Sharing Holiday Traditions of Other Cultures in the Classroom

How do we explore holiday traditions while creating a classroom that is inclusive and respectful? In every culture, people engage in holidays traditions and celebrations. The celebrations are great way to create life-long memories. There are different ways to celebrate a holiday, and holiday celebrations often honor the history and past of a culture. Sharing information about traditions can help kids to discover and respect sacrifices made by people.

Learning about holiday traditions means exploring what the holiday means to different people. Teaching kids about the holidays of other cultures help them to understand that although there might be differences, we all have many things in common such as family gathering to enjoy special food and enjoyable activities.

By being inclusive and eager to learn about different holiday traditions you set an example for the kids. Explore a variety of holiday traditions and do not push or emphasize a holiday tradition over another. Teaching about a holiday requires that you make clear that the class can enjoy learning about each other’s holidays while holding to their own family’s beliefs and traditions.

Make sure that you do your research carefully since you will be teaching about traditions you do not celebrate. Check multiple sources and ask colleagues who might be give you first-hand accounts of the holiday. Carefully select teaching materials and books that are designed to teach kids about diversity and multicultural beauty.

Some people believe that learning about other holidays and celebrations can do more harm than good, for example, proving stereotypical ways of celebrating a holiday. Yet, you can with good planning and by using suitable resources support kids to learn about holiday traditions of a country. The activities should be a way to build awareness of others.

It is vital that kids understand and are given a chance to express their own family traditions but learning about other holidays helps kids expand their cultural world. The Festive Season can be a great time to support kids to explore other cultural traditions. Understanding reduces fear and increases empathy. Learning about different holiday traditions also creates a platform where kids can ask questions about their own traditions and help down stereotypes. December is a wonderful time of year to learn together and discover traditions around the world.

December 2021 Reading

In the whirlwind of the season, it is perfect to slow down and relax with some Christmas books. The perfect way to relax while building up that festive feeling.

Christmas and books go together like Gingerbread man and the cunning fox. Today, you find exciting and engaging stories about Gingerbread men, Gingerbread kids, and even gingerbread pirates. If your school does not do activities involving Santa so gingerbread books and activities is a great festive alternative. By including classic gingerbread men stories and some with modern twists you r students are guaranteed memorable adventures with the determined, sweet little cookie.

Add a bit of diversity to your December book list. Books about Christmas traditions around the world always spread a little extra magic. Choose a continent or a country and explore the celebrations. Look for similarities and differences between your kids' traditions and celebrations and those of kids around the world.

There is no time like Christmas to fill your classroom with laughter. Laughing out loud is guaranteed with fun Santa books. Looking for a reindeer book? There are beautiful and imaginative stories about reindeer. Sometimes trouble is brewing in the North Pole. Also, you can explore the Artic, one of the most extreme environments on Earth, by following a reindeer through its life. There is something magical about reindeer and kids love them. So, make sure that you incorporate plenty of fictional and fact reindeer books throughout the month of December.

December 2021 Resources

Celebrating the Festive Season and Christmas is a special experience for kids. Bringing the celebrations into the classroom is a wonderful way to make the learning memorable and the perfect opportunity to travel around the world to learn about Christmas traditions. Kids love learning about how kids in Germany, Russia, Italy, England, or France celebrate Christmas.

Getting your kids involved in making Christmas decorations inspired by traditions in other countries is a creative activity as well as a great learning opportunity. A way to open kids' eyes to different ways of celebrating Christmas. By offering experiences about different cultures in a well-informed way, there is a chance that kids will learn respect for different ways of life. Providing kids with opportunities to broaden their learning is vital and help kids to build their personal identity.

A Christmas directed drawing is the perfect complement to projects about the Christmas around the world. A way to learn how to draw familiar objects such as jingle bells, poinsettias, and candy canes. Kids can put their own personal touch to the Christmas classroom with their own writing and drawings.

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman is a lovely book that you can use during December to talk about the importance of home. During the festive season, many people decorate their homes. Decorating the homes with Christmas Nutcrackers is a German tradition. Kids love decorating their own dolls.

Reindeer! Reindeer! Reindeer! Learning about these majestic creatures and their lives in the Arctic is a wonderful way to make sure that December is filled with some interesting science. Keep your kids engaged as excitement builds for the end of the 2021.