In many early learning settings, an Acknowledgement of Country begins the day. But when children contribute the words, understand their meaning and see them reflected in everyday practice, the experience deepens.
As Reconciliation Australia reminds us, acknowledging Country “reminds us that every day we live, work, and dream on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands.”
The Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (2022) reinforces this responsibility, stating that relationships and continual connections to Country and community are central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and should be recognised and valued in children’s learning (p.18).
Children as co-creators
When children are supported as active contributors, Acknowledgement shifts from recitation to relationship.
At Gilgandra Preschool, children worked alongside an educator and a Wiradjuri Elder to craft their own Acknowledgement, spoken in both Wiradjuri and English. Their words reflect the sky, the land and the people who care for it.
(Image via Gilgandra Preschool)
Gilgandra Preschool director Kristy Hynde explains:
The children’s Acknowledgement is about recognising the sky, the land and the people as part of one whole environment that holds and supports us. We want them to really understand that connection to Country, not just recite words.
Throughout the day, children contribute phrases about what they notice and care for. For example, children thank nature, notice living creatures, and recognise the environment as something that supports them. Their language becomes the heart of the everyday, grounding the Acknowledgement in real experiences.
Speaking the words in Wiradjuri further embeds acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the land and by noticing and reflecting, and expressing their own connection to the environment, the children find meaning.
“For us, an Acknowledgement of Country can’t be a tokenistic tick-box exercise,” says Kristy. “We spent a lot of time with our children and a local Elder unpacking why we do it and what it means to Wiradjuri people.
“Acknowledgement of Country isn’t a once-a-day routine; it’s a way of being on Wiradjuri land and that Acknowledgement only makes sense if children can see it lived out in our everyday practice.”
Research from Western Sydney University echoes this approach, emphasising that an Acknowledgement of Country is more than “a moment in the day”. It should be “embedded throughout the day through routines, storytelling, play and creative activities, all designed to foster learning.”
When children participate in culturally grounded practices through discussion, art, play and storytelling, their understanding of land, culture and community deepens.
Starting with place
Children’s engagement begins with exploring the world around them. Walking in the bush, observing insects and plants, helps children connect with Country in tangible ways.
Simple questions can guide learning, such as:
- “Who lived here before us?”
- “How do we care for this place?”
- “What creatures share this land with us?”
- “Whose Country are we on?”
Services can then support children to develop age-appropriate Acknowledgements, incorporating their own observations.
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(Image via Evans Head-Woodburn Preschool)
A pedagogy of belonging and respect
At Evans Head-Woodburn Preschool, winner of the Early Learning category in the 2025 Narragunnawali Reconciliation in Education Awards, Acknowledgement of Country is woven through their entire program.
“It’s difficult to put into words what an Acknowledgement of Country looks like in our service, but you can definitely feel it,” director Cath Gillespie explains. “It’s not just something that we do every morning. It’s embedded. It’s our whole day.
“Acknowledgement of Country sets our intentions for our teaching. It is our identity, our belonging and our beliefs. Aboriginal people welcomed and acknowledged Country for a millennium as a way of sharing knowledge, lore and culture. Our tradition and ritual come from this. Each generation of children teach the next through language, song and sign language.”
Cath recommends Play School’s Acknowledgement of Country, which includes the song Hand in Hand, co-created by respected Bundjalung Mulungjali woman Aunty Tracey Linn Bostock, herself an early childhood educator.
The song Special Land by Aunty Wendy’s Mob is also sung by the children at Evans-Head Woodburn Preschool. It has been translated into Bandjalung and woven into daily practice. Through its references to animals, wind, rain and sun, children build language while deepening their understanding of relationship to Country.
Connection to sustainability practice
Conversations about custodianship naturally connect to sustainability practices, including recycling, conserving water and caring for living things. “When we talk about knowledge of Country and custodianship, it’s all intertwined. Sustainability practices are entwined in our Acknowledgement of Country.”
Bush kindy, or Boogal Jugoon, meaning ‘special land’, strengthens this connection. “When we go to Boogal Jugoon, the children actually see it. They interact with Country in a really authentic, meaningful way. When you talk about caring for the land, this is the land. It’s more obvious when you’re out.”
Rather than standing alone, the Acknowledgement is part of a broader pedagogical approach. Educators draw on the Bandjalang seasonal calendar and use the AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia to help children understand whose Country they are on and how seasons shape local knowledge.
“It works in conjunction with other teaching and the pedagogy; the Aboriginal pedagogies that we use and teach through. It’s just not a standalone,” Cath explains.
At both Gilgandra and Evans Head-Woodburn services, Acknowledgement of Country becomes a pedagogy of belonging and responsibility. It opens space for conversations about sustainability, interdependence and shared care. It invites children to see themselves not as passive occupants of a place, but as active participants in caring for it and being at one with it.
When children help shape the words, sing the language, are one with Country and notice the creatures around them, Acknowledgement shifts from recital to relationship. It becomes more than words; it becomes purposeful and lived practice.
How are children at your service meaningfully engaging with your Acknowledgement of Country?
(Image via Evans Head-Woodburn Preschool)
Further reading and resources
AIATSIS: AIATSIS map of Indigenous Australia
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood: We love sharing your land’: Children’s understandings of
Acknowledgement to Country practices and Aboriginal knowledges in early learning centres
CELA: Writing an Acknowledgement of Country
CELA: Demonstrating respect for Country
Narragunnawali: Acknowledgement of Country
Narragunnawali Awards 2025 [YouTube video]: Early Learning Winner | Evans Head-Woodburn Preschool
Play School: Acknowledgement of Country and Hand in Hand Song
Reconciliation Australia: Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country
Aunty Wendy’s Mob: Music, Books, Performance & Training