GLOBALLY-MINDED CHILDREN AT HOME

WAYS TO RAISE 9

As infants, our world is our house.

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As children, our world grows to include our neighborhood and our school.

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But as adults, what are the limits of our world?

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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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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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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.

But here’s the thing: global citizenship starts at home.

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Fostering global-mindedness in our children will allow them to collaborate, compete, and

contribute to our collective future.

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But how do we instill this mystical force in our children from the confines our

homes and communities?

#1

Teach them about their own heritage.

A curiosity about other cultures is best rooted in a strong knowledge of one’s

own cultural background.

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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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Pass down family traditions, such as recipes and holiday rituals.

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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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#2

Read books from around the world.

Introduce your children to other cultures by choosing books that feature diverse and unfamiliar settings and characters.

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Travel the continents from the comfort of your own couch with

stories from around the world.

Discover what it means to grow up in

a small Kenyan village, where you

wake to roosters, not alarm clocks.

Explore the Andes

from Cusco to Lake Titicaca, meeting

numerous Peruvian children along

the way.

Multi-cultural books are available in abundance. Look on Amazon, or check

out this recommended reading list!

Select a new country or continent and supplement the reading with contextual

materials, including maps, flags, and postcards.

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#3

Eat foreign foods.

Engage your children’s senses with a weekly foreign food night.

Dine out at local restaurants that serve diverse cuisine.

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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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Got picky eaters? Get creative! On your Japanese food night, let your kids make candy sushi with gummy candies rather than raw fish.

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Prepare some fun facts about the country of origin to share and discuss during the meal to leave

a lasting impression.

#4

Have a foreign film night.

Get the popcorn ready, but instead of turning on Frozen for the umpteenth time,

seek out child-friendly films with

global themes.

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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.

Follow the journey of a young boy in India whose

parents send him off to boarding school in Like

Stars on Earth.

The internet is a treasure trove of recommendations for foreign films, many of which, not surprisingly, have English-dubbed versions or subtitles.

#5

Foster multi-cultural friendships.

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.

This is likely to happen naturally depending on where you live, but it’s worth monitoring.

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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Encourage your children to be out-going, curious, and inclusive when it

comes to make new friends.

#6

Find an international pen pal.

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.

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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.

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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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#7

Celebrate foreign holidays.

Teach your children about new cultures, religions, and customs by celebrating

major holidays from around the world!

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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!

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!

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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.

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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.

#8

Host an exchange student.

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.

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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.

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This experience will help your children develop confidence when it comes to socializing and working with diverse friends

and colleagues in the future.

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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.

#9

Teach them a new language.

“The more languages they can speak, the more windows to the world we

are giving to our children.” -Stephanie Meade, InCultureParent

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.

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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.

Make sure your children engage

with the language daily, even if it’s

through small efforts like labeling

objects around your home.

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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.

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.

Read to invest in your children’s foreign language education? Connect with Transparent Language:

www.transparent.com