everyone Belongs."

Celebrating Harmony Week in our education sector is an excellent opportunity for us to engage students in meaningful conversations and activities that promote understanding, empathy and a sense of community. By promoting cultural diversity and inclusiveness, educators can create a learning environment that celebrates the unique differences and similarities of all cultures. We can then use those ideas and weave them throughout our curriculums and celebrate diversity and culture daily.

How will you celebrate Harmony Day this year? Share your experiences in the comments below!