Introducing different cultures into the home is important. The world we’re living in is wonderfully diverse and it’s important to show your children that there are beauty and amazement in being different and celebrating different traditions.
While you can sit and read book after book about cultural traditions, why not talk about them and bring them into your home instead?
Below you’ll find a small sampling of fun cultural traditions that you can enjoy sharing with your children.
10 Cultural Traditions To Introduce To Your Kids
These are just a few fun ideas on ways that you could explore different cultures and some of their traditions.
Fly a Birthday Flag
While this tradition takes place in Denmark, you can easily do it at your house, too. Simply put up a flag and let it fly so that everyone knows that it’s someone’s birthday in the house.
Throw the baby teeth up on the roof
Even though we have a tooth fairy here, children in Vietnam throw their lost teeth up on the roof and hope for good luck.
The family that stays together…
In India, families live together in large groups all under the same roof. And this doesn’t mean immediate family only. This could be cousins, uncles, etc., on down the family line.
Have storytime any time of the day
Even though we’re used to having storytime just be at bedtime, the culture in Trinidad believes that storytelling should happen anytime, anywhere.
Exchange gifts and poems
We’re all used to giving gifts here but what if you were to give gifts and poems together to the ones that you love? This is what happens in the Netherlands during the colder months of the year.
Eat your meals with utensils
Did you know in the Netherlands even sandwiches are eating using a fork and knife? No food at all is consumed using their hands as it’s something that their culture just doesn’t do.
Lose the red pens
Even if you like writing in different inks, a big tradition that happens in South Korea is that no one uses a pen with red ink to write out the names of their children. This is considered bad because they associate the red ink with death.
Make birthdays a family celebration
While we tend to focus on one person on their birthday, people who live in the Netherlands don’t see it that way. They pretty much look at birthdays as a fun family affair!
Take a face plant into your birthday cake
This isn’t really anything new because it’s often done here as well but when we do it here, it’s more for funny purposes or to shock people by putting their face into their birthday cake. But in Mexico, after the cake has been cut and a bite has been taken, it’s a tradition for someone to come and push down the face into the cake!
Leave the salt on the table
How many times do we grab the salt shaker or ask for salt with thinking? While you might do it in your house, it doesn’t fly in Egypt! If you ask for salt, it’s highly offensive to the cook!
See how different traditions are from cultural to cultural? You can have fun with the kids and try some of these out!
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