Have you ever looked at how holiday traditions are different around the world? Christmas is a wonderful time to do this, because it is a holiday that is observed in many countries around the globe! Kids learn best when they can make a personal connection to new information, and so having a topic in common like Christmas is a great way to get them interested in a new country and culture.
The Multicultural Kid Blogs group has run a series both this year and last year looking at Christmas in different lands, and this year they have also released a printable packet that is great for homeschoolers and after school learning! They are selling this packet to raise funds that are used to run the group, and they sent a copy to me to review (Note: I’m also a member of their board, which is an unpaid volunteer position).
This packet looks at Christmas traditions in six different countries: Brazil, France, Mexico, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Sweden. My kids were excited to see Sweden and France, because my family lived in both of those countries! Each country includes a nice write-up about the traditions, and then there are one or two activities for each country. Some of the activities (cross word puzzles and word searches) are more suited to upper elementary aged kids – eight-year-old Emma is in third grade, and this packet is perfect for her! Younger kids will still enjoy hearing about country traditions, and there are coloring pages as well as recipes that work for children of any age!
Here are some more great resources from the Multicultural Kid Blogs group to teach your kids about Christmas around the world!
- Christmas in Different Lands 2013
- Christmas in Different Lands 2014
- Christmas Around the World Pinterest Board
Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition? Where did it originally begin? Do you know?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Oh, how cool! I love how traditions are different around the world.
Every year in the past we read Christmas in Different Lands book that covered, I think, Sweden, Greece, Mexico, and the Philippines. This year we didn’t really talk much about other traditions except Christmas in Germany and Russia, “our” countries of origin. This book from MKB sounds like a lot of fun!
I think Smarty would enjoy it!
Oh, I need to pick this up.
It’s perfect for homeschoolers!
We took part in the tradition of celebrating Saint Nicholas’ feast day (6 December) for the first time this year. He is the patron saint of children, and our kids each received chocolate in their shoes. Now that we are Catholics, we aren’t putting up our Christmas tree until Christmas Eve, so this was a little something to celebrate in the midst of the Advent time of waiting and preparation.
I didn’t realize that there was a connection between putting up the tree on Christmas Eve and being Catholic.
I’ve always through that it would be fun to celebrate Saint Nicholas’ feast day, but we haven’t done it (yet).
Waiting to put the tree up is optional, of course. There’s just more a focus on the waiting during Advent in Catholicism, sort of like Lent followed by Easter.
That makes sense. Thanks!
Christmas is a great time to study other cultures – in the past we’ve enjoyed World Books’ “Christmas in…” series – there’s one book for each country, so “Christmas in Brazil” or “Christmas in Germany”. They are full of pictures, crafts, and recipes, as well as easy to read explanations of the traditions from the various countries.
I hadn’t heard of that series, I need to look it up!