Each year on the 4th August Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are celebrated. Historically, this day was first held in 1988 as a way of celebrating the birthdays of all children who were removed from their families and communities, now known as “The Stolen Generation”.
This inclusive day is a way of celebrating each child’s uniqueness and it offers a safe pathway to connecting with and in some instances re-connecting with culture. Since the sad events from the time of Australian colonisation, children have suffered and experienced a deep sense of trauma. Intergenerational trauma continues to affect children today and through special celebrations such as National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, we as a country seek to reconcile past with present, clearing a pathway for all children to feel included and respected.
This special day has grown over the years with communities coming together to celebrate, offering fun activities like face painting, arts and crafts, storytelling and to share laughter and love.
2025 Theme: Little Footsteps, Big Future
The 2025 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day theme
Little Footsteps, Big Futures
honours the journeys our children take as they grow -
each step guided by culture, community and connection to Country.
Supporting Resources
SNAICC offers a wide range of support and resources each year for services to access and share.
Please visit their website for more information on this special day.
We hope you enjoy celebrating National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day with the children in your education and care environment.
Previous Themes
2024's Theme: Strong in Culture, Stronger Together
The 2024 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day theme "Strong in Culture, Stronger Together elevates the intention of Children's Day, focusing on the strength of our children that comes from their connection to culture and mob.
This year we stand with our children, proud of their culture, stories, kin and community - all that makes our children special, resilient and the bright leaders of our future. We hope that this year's theme empowers our children, making them feel proud of who they are and where they come from. Showing them that their culture is one of the most sacred, strong and important assets that they can have.
If our children are strong in culture, then they are strong in their identity, and this is important for future generations to come.
Extract from SNAICC, please refer to link below.
2023's Theme: Little Voices, Loud Futures
This year’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day theme ‘Little Voices, Loud Futures’ fires that ambition. We are raising awareness for the bright futures of our children and the potential for their voices to pave a new path for our nation. As always, we support the voices of our children in calling for a future where they are proud and empowered by their culture to speak their truth and be listened to by all Australians.
2022's theme was “My Dreaming, My Future.”
The Dreaming offers links to the Peoples, Stories and Culture of past times, and importantly, through spiritual connections, the Dreaming lives today and is present on the land, in the waters and the sky. Linking to and acknowledging the past will help children grow up and be proud, feeling strong in culture and be deadly role models for generations to come.
