Weitere ähnliche Inhalte Ähnlich wie 9 Ways to Raise Globally-Minded Children at Home (20) Mehr von Transparent Language, Inc. (20) Kürzlich hochgeladen (20) 9 Ways to Raise Globally-Minded Children at Home3. As children, our world grows to include
our neighborhood and our school.
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4. But as adults, what are the
limits of our world?
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5. For many of us, stories and events from far off places
don’t seem to have much to do with us, as if they are
taking place in another world entirely.
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6. But as our world becomes
increasingly connected
economically, environmentally,
technologically, and politically,
faraway events are starting to hit
closer to home.
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7. We need to become more than a
member of our community or a resident
of our country. There is an increasing
need for global citizens.
8. But here’s the thing:
global citizenship
starts at home.
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10. Image © sw77 | flickr
But how do we instill this mystical force
in our children from the confines our
homes and communities?
12. A curiosity about other cultures is best
rooted in a strong knowledge of one’s
own cultural background.
Image © J. Nathan Matias | flickr
13. Using pictures, stories, and souvenirs,
introduce your children to the country
and the culture that you (or their
grandparents, or some other distant
ancestor) grew up in.
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14. Pass down family traditions,
such as recipes and holiday rituals.
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15. Expose your children to another culture and
share its significance through your own
family’s experiences. This is the first step to
cultural curiosity and sensitivity.
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17. Introduce your children to other
cultures by choosing books that
feature diverse and
unfamiliar settings
and characters.
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19. Discover what it
means to grow up in
a small Kenyan
village, where you
wake to roosters, not
alarm clocks.
22. Select a new country or continent and
supplement the reading with contextual
materials, including maps, flags, and postcards.
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25. Dine out at local restaurants that
serve diverse cuisine.
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26. Or, stay in and cook your own multi-
cultural meal! Make it fun by eating
it traditionally, whether that be
with chopsticks or bare hands!
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27. Got picky eaters? Get creative! On your Japanese
food night, let your kids make candy sushi with
gummy candies rather than raw fish.
Image © Jim Reynolds | flickr
28. Prepare some fun facts about
the country of origin to share and
discuss during the meal to leave
a lasting impression.
30. Get the popcorn
ready, but instead of
turning on Frozen for
the umpteenth time,
seek out child-
friendly films with
global themes.
Image © Jessica Diamond | flickr
31. Try Ponyo, an all-
ages, Japanese
take on The Little
Mermaid. It’s got
all of the magic
and wonder, but
without all of the
romantic fixation.
32. Follow the
journey of a
young boy in
India whose
parents send him
off to boarding
school in Like
Stars on Earth.
33. The internet is a treasure trove of
recommendations for foreign films,
many of which, not surprisingly, have
English-dubbed versions or subtitles.
35. One of the best ways for your child to
understand the value of ethnic and
cultural diversity is to make friends
with children from other backgrounds.
36. This is likely to happen naturally depending on
where you live, but it’s worth monitoring.
37. Seek out other activities like
community-sponsored
cultural events and clubs
where your kids can meet
children with a similar global
curiosity.
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40. If your community is fairly
homogenous, or you want to
give your children an
additional connection to
another world, seek out an
international pen pal.
Image © Sarah Klockars-Clauser | flickr
41. Services like International Pen Friends will match children as
young as 8 with their peers from around the world to
exchange good old-fashioned letters.
Image © Dvortygirl | flickr
42. This exchange will give your children a chance to
share their own culture and learn first-hand about
daily life in different parts of the world. Not to
mention how much kids love receiving mail,
right?
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44. Teach your children about new cultures,
religions, and customs by celebrating
major holidays from around the world!
45. Image © iqremix | flickr
Decorate for
Chinese New
Year, watch
videos of the
parades and
celebrations from
around China, and
give them their
weekly allowance
in the traditional
red envelopes!
46. Pretend you’re in India during Diwali
by making your own Rangoli designs. Instead of
using the traditional colored rice or flour, grab some colored
sand, glue, and construction paper from the craft store so you
can hang the finished designs year-round!
Image © Subharnab Majumdar | flickr
47. Give your usual holidays a global
twist. Hang ornaments from
around the world on your
Christmas tree, and incorporate
traditions from other cultures into
your celebration.
Image © Alan Cleaver | flickr
48. Your children will be having so much fun
celebrating holidays from around the world
they won’t even realize they’re learning to
be more worldly and tolerant.
50. This is a big commitment, but there’s no better way to
give your children an opportunity to learn about and
connect with another culture from their own home.
Image © AFS-USA Intercultural Program | flickr
51. Hosting an exchange student gives your kids
a chance to practice interacting with and
understanding someone from another
culture, including their unique values,
behaviors, and attitudes.
Image © AFS-USA Intercultural Program | flickr
52. This experience will help your children develop confidence
when it comes to socializing and working with diverse friends
and colleagues in the future.
Image ©DFID | flickr
53. Global understanding is strongest when its
personal. Hosting an exchange student will give
your children a lifelong link to another culture,
and potentially a new best friend.
55. “The more languages they can speak,
the more windows to the world we
are giving to our children.”
-Stephanie Meade, InCultureParent
56. Learning a new language will open a
number of doors to your children,
including countless cognitive and
career benefits. Not to mention the
ability to communicate with an
entire new population of people.
Image © Pratham Books | flickr
57. Learning a language is a lifelong process, so starting
as early as possible is ideal. Don’t wait until high
school to expose your children to a new language.
58. Make sure your
children engage
with the language
daily, even if it’s
through small
efforts like labeling
objects around
your home.
Image © jampaper.com
59. If you and your spouse don’t speak a second language to
pass on to your kids, seek out resources at your local
library, find a tutor, or invest in language-learning software.
60. Raising your children to be globally-minded is realistic for any
family, in any city, on any budget. No matter which steps you
take to raise your children as global citizens, make it fun,
frequent, and family-oriented.
61. Read to invest in your children’s foreign language
education? Get them started with KidSpeak™!