Classroom Activities: Festivals around the World

People all over the world celebrate special days known as festivals or holidays. Some of these days are connected to specific dates, but others are not.

Although the purpose of each festival or holiday is different, they tend to have some things in common. Many are filled with traditions, like decorating a tree at Christmas. Festivals and holidays also bring people together.

Use the following activities to help primary and middle school students appreciate all the wonderful festivals celebrated around the world!

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Primary School

Use this Britannica School Primary level resource pack to help your students explore the significance of Christmas and other International Festivals.

Activity

1. Using the Venn Diagram Worksheet, compare Christmas to another international festival from around the world.
2. Think about what Christmas means. Using creative art materials make an artistic response themed, “What Christmas Means to Me.”
3. Create a Christmas Gift Book of Vouchers containing vouchers of free actions such as “Valid for one setting of the dinner table or Valid for one hug.”

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Middle School

Use this Britannica School Middle level resource pack to help you with the following activities. It contains articles and multimedia exploring festivals, holidays and traditions from around the world.

Activity

1. Research how another country celebrates a special day in their culture.
2. Using the Timeline Worksheet create a timeline of celebrations throughout the year from around the world.
3. Make a Feel-Good Advent Calendar by creating deed cards that can be done each day of Advent e.g. help with cooking dinner.
4. Write a reflection describing ‘What Christmas means to you?’

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These activities and resources have been created using content from Britannica School, the go-to site for safe, comprehensive student research. Contact your librarian to find out if your institution already has access. Find out more about Britannica School or set up your own free trial.

Featured Image from Britannica School: Lights decorate the outdoor markets at Römer Square in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. © sborisov/Stock.com