Preschool
Multicultural Activities
Passports
Promote multicultural awareness and self
esteem with this early childhood education activity by Matina.
Materials: Paper and a camera.
Description: We made passports by stapling
white paper to construction paper. Then from January until May we studied
a different country. We studied Russia, Africa, Ireland, Israel, China,
Antarctica, Australia, Mexico, Japan, France, Hawaii, and Saudi Arabia.
Then for each country the youngsters wore a hat or a prop from that country
(ex: France, beret). We took pictures of each child wearing his or her
hat or prop. Then I glued the pictures into each child’s individual passport
and gave it to them along with a world traveler certificate at the end
of the year. They had lots of fun “dressing up!”
World
Passport
Teach pre-k and kindergarten children the
concept of “Around the World” with this early childhood project by Gina.
You
may want to take more that one week to accomplish this project.
Materials: Blank booklet and a stamp for
each country.
Description: Teachers decide which countries
you want your class to visit. We did Russia, China, Mexico, Egypt and United
Kingdom. We took a sheet of paper for each country and researched
facts through books, the internet and guest speakers. We wrote down
important facts and when we were done, I had made “stamps” from each country
(Ex: Egypt = Pyramid) and the children glued them at the bottom of
their sheet.
Once the week was up we went through our
passport and planned a ‘Round the world party where each child dressed
like the people from one of thecountries we visited and we made native
foods and played native games.
Bulletin
Board: Native American Symbols
Create a bulletin
board with this multicultural activity for preschool and kindergarten children
by Nikki.
Materials: Large piece
of brown butcher paper, paint, paint rollers, precut symbols (canoe, teepee,
turtle, deer etc.).
Description: The teacher
will precut a bear or deer shape from the brown butcher paper. The
children place precut symbols (cut from tag board) onto the brown butcher
paper. The children will roll their rollers into the paint and then
they will roll over the symbol. Next, they lift the symbol and look
at the designs they have created.
Multicultural:
The “Talking Stone”
A preschool education
circle time activity.
Often during circle
time many preschoolers want to talk at once. One way to help children learn
how to take turns is to use a visual clue. Teachers might try using
a “talking stick” or “talking stone”. This is a tradition with some
Native Americans. Hold your ‘stick’ or ‘stone’ while you speak
and then pass it on when it’s time for another person to talk.
You can use a colorful
rock or decorate your stick in a special way. This technique helps young
children learn to respect the speaker and to wait and listen. Continue
with this idea and soon the children will be reminding each other.
Japanese:
Hinamatursi Day!
Trina S. offers
this early childhood lesson plan saying, “Teach children that being different
is okay. We’re not all of the same ethnic background, and people celebrate
holidays in different ways.”
Materials: Dolls, pretend
tea set and newspaper print paper (end of the paper
rolls).
Description: We celebrated
Hinamatursi Day “The day of the Dolls” which is celebrated in Japan to
commemorate ancestors.
1. Told everyone
in advance to bring a doll for Hinamatsuri Day.
The day of the Dolls. We explained what Hinamatsuri Day was
to the children. Then, each child took turns telling about their doll
and why it was special to them (some brought stuffed animals).
2. Later on we made
paper kimonos out of newspaper print paper
(end of the paper rolls). A lot of newspapers give these away
for free or for a very small amount and they have lots of paper
left on them. Each child decorated their own paper kimono and then
a belt was fastened out of string.
3. After lunch we had
a tea party, Japanese style, with everyone seated on
the floor. We read a short book about life in Japan so that children
could see how Japanese
people sit around their table on the floor.
Comments: Kids really
enjoyed this day! Kids didn’t want to take off their kimonos. Great
way to learn about another culture without it being boring.
Take a look at
Preschool Picture Books Listed by Themes
for a suggested list
of multicultural books.
I
Am Different
Kenyetta C., a teacher from Watson
Avenue Day Care, shares this multicultural fingerplay and says, ” I wrote
this for multicultural month to teach diversity and acceptance of different
ethnic backgrounds.”
Materials:
Just fingers. I also took all of the
children’s pictures with a digital camera and decorated my bulletin board
with the poem and the children’s pictures. The parents and children loved
it!
Description:
This is a fingerplay to do with children
during circle time.
I am different from my head to my
toes
(point to self then
to head and toes)
I am different from my eyes to my nose
(point to self then
eyes and nose)
I come from a place that is far and wide
(point to self then
spread arms wide open)
A place where we all smile instead of cry
(act like you are
tracing your lips into a smile
and bring hands down
eyes as if you were crying)
I am very different as you can see
(point to self then
at a friend)
But I still have a lot of love in me!
(point to self place
hand over the heart
then hug yourself)
Multicultural
Puppet
Theresa takes advantage of puppets
to help preschool children develop language skills, self expression and
cultural awareness (Hawaii).
Materials: Brown
lunch bags, glue, markers, paper or silk flowers.
Description:
Teachers help children cut on opening of
bag upward 4-5 inches (for the grass skirt). Have them decorate a
face on the flap part of the bag. Then glue flowers under the flap
for the Lei. If available, use store bought eyes.
Variation:
Paint or sponge paint the puppet, then cut the flap.
Multicultural
Book
Theresa shares
this multicultural activity which helps children appreciate different cultures
and traditions.
Materials:
Construction paper
or cardboard, old magazines, glue and ribbon.
Description:
Teachers ask children
to cut out various pictures from magazines (old National Geographic
ones are great). Make a book by using construction paper or cardboard.
Children glue pictures on to pages. Punch holes, and add ribbon to make
the book. They can also dictate their thoughts about the pictures to you.
Write their responses down on that particular page.
This activity is great
for language recognition too!
Chop
Stix Pick-up
During this multicultural
activity preschool children will use eye-hand coordination and fine motor
skills.
You will need:
Enough pairs of chop
sticks for everyone in the small group, lots of large cotton balls, paper
plates.
Description:
Explain to a small
group of preschoolers that not everyone eats with
forks and spoons.
Introduce the chop sticks and tell children they are used for eating.
Let the children help put the cotton balls (pretend food) on their paper
plates and ask them how they could use the chop sticks to pick up the pretend
food. Permit the children to experiment with ways to pick up
the cotton balls. Then demonstrate how they might pick up the pretend
food. Give children children lots of time to try before reading the
book: How My
Parents Learned To Eat (Japanese – American) by Ina R.
Friedman
Comment: A few children might attempt to
“taste” the pretend food so Susan advises telling them, in
advance, NOT to put the cotton balls into their mouths.
For more multicultural books take a look
at Preschool Books Listed by Themes
Pollito, Chicken
Improvise a tune
for this bilingual song
(Spanish-English)
Pollito, chicken;
Gallina, hen.
Lapiz, pencil, y Pluma,
pen.
Ventana, window;
Puerta, door.
Maestra, teacher,
y Piso, floor.
Use this version
if the teacher is a woman, If a man, change “maestra” to “maestro”.
Uno, Dos Y Tres
A bilingual counting
song in Spanish and English
Uno, dos, y tres,
Cuatro, cinco, seis.
Siete, ocho, y nueve,
Cuento hasta diez.
La la la la la; La la la la la,
La la la la la; La la la la la.
La la la la la; La la la la la.
One, two, and three,
Four, five and six.
Seven, eight, and nine,
I count to ten.
La la la la la; La la la la la.
La la la la la; La la la la la.
La la la la la; La la la la la.
There are more Spanish
rhymes, songs and finger plays in the Resource
Room.
Music:
Maracas
Preschool and kindergarten children use
fine motor and sensory skills when they create these Mexican instruments
by Sue Y.
Materials: Cut up squares of tissue paper
(all colors), glue watered down,small water bottles, beans, rice or anything
to make noise.
Description: Take your small water bottles
and paint them with watered down glue. Put colored tissue paper all
over and even on the top. After the bottle is covered do it once more.
Then, paint all over the two layers with watered glue again and let it
dry. It will look very glossy and with the bean or rice inside it
will make beautiful music.
The teacher will either need to put the
beans in ahead of time or let the children, they love doing that.
Once it is dry children can do a dance or musical dance with their new
instrument.
Comments: Some kids don’t like the wet texture,
but after seeing the finished project they love it!
Rain Rhythm Sticks
Leslie shares this activity saying,
“Because in April my class and I made Rain Rhythm Sticks.”
Materials:
Paper towel tubing, plastic lids from milk
jug, tape, beans or rice or cereal, felt tip markers.
Description:
Teachers give the children a paper towel
tube and let them decorate it with markers and sticker. Close one
end off with a milk cap (we taped ours with masking tape just to make sure
the filling wouldn’t come out).
Let the children partially fill the tube
with beans or even dried cereal. Close the other end with a cap.
Then let them shake, shake shake. It sounds just like raindrops!
Gayle’s Note:
African, Chilean and Indian cultures make traditional use of rainsticks.
Multicultural
Activity: “Egypt Crackled Egg Art”
Nichole P. offers this multicultural
art activity saying, “Shem al neseem, means “smell the breeze”.
Egyptians welcome spring with red roses, fancy clothes and family picnics.”
Materials:
Eggshells, washed out well, food coloring,
strainer and cup, poster board, white glue, child safety scissors,
and paper towels.
Description:
1. Cut out an egg shape from the poster
board. add water and a few drops of food coloring to a cup.
2. Break eggshells into small pieces; then
place them in food coloring.
Strain shells when colored.
gently dry on paper towels.
3. Cover the poster board egg with glue;
then press on eggshells.
Comments:
* Egyptians celebrate spring with a picnic
breakfast. you can have a breakfast picnic, too. Fill a basket with hard
cooked eggs, bread,
fruit and cheese.
* Which other springtime holidays use
eggs in the celebration?
If you guessed Easter and Passover, then
you are right.
Why do you think eggs are used in these
celebrations?
Where else do you see eggs in spring?
* Find Egypt on a map or globe. what
continent is Egypt in?
Is Egypt close or far away from where
we live on the map?
For African-American
early childhood education activities go to the
Preschool
Black History Theme
Search
the Preschool Rainbow
Or you can stop by
for
more activities.
Do you have a multicultural activity or
an idea you’d like share…
E-mail
Gayle
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USA: +1(669)289-8683 
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