Related Printable Activity: Decorating the Tree
Woof! Woof!: The focus on this lesson is to teach the value of respect and appreciation of diversity by introducing children to new holiday celebrations, customs, and traditions through reading, language and art.
Teaching with Clifford's Big Idea: Have Respect
When children become aware that our world is made of many unique cultures and traditions, they grow in accepting that diversity is a good thing and something worth celebrating!
Teach: Christmas Around the World!
Objective: The following activity nurtures essential:
- language and literacy skills
- critical thinking and problem solving skills
- multicultural awareness
Explain to children that people around the world celebrate the Christmas season in many different ways and that it's important to respect the cultural traditions of others. Introduce cultural celebration names: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Discover what children know about each celebration. Read these books to help bring meaning to each celebration's traditional customs:
- Christmas - Clifford's Christmas by Norman Bridwell (Scholastic) and The First Night by B.G. Hennessy (Viking Press)
- Hanukkah - What is Hanukkah? by Harriet Ziefert (Harper Collins Juvenile Books) and Eight Nights of Hanukkah by Nayer (Troll Communications)
- Kwanzaa - My First Kwanzaa by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate and My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz (Henry Holt and Company)
After reading, encourage children to express something new that they learned about each celebration.
Practice: Cultural Christmas Wrap!
Objective: The following activity nurtures essential:
- social and emotional skills
- language and literacy skills
- art appreciation skills
- multicultural awareness
Celebrate diversity by making holiday wrapping paper representing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Organize areas for dipping sponges in shallow pans of paint. Provide children with cut out shapes of symbols representing each celebration:
- Christmas: trees, stockings, North Star, Santa Clause, candy cane, reindeer, etc.
- Hanukkah: Menorah, Star of David
- Kwanzaa: Muhindi (ear of corn), Mkeka (straw mat)
Dip and press sponges onto back (usually white) of left over rolls or pieces of wrapping paper, grocery sacks, large squares of fabric, or white paper. Wrap gifts made in the classroom and encourage children to share what they have learned about each culture with family and friends during the holiday season.
Extend: Giving never goes out of season!
- Encourage children to bring canned goods for local food bank
- Invite an older class to read holiday books to your children
- Study maps skills by tracking Santa's anticipated journey around the world... fun!
Clifford’s Library: These books support Clifford's Big Ideas and reinforce valuable early literacy skills:
- Clifford's First Christmas (Clifford the Big Red Dog Series) by Norman Bridwell (Scholastic)
- The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jan Brett (Dodd Mead)
- The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore (Harper Collins Juvenile Books)
- Part of Collection:
- Subjects:Language Arts, Discovery and Learning, African and African American, Family Activities, Arts and Crafts, Early Social Skills, Creativity and Imagination, Communication and Language Development, Judaism, Winter, Jewish Experience, Motor Skills, Individuality, Kindness and Compassion, Respect, Tolerance and Acceptance, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Themes, Understanding Self and Others
- Skills:Development of Reading Comprehension, Social Studies, Listening Comprehension
