Cultural Celebrations Teaching Resources
Explore cultural celebrations and holidays around the world and promote cultural awareness in your primary classroom with printable worksheets, fun crafts and more teacher-created teaching resources!
The Teach Starter team of expert teachers has curated a curriculum-aligned collection of activities and interactive ideas to teach young students about the ways people in different cultures come together to celebrate. Save time on your lesson plans with resources carefully curated by expert teachers just for you!
Is this your first year teaching this section of the HASS curriculum, or are you just looking for some fresh ideas? Read on for some tips from our teacher team on expanding your students' appreciation of different cultures and exploring their celebratory traditions!
Holidays Around the World Activities for the Classroom
Exploring how people around the world celebrate isn't just an important part of meeting standards. Learning about these major holidays celebrated outside of Australia is also a way to help students build a greater appreciation for other people and other cultures!
So how do you do that? Here are some fun holiday around the world ideas from our teacher team on bringing these cultural celebrations into your lesson plans.
Create a Gallery Walk
Assign each student a specific holiday from another country such as Holi or Diwali from India or Japan's Hinamatsuri festival. Or provide a list, and allow them to pick their favourite!
Have students research the holiday and create posters that detail where and when the holiday is celebrated, as well as specific information about its history and specific traditions. Display the posters on the hallway wall, and allow your class to go on a gallery walk to take in the information about each holiday!
Hold a Holiday Lunch in the Classroom
Ask students to bring in a dish from a cultural holiday their family celebrates that can be shared with the class. Each student can present the dish to the class and tell their peers a little bit about the holiday.
Have Students Plan a Holiday-Based Trip for a Teacher
Break your class into small groups, and let them choose a cultural celebration from another country. Each group then has to plan a trip for you (or another teacher) to that country to celebrate that holiday. Include maths skills practise by having students create a trip budget, and encourage them to interview the teacher about their likes and dislikes to figure into their planning!
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3D Poppy Craft and Writing Activity
Create a unique Remembrance Day craft with a poppy template and write about the event with reflective writing prompts.
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How to Draw a Soldier Directed Drawing
Draw and write to reflect on Remembrance Day with a How to Draw a Soldier directed drawing activity.
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Celebrations Around the World - PowerPoint
A 28 slide editable PowerPoint Template to use when exploring the topic of celebrations.
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Celebrations Around the World - Worksheet Pack
An 18-page worksheet booklet to use when exploring the topic of celebrations.
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Dragon Colouring Pages
Create colourful Chinese dragon art to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the classroom with a pack of printable dragon colouring pages.
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Remembrance Day Poppy Writing Template
Reflect on Remembrance Day with this poppy template and reflective sentence starters.
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Celebrations Around The World - Fact Sheet Pack
A pack of 6 fact sheets detailing different celebrations around the world.
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Religious Celebrations and Observances – Posters
A set of posters explaining the significance and traditions of various religious observances.
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Celebrations Around The World Inquiry Task
A four page inquiry task, assessing students' knowledge of cultural celebrations from around the world.
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Chinese New Year Fact Sheet
A fact sheet covering important facts and traditions of Chinese New Year.
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Diwali Poster - Information
A poster with information about Diwali.
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Year 4 Reading Comprehension - The Day of the Dead Reading Passage
Read and learn about the Mexican holiday, Dia De Los Muertos, with a reading passage and Year 4 reading prose comprehension test.
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Eid al-Adha Poster - Information
A poster with information about Eid al-Adha.
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East Asian Dragon Art Activity
Print a creative Chinese dragon art activity for kids to celebrate Lunar New Year in the classroom.
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Celebrations Word Find – Worksheet
A word find with vocabulary themed around celebrations and holidays.
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Bastille Day Fact Sheet
A fact sheet covering important facts and traditions of Bastille Day in France.
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Chinese Dragon Puppet – Craft Activity
Bring the Chinese dragon to life with this dragon puppet craft activity.
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Chinese New Year Informational Poster
Teach about Chinese New Year with this informational poster.
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Matariki Worksheets
A collection of 6 worksheets to use with your class when exploring Matariki (Māori New Year).
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This or That? Christmas Edition
Take a Holiday Brain Break and play a game of This or That! Christmas Edition!
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Remembrance Activity - Brochure Template
Make a brochure about the history of Remembrance Day with printable remembrance activities from Teach Starter!
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My Little Remembrance Day Colouring Book
Engage your little learners and build vocabulary skills with a printable Remembrance Day Colouring Book.
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The Day of the Dead Word Search
Introduce vocabulary surrounding the Mexican holiday known as “The Day of the Dead” with a printable word search.
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Chinese New Year Hat Templates
Make a gorgeous Chinese New Year hat with these animals that represent each year.
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Celebrations Crossword Puzzle – Worksheet
A crossword puzzle about holidays and celebrations.
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Matariki – Mindful Colouring Sheet
A mindful colouring-in worksheet to celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year celebration in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
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Celebrations and Holidays – Middle Primary Workbook
A 15 page end of year holiday and celebrations activity booklet.
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Basant Kite Festival Fact Sheet
A fact sheet covering important facts and traditions of the Basant Kite Festival in Pakistan and India.
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Matariki Poster
A poster to display in your classroom during Matariki (Māori New Year).
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Matariki Word Wall Vocabulary
A set of 18 Matariki related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
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Year of the Dragon – Paper Lantern Craft
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with this Chinese New Year paper lantern craft activity.
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Christmas in Egypt - Bauble Template
Use this beautiful template to design your own Christmas ornament inspired by Christmas in Egypt!
- Cultural Celebrations Templates
- Cultural Celebrations Posters
- Cultural Celebrations for Foundation Year
- Cultural Celebrations for Year 1
- Cultural Celebrations for Year 2
- Cultural Celebrations for Year 3
- Cultural Celebrations for Year 4
- Cultural Celebrations for Year 5
- Cultural Celebrations for Year 6