Cross-Cultural Activities for Elementary Kids

The world is incredibly diverse. Consider that people speak about 2,796 languages across the globe. Couple this with the fact that only about 35 percent of young people are culturally competent, or at ease with other cultures and ethnicities, according to the Search Institute. Society needs to build bridges between cultures in an increasingly connected world. Elementary-aged children can get a jump start on learning about other cultures by regularly participating in cross-cultural activities.

  1. Hello Around the World

    • Ask children in a group in how many languages they can say ̶0;hello.̶1; Then ask individuals to say ̶0;hello̶1; in a language other than English. The main goal of this activity is to demonstrate that the same idea of greeting someone is present in countries, cultures and languages around the world. As a follow-up activity, children can take turns teaching the group how to greet others in the languages they know.

    Interviews

    • A child can also interview a grandparent or parent about her family's heritage and then present what he learns to the class or to other family members. Questions can include, ̶0;What do you know about where our family is from?̶1;; or ̶0;Is there anything special you can tell me about our family̵7;s cultural heritage?̶1; Students can also choose to research the culture of a specific country. This brings some more variety to the discussion about students̵7; backgrounds.

    Community Connection

    • Invite a class of students or an adult from a local cultural center to speak to your children. If you invite children, they can perhaps share information about their culture or teach a language lesson. An adult can answer questions about her culture in an honest and open way. Another option is to participate in online, international collaboration projects among students around the world, such as the Flat Classroom Project. Students who work together on a project with students from other countries can help break down cultural barriers.

    Speak Openly

    • Talk with children candidly about the differences between cultures. Although parents want to protect their children against becoming prejudiced as they grow, not talking about differences in an honest way can instead cause children to develop stereotypes and prejudice. Respect differences as you speak with your children about other cultures, and remind them of the commonalities among them. For example, point out that children from different cultures eat special foods on holidays.

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