Looking for Aboriginal symbol activities for early childhood? Start with a question, not a symbol chart: whose story are we learning from? Aboriginal peoples and communities have distinct cultures, and the meaning of a mark depends on its creator and context. These ideas can help educators offer hands-on learning without suggesting that every symbol has one fixed meaning.
Start with the creator and Country
Choose a resource that names its Aboriginal creator and explains the context they have chosen to share. Where appropriate, seek guidance from local Aboriginal educators or community organisations about teaching local stories. Invite children to notice what the creator says, rather than guessing a symbol's meaning from its appearance alone.
Try a conversation with symbol cards
Look at one card together and ask: What do you notice? What does the resource tell us? What else would we need to know? Our Aboriginal Symbol Cards can provide a starting point for observation and discussion. Read any accompanying guidance before using the cards, and avoid presenting them as a dictionary for all Aboriginal art.
Make matching a listening game
With the Aboriginal Symbol Domino Game, children can take turns matching and describing what they see. Keep the focus on careful looking, listening and language. If a child asks what a symbol means, return to the information provided by its creator rather than making a general claim.
Explore texture and mark-making
The Aboriginal Symbols Tracing Tray offers a tactile activity. After exploring the tray, invite children to draw marks about their own everyday experiences using their own ideas. Avoid asking them to copy culturally significant designs or call their artwork Aboriginal art.
Keep a visual prompt nearby
The Aboriginal Symbols Sign can be a visual prompt during a group conversation. Use it alongside the creator’s explanation and any accompanying guidance, rather than treating the displayed symbols as having universal meanings.
A final check before you teach
Ask whether the resource identifies its creator, whether you know what context has been shared, and whether the activity respects local advice. Small, well-grounded experiences are more valuable than a worksheet that treats diverse Aboriginal cultures as one.
Free classroom activity PDF
Download our free Exploring Aboriginal Symbols Early Childhood Activity Guide (PDF). It includes six play-based activities, step-by-step instructions, conversation prompts and suggested links to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Adapt the ideas to your children, setting and local community guidance.