When you follow your own holiday customs or the customs of your own cultural heritage, you are teaching your toddlers and giving them something to compare others to as they get older. Ages 4-5 Take your children to visit the different political, residential, recreational, ethnic, and commercial regions of your hometown. Go to plays, movies, and puppet shows about people from different countries. These are often presented at libraries and museums. Some are also on television.
Holidays provide an opportunity to learn about the customs of people around the world.
You can use the library to discover how other people celebrate special days. If you have friends who are from different countries or have traveled or lived abroad, invite them over to talk with your children. If they have pictures, so much the better. Learn a few words of another language. If there is someone in your neighborhood who speaks another language, teach your children how to say ''hello'' or ''thank you'' in that language.