Ways To Teach Your Kids About the World
Whether you’re homeschooling your children or just want to teach them something new, there’s no better topic than Earth. Your child probably knows a lot about the continent, country, and town that they’ve grown up in, but their experiences aren’t the same as everyone else’s. Teaching them about the rest of the world is a great way to encourage them to embrace diversity, respect and appreciate different cultures, and learn new languages and skills. But the world is a vast place. It’s not always easy to know where to start, or how to approach the topic of different cultures in both an informative and respectful way. These ways to teach your kids about the world are simple, effective methods that can make a big difference.
Let Literature Speak for You
If you’re not sure if you can describe something on your own, that’s perfectly fine. Many resources are designed to explain certain topics and concepts to your children in an engaging, easy-to-understand way. If you want to teach your children about a certain group, culture, or tradition, try to find literature that was written by someone who has first-hand experience. If you want to know what living in a certain area is like, there’s no better person to ask than someone who’s been living there their whole life. If you want to teach your child a new language, you can even introduce them to literature in that language. Certain books act as an introductory course to new languages and will guide your child through basic words and phrases step-by-step.
Celebrate International Holidays and Attend Events
If you want to experience the whole world without the hassle of traveling, you can celebrate international holidays from the comfort of your home or attend cultural events held in your community. If you’d prefer to celebrate at home, consider holidays like Oktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day, and Chinese New Year. Your family can make decorations, cook delicious meals, and hand out presents. While large gatherings are fairly limited right now, you can still get out and attend smaller, community-held events that are taking the necessary safety precautions. You might want to consider attending a local powwow, for example. A powwow is a celebration of different Native American cultures and heritages. There’s dancing, drum playing, beautiful regalia, and vendors that sell different kinds of food and their personal handiwork. If you want to attend a powwow, make sure you and your children understand the basic etiquette of the event beforehand.
Show and Tell
Another way to teach your kids about the world is to not just tell, but show. Words aren’t always enough to get a topic or concept to stick. Showing doesn’t mean you have to physically travel around the world. Instead, you can teach your children how to make meals from around the world, have them listen to different genres of music, dance to different dances, and make arts and crafts projects inspired by international art styles or artists from other countries.
