Children's Week runs from 24 October to 1 November 2026. It is a national celebration of children, and of the rights that belong to every child in Australia.
This year's theme is "Children have the right to use their own language, celebrate their culture and practise their religion." It is a timely reminder that children are not simply adults in waiting. They are capable people in their own right, with their own identities, ideas and voices. Across our network of centres, Children's Week is an opportunity to reflect on how those rights shape everyday early learning.
About Children's Week and the 2026 theme
Children's Week is held each year around the fourth Wednesday in October. It is led by the Children's Week Council of Australia and promotes awareness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, with one article selected as the national theme each year.
The 2026 theme draws on Article 30 of the Convention. Article 30 protects the right of children from minority communities, and First Nations children, to use their own language, enjoy their own culture and practise their own religion.
What the Convention means for early childhood education
The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, and Australia ratified it in December 1990. Several of its rights are central to the early years:
- The right to play and to rest and leisure
- The right to education, directed towards the full development of each child
- The right to be heard in matters that affect them
- The right to culture, language and religion
These rights are reflected in Australia's national approved learning framework for the early years, Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework. The framework recognises children as capable and competent learners, and guidance from the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority encourages educators to actively engage with the Convention in their practice.
Language, culture and identity in the early years
A strong sense of identity is one of the foundations of wellbeing and learning. The language a child hears at home, the food their family shares, the stories they are told and the celebrations they look forward to are all part of who they are.
Across our centres, inclusion is part of everyday practice. Our educators embrace and celebrate children's home languages, families are invited to share their cultures, knowledge and traditions, and children learn about different cultures through songs, stories, food and art. We explore this further in how we celebrate cultural diversity in our early learning centres.
Respecting a child's right to their culture also means respecting each family's beliefs, routines and dietary requirements, and working in partnership with families to understand what matters to them.
First Nations perspectives
Article 30 has particular significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Through our partnership with Wandana Aboriginal Education, children across our centres learn about the cultures, languages and stories of the First Peoples of this land. This work is guided by our Reconciliation Action Plan.
Play as a right
Article 31 of the Convention recognises every child's right to play. For young children, play is not a break from learning. It is the primary way they learn, build relationships, develop language and make sense of the world.
Our Lifelong Learning Curriculum is aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework and places play and inquiry at the centre of each day. Educators observe children's interests, invite their ideas and offer genuine choices, supporting child-led learning that honours both the right to an education and the right to be heard.
Last year, our Children's Week focus explored children's voice and choice, including the use of floor books to document children's ideas. This year's theme builds on that work by recognising that a child's voice is shaped by their language, culture and family.
Celebrating every child
Children's Week is a celebration of every child, in all their diversity. Families are warmly encouraged to speak with their child's educators about sharing their language, culture or traditions with the room.
For educators who share our commitment to children's rights, we invite you to explore careers with Affinity Education.