The Motherload of Resources for Introducing Your Kids to Culture

by | Sep 8, 2016 | Uncategorized

It is my honor this month to host the Multicultural Kid Blogs blogging carnival.  This round-up post is full of great stuff for you.  I wish I could sit down with you as you read this post and squeal over your shoulder, “Oh click that one!” and “Oh that’s a good one too, click through to that one!” and “Oh that one was one of my favorites!”  But truthfully I would have to say that about every single post listed here.  Truly I am indebted, in fact the internet is indebted, to these wonderful humans that are populating the world wide web with such fascinating information, tips, encouragement, musings, and education that ensures our children grow up with more empathy, understanding, love, and compassion for the world around them.

If you have kids, the phrase “raising global citizens,” may or may not be on your radar.  And if it is, you may think, “I don’t have time for that.”  Let me beg you.  Just follow one link below that catches your attention and you will learn how easy it is to introduce your kids to new cultures, peoples, languages, traditions, and the world.

You may wonder, “Is that so important?”  To me that’s like asking, “Should kids learn how to read?”  Haha, maybe I’m being dramatic.  But seriously.  Showing our kids the world teaches them not to be afraid of it.  There is a big wide world out there, waiting to be explored and adventures waiting to be had.  Doesn’t that sound exciting?!  And you don’t have to leave home to do so.  All the ideas listed below are super simple to do at home or in your own city.  Some don’t require a single purchase or thing you don’t already have.

Here are a few general posts to get you started . . .

A-Z of Raising Global Citizens

Varya from Creative World of Varya organized an entire month of bloggers writing about ways their families work to raise global citizens.

Around the World
All the articles written over at The Educator’s Spin On It concerning raising world citizens are collected in this page called “Around the World.”  It’s enough to help you plan a few years of learning and activities!

We believe in the power of raising globally aware children and we make a point to allow our children to experience other cultures with food, art, crafts, music, geography, presentations, and more.”                                                                                                                                                                      -The Educator’s Spin on It


Combining Cultures: Raising Global Citizens

Olga from European Mama gives a list of 10 things her multicultural family does to combine cultures.  #6 is one I haven’t tried before, but sounds fun!

14 Ways to Incorporate Birth Culture Into Your Children’s Lives
The Kid World Citizen website in and of itself is a place dedicated to teaching parents and educators how to raise/educate kid world citizens.  Here is a great list, from the website’s founder Becky, on how her family learns about each member’s birth culture.  #3 I feel like is one that might intimidate the average parent (if you’re not from that culture), but would have a big payoff in the end.

10 Things I Learnt Cooking Indonesian Food with An Indonesian Expat
I love all that Amanda shares over at Expat Life With a Double Buggy, and this post is no different.  She shares a challenge she gave herslef to learn to cook something new, and all she learned from the experience.

Around the World in 80 Purees
Have you heard of this book by Leena Saini?!  It’s such a fabulous idea of using baby food purees as a chance to travel to different countries with your baby through flavors and spices.  If this would have been published when I had babies I sure would have snatched it up.  It would also make a great baby gift for the next baby shower you attend.

Smitten By Britain: Eating Our Way to Britishness
Amanda from Expat Life With a Double Buggy explains how we pass on culture to our kids sometimes without even knowing it!

Transitioning Babies to Solid Food – Costa Rican Style
This article is a great example of how we can look at simple customs in our daily life and learning from other cultures about how they might do it the same or differently.  It’s fun to think about taking a multicultural approach to even things we do with our babies, and I love this purposeful way Christa approaches everything in her mothering.

Growing a World-Shaped Heart
Esther at Third Culture Mama always puts words together in a way that makes me feel so . . . emboldened.  Is that the word?  I love her take on how we must teach our kids about the world and our neighbors, and oh my goodness.  She has great suggestions in almost every sentence.   I want to tell them to you, but I think you should read it for yourself.  In her words.  Then come back and tell me how you liked it.

Ghana Independence Day
Johana, the lovely author at Mama Tortuga, is someone I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know through the Instagram community.  Here in this article she shares how she got to partake in some lovely Ghanian traditions through a friend of hers.  I can’t encourage you all enough . . . if you know someone from a different country, invite them into your home and ask them to tell you about their home country, their cuisine, their traditions.  It will be such a blessing to you both.

The Gift of Diversity
In another article from Third Culture Mama, we can read how important it is to not just want our kids to be accepting of other cultures and people, but to actually show them that we do it too:

“We cannot just conceptually desire multicultural living without living it out, and yes, modeling it in our home… in the middle of America.”            –Third Culture Mama

Rice & Rocks – A Book Celebrating Culture, Diversity & Traditions
A great book review from Jeddah Mom of “Rice & Rocks.”  This book teaches kids the value of their own heritage and diversity.

Growing Children Who Are Confident Enough to Be Something Else
Here is a review of a book that teaches kids it’s okay to be different.  This might be a good conversation starter for kids to understand how their friends in their classroom or in their communities might feel if they are looked at as different . . . or for kids to talk about their feelings if they sense they are different from the culture around them.

12 Chinese New Year & Culture Books

5 Picture Books by Asian American Authors

Two Chinese Books For Kids That Keep Traditional Stories Alive

Global Girl Dolls & Books

Children’s Books Featuring Chile

Books About India

Books About Russia

Books About England

Books From Sweden

Books About France

Books About Japan

Use these examples to inspire you to participate in the celebrations and holidays of other countries.  Whether it’s a festival in your own town, celebrating with a foreign exchange student, or a party you create at home . . .

Ghana Independence Day

Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta for Kids

Kwanzaa Winter Holiday Celebration

Chinese New Year: Kids Culture Party

Cultural Playdate: Celebrating Chinese New Year

Cultural Playdate: Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Cultural Playdate: “Three Kings Day” Celebration & Craft

Special Ornaments: Christmas in Different Lands

Celebraciones de fin de año en Chile (End of the Year Celebrations in Chile)

Our Christmas in Spain: Traditions, Recipes & New Ideas

Nurturing Bilingualism & Multiculturalism Through Friends

“We have found that cultivating friendships with other multilingual, multicultural families is one of the best ways to nurture language and culture.”   -Trilingual Mama

Amanda shares what she learns from cooking with a friend.

Ghana Independence Day
Johana shows us how her friend from Ghana shared her home culture and traditions.

Children’s Music from Chile

Anything from Daria Music is great!

Becky from Kid World Citizen suggests Putumayo as a great place to find multicultural music.

Playing With Traditional Musical Instrument (Indonesia)

Introducing American Girl Doll’s Melody Ellison + G I V E A W A Y!
I love American Girl Dolls because they are toys and educational as well.

Plushkies Awaken Curiosity in Kids About World Cultures
Have you heard of these?  So cool!

Arabic Wooden Sorting Game
Love this idea of using a game to learn language!

5 Must-Watch TV Series for Kids
These were all new to me . . .

Connecting with Cultures: Traditional Games from Pakistan
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the best.  A game you can play with rocks or sticks or string.

Children’s Toys: Diversity Matters

Chinese Themed Gifts for Kids

Teach Kids About Chinese Culture Through World Village Playset

5 Fun Toys to Teach Kids About the World

Over 20 Toys and Games from Around the World

Fun & Easty Three-in-a-Row Game (from Kenya)

100+ Kids Projects for Celebrating Chinese Culture
Check out the cool folded paper bracelet craft!

Dragon Craft for Chinese New Year

This one has an absolutely marvelous work of art/handicraft at the end.

Chilean School Traditions: Terra Cotta Air-Dry Clay and Wood Crafts Sticks

Tibetan Prayer Flags: An Inspiring Craft for Kids
It really is inspiring!  I just love when an activity or craft is inspired by the passion of a parent wanting to share something valuable to herself with her children.

Crafts About India

Exploring Culture as Part of Your Curriculum
Mommy Maestra outlines here an easy 10-day unit study plan that you could follow for any country/culture.  I also appreciate how she points out how there can be differences and variety even within a culture.

Igniting Love for Other Languages
One line that caught my attention here: Johana looks for ways to “enchant” her children’s hearts to learn a new language.  That’s exactly what we want to do, isn’t it?  Enchant our children’s hearts.

Sharing Our Hispanic Heritage: Ideas for the Classroom

This is a great example from Frances of how we can help our kids share what they learn or know about other cultures with their classmates at school.

Raising Young World Citizens: Meet Allison Branscombe, Author of All About China
You can check out the author interview here and listen to what she has to say encouraging adoptive parents in their role to introduce children to their birth cultures.

Seven Ways to Introduce a Second Language to Your Toddler
Language is a great start to getting to know a new culture.

Celebrating Asian-Pacific Heritage Month with Children
Did you know May was Asian-Pacific Heritage Month?  Neither did I!  “Miss Panda” over at Miss Panda Chinese has a great list of things you can do to explore these cultures, like a chopstick challenge and learning calligraphy.

Joy Sun Bear
Join this subscription service (it’s FREE!) and travel with a friendly bear to places all over the world.  Letters are sent to your kids via your email and the adventure begins!  Great way to travel the world without needing any budget!

14 Ways to Incorporate Birth Culture Into Your Children’s Lives

Traditions and the Bilingual Family

Smitten By Britain: Eating Our Way to Britishness

Chapas: How to Play! (Spain)

Learning How to Make Pan de Yuca
An example of how food can connect our kids to culture.

Raising Young World Citizens: Meet Allison Branscombe, Author of All About China
It’s important to consider what traditions we are passing down to our kids . . . whether from our own culture or theirs!

5 Tips to Teach Your Heritage to Your Children

How to Keep Your Heritage Alive

Kali Carollo

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