Multicultural Holiday Theme Ideas
- A cultural Chinese group, called the Hmong, celebrate the end of the harvest with a party lasting a month to a month and a half. Help children spend a day celebrating Hmong by providing rice in the sensory table and brooms for sweeping. The rice represents the harvest and the sweeping represents the cleansing of the house for the new year. Provide hula hoops on the floor, as the Hmong people will jump in and out of ropes to confuse bad spirits. Children can jump in and out of the hoops. Play "forfeit" where children throw a ball in a circle and whoever drops the ball is out.
- Add a Kwanzaa day to the multicultural holiday theme. Highlight the number seven, as this number is highly significant to the Kwanzaa celebration. Among Kwanzaa symbols are ears of corn, fruit, candles and straw place mats. Eat fruit for snack and play games with straw place mats to celebrate this holiday. Make corn husk dolls to represent family, as family is a heavily emphasized concept during Kwanzaa.
- Include the Jewish holiday Hanukkah in the holiday theme. Celebrate Hanukkah with potato pancakes and applesauce. Decorate gold coins and create purple scarves to bring in the Hanukkah holiday. Play the dreidel game, where children take turns spinning a top and following directions on each side of the top.
- Christmas is widely celebrated in America. Reserve a day to celebrate Christmas by discussing Christmas trees, the miracle of the evergreen and the arrival of Santa Claus to the home. Exchange gifts and serve cranberry sauce or peppermint for treats. Create mini wreaths from evergreens decorated with fake holly berries.
- A multicultural holiday theme will include the Muslim holiday held during the month of Ramadan. Referred to as Eid-ul-Fitr by the Muslims, this holiday celebrates the giving of the holy book, the Koran, to Muhammad. Students will create lists of ways to donate to others, as Muslims donate to charities during Ramadan. A small snack will be served to represent the fasting of the Muslims from sunrise to sunset. Children may bring pillows and blankets and have a pajama day during the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration, as the Muslim world takes the day off school and work.