Who doesn't love a good holiday?? It's a time to spend with family, engage in traditions, and oftentimes stuff yourself with your favorite foods. Here in the US, our time off from work and school is centered around Christian holidays. We always have Christmas off and we frequently don't go to school right before or after Easter. There are also holidays that are distinctly American such as Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and holidays that don't mean a day off from school, but are expected to be celebrated (Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day). However, not all people celebrate holidays in the same way. One of the tenants that the United States was founded on is freedom of religion. Although not as much attention is paid to some religions, there are many here in the US. And each religion has its own holidays and own celebrations. Use this to do an activity with your child. There are lots of ways to use holidays to learn about other religions. Here are some suggestions. Choose your favorite or try all of them! Or better yet, let your child pick what would be fun and interesting to them:
Which activities will you try with your kids? Which sound like the most fun? Were there any religions that you didn't know about at all? Did you find a new tradition that you love? Leave a comment below. Don't forget to check back next week to for the next letter - I! Or even better, sign up for the newsletter and you won't miss a post!
1 Comment
Carol
7/10/2016 01:28:32 pm
I concur that holidays are a wonderful vehicle to have discussions and broaden knowledge and understanding of people whose religious beliefs/traditions are different than your own. With our country becoming more and more segregated it is even more important to make this a priority for our children (and ourselves as adults).
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AuthorDr. Sweeney is a licensed school psychologist and cultural competence expert. Here are her musings on life in a multicultural world. Archives
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