Learning about holidays around the world in December can be a wonderful way for students to understand cultural diversity and celebrate global traditions. With engaging books, creative crafts, and interactive activities, you can help students explore the unique customs of holidays like Diwali, Kwanzaa, and Christmas celebrations in Italy, Germany, Mexico, and Sweden.
Many countries and customs can be explored but no matter which you choose, these teaching ideas include meaningful, interactive, and inclusive ways to teach kids about these Christmas celebrations and enhance your winter “Holidays Around the World” lessons.
{Disclosure: Affiliate links have been used in this post but I only share items I use and enjoy!}
Introduce each holiday with a read-aloud to give students context and background knowledge. Here are some recommended books for each holiday:
Here’s a look at a few of my other holiday book recommendations! You can find all the titles listed here.
Expert Tip: Discuss the main themes and elements of each holiday after reading. Ask students questions to check for understanding such as “What surprised you about this holiday?” or “How is this holiday similar to holidays we celebrate?”
In addition to the picture books, incorporate hands-on activities and crafts to make the holidays memorable. This will also give students a deeper understanding of each culture’s customs.
For example, students can create a Diya after learning about Diwali to understand its significance. Diyas symbolize the victory of light over darkness. As you go through each holiday, consider other symbols that have such cultural relevance.
As students learn new information about holidays around the world, have them record key facts, symbols, and traditions for each holiday on a chart or graphic organizer. This chart can serve as a visual summary of each culture’s holiday celebrations.
Use these summaries to aid students in creating a symbolic holiday craft and writing an informational piece on that country. The charts will help them provide relevant and interesting information.
After students have read books, watched videos, and learned information about multiple holidays around the world, consider hosting a Holiday Celebration Day where students can “visit” different holiday stations. These stations could include a craft, snack, or activity from a specific holiday or country.
Expert Tip: Invite students to share their favorite fact about each holiday as they travel through the stations.
Optional: Include a small food sample or traditional snack from some of the holidays. Here are some ideas: Germany → Gingerbread, Kwanzaa → Cornbread, Italy → Panettone, Mexico → Ponche (fruit punch)
Everything mentioned in this post can be found in our Holidays Around the World Unit: Part One.
Are you looking for printable or digital resources for Holidays Around the World? These activities are easy to use and/or assign. They can printed out to use in the classroom OR assigned digitally for virtual learning. Each holiday comes with information for students to read, activities for students to complete, and an assessment. Check out the preview to see exactly what the printable and digital activities look like!
Total Pages: 138 pages
File Size: 51 MB
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
Sample a day of Rooted in Reading with these lesson plans and activities for Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Grammar!
