Inside: Use this We Celebrate Differently Interactive Emergent Reader to help learn and celebrate multicultural holidays with kids.
When my daughter was in fourth grade, we had a Girl Scout meeting in December where each girl got to share about their culture and December holiday.
And luckily, we had a very diverse group of girls who all celebrated different holidays.
So my Jewish daughter learned about Ramadan and her Christian friends learned about Hanukkah and her Muslim friends learned about both and they all learned about the Lunar New Year from their Chinese American friend.
Related: Christmas Kind or Unkind Sort
It was so amazing to watch the girls proudly share their traditions and their foods and their cultures.
But the real magic was when they made connections and saw how similar all their holidays really are and how most of the December holidays revolve around family and the symbolism of light.
To help us understand other multicultural December holidays, we can use this We Celebrate Differently interactive emergent reader.
Why It’s Important to Learn About and Celebrate Multicultural Holidays
If we want our kids to be kind, we have to help teach them about other people in the world. And for our kids, one of the easiest ways to do that is by teaching them about how others celebrate holidays.
Related: Why Teachers Should Teach SEL
Learning about others’ differences helps:
- bully-proof our kids since bullies target the “weird” or different kids. Once we understand each other and learn to appreciate our differences, the weirdness is gone and the easy target is gone.
- our kids build empathy and compassion because then they’ll be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes easier.
- our kids learn to appreciate others and they will better understand their classmates.
Related:
We are all Different Emergent Reader
We are all Different Early Reader Set
How to Use the We Celebrate Differently Emergent Reader
1. Purchase and download the We Celebrate Differently
2. Print out the version you wish to use: color or black and white.
If you use the black and white version, use these skin color crayons so students can color in the people.
3. Read the book together and students will decide if they do or do not do what the page says in their family to celebrate.
They can circle the words and/or cross out the words that make sense to them.
4. On the last page, students can draw their favorite holiday they celebrate and write/dictate their favorite holiday or the holiday they celebrate in December.
5. You can follow up with partner reading, silent reading, group reading, or reading to a class pet/stuffed animal.
6. Use the Discussion Starters to further the conversation about holidays and why it’s important that we know about how other people celebrate.
7. Students can write or dictate about their own holidays or write about a classmates’ holiday they learned about.
And then, learn more about your students’ holidays, celebrate together, or give them an opportunity to bring in items or food to showcase what’s special about their holiday.
Ready to get the We Celebrate Differently Emergent Reader?
Purchase the We Celebrate Differently Emergent Reader in our online store.
Purchase the We Celebrate Differently Emergent Reader on Teachers Pay Teachers.
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