It’s always a good time to teach children about the world they live in. Kids will learn some aspects of cultural diversity and cultural competency in school, but the learning experience really starts at home with their parents.
It’s summertime and with kids home for more hours than normal, and since they are probably telling you they are bored a hundred times a day, now is a good time to teach them about their world by providing them an age and developmentally appropriate culturally immersive experience.
So here is a guide to help you start exposing and teaching your children about various cultures around the world in kid friendly ways!
For some play-based ways to help your children learn about cultural diversity, please visit this blog “Top 12 Multicultural Toys, Games, and Play Tools to Promote Diversity!”
Pick Countries and Cultures to Study
If your kids are young, you can pick some countries and cultures you want to learn more about, but if your kids are old enough to make their own decisions, have them choose some countries and cultures they want to learn more about! I suggest picking one country and culture to study each week for one month (unless you have a full week of free time to do one each day for a week.) One child can pick four countries and cultures or if you have multiple children, you can divide up the choices evenly and fairly between siblings.
Pick Culturally Diverse Activities
Once you have your countries and cultures picked out, choose the activities for the week. Think of what food is popular in that country. What traditions are prominent in that country? What music do they listen to? What is their history? Then create snacks, crafts, and interactive activities around those concepts. Maybe your kids can watch a tutorial on how to say a few words in that country’s language or learn a culturally prominent dance! You can also make your activity into a field trip and go to the library to check out books and read about that particular country and culture.
Pick Reflection Questions
After your child spends the week immersing themselves in each particular culture, create some questions for them to reflect on. Ask them what they learned. Ask them how this culture may be different than their own. And possibly even ask them how they think people of this culture coped with a challenging part of their history. It’s also important to ask your child how they can respect and honor that culture in their everyday language and actions.
Sky’s the limit with this summer activity. It’s a fun way to learn about the world and also will educate and raise awareness for your children on cultural diversity.
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