Children’s Week 2025: Promoting children’s rights across Australia

Children’s Week is a national celebration held annually around the fourth Wednesday in October, dedicated to raising awareness of the rights of children as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

In 2025, Children’s Week will run from 18–26 October, with the national theme drawn from Article 42 of the UNCRC:
“Everyone should know about children’s rights.”

Led by the Children’s Week Council of Australia, the initiative brings together educators, families, community groups and organisations to ensure children are not only celebrated, but also recognised as active citizens with rights, voices, and agency.

For those working in early childhood education and care (ECEC), Children’s Week is a reminder of the sector’s critical role in:

• Embedding children’s rights in daily practice and pedagogy.
• Promoting children’s voices and agency in line with the Early Years Learning Framework (V2.0).
• Engaging families and communities in conversations about rights, belonging, and participation.

Celebrations can be tailored to context from storytelling and art activities to community events, all reinforcing the importance of children being seen, heard and celebrated.

Children’s Week is marked by hundreds of events, both large and small, across every state and territory. Each jurisdiction coordinates local programs and resources:

Educators can draw on a wide range of Children’s Week resources, including activity guides and tip sheets to support learning experiences.

Children’s Week is more than a celebration, it is a platform to advocate for policies and practices that advance children’s wellbeing, equity, and participation in community life. In the ECEC sector, it provides an opportunity to:

• Highlight the rights of children to education, play, safety, and voice.
• Showcase the ways services already align with rights-based practice.
• Engage families in conversations about how children’s rights shape quality learning and care.

ECEC services can get involved in Children’s Week by:

• Hosting child-led events where children share their learning and perspectives.
• Embedding rights-focused conversations into daily routines.
• Partnering with local community groups for shared celebrations.
• Using Children’s Week as an opportunity to reflect on service philosophy and practice in relation to children’s rights.

For more information, resources, or to explore activities in your state, visit the Children’s Week Council of Australia website.