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Culture
6 ways how to teach culture
It has been said that culture is just like an iceberg, because the part that you can actually see is just 10% of it all. However it is important to teach children the differences in between these cultures from a young age, because it helps in the development of empathy and understanding.
Here are a few topics which can help to teach about the different sides of different cultures. It is important to remember that a few of these can be a bit too difficult for the kindergarten but everything depends on how it is carried out. Moreover, with these topics not only do kids learn about other cultures, but they can get to know their own culture better as well.
Holidays
If the class has children from different cultures, they can talk about their holidays and what they do with their families during these days. If the cultural diversity in the class is not that big, a few important dates for other countries can be picked (for example, days of independence) and on those exact days the class can talk about the meaning of those celebrations in other countries.
Time
How much time out of the 168 hours that are in a week people spend working? Studying? Spending time with friends and family? That is another way how to research a culture – how different people divide their time and what are their priorities – that says a lot about the characteristics of their culture.
Music
Maybe one of the parents plays a musical interment that is popular in a certain culture? Maybe it is possible to bring a musical instrument to the class, so children can hear how it sounds and see how it looks? If none of these things are possible, many audios can be found online. After hearing them children can talk about their associations with the musical fragment. Not only does this activity teach about different cultures, but it also shows how it is important to be understanding of different tastes (in this situation, in music).
Religion
Conversations about religion can be something that is a bit more difficult to talk about with children in the kindergarten, but it is another topic that can teach people empathy.
History
Many important values of different cultures are made because of certain things that have happened in the history of the nation, and it is important to talk about it with the children. There are many ways how to do it – children love looking at different, historic objects, if someone talks about them in an interesting manner. History can also be discussed while talking about important dates in different cultures.
Family
Not only does a culture have values – families have them too. When children talk about their families, is showcases the values and culture that takes place in their family. This activity lets children get to know each other better and teaches them to present themselves.
Culture can be found almost everywhere and these are just a few of the topics that can be used to talk about it. The most important thing is to be open when discussing different cultures.