Affordable Activity Idea: International Night
You might not be able to afford to jet off to Europe. You may never take a family vacation to Asia. Visits to South America, Africa, and Australia may seem practically impossible. Luckily, you don’t have to travel to provide your children with a culturally-enriching experience. You can host a family international night from the comfort of your home. We’ll share our top tips for a memorable and educational night.
Select a Country
The first step in planning a family international night is to pick a country. Try to include your children in the conversation so that they are more personally invested in the event. If you don’t know where to start, you might consider selecting a country that your ancestors were from, a country you enjoy cuisine from, or a country you’re considering visiting.
Give Each Family Member an Assignment
To make the night more educational, you might give each family member a specific assignment. One family member might be responsible for researching and summarizing the countries history, another might discuss popular national interests, while smaller children might help by preparing simple decorations, like drawings of landmarks or the country’s flag.
Learn Basic Vocabulary
If you have selected a country that speaks a language your family doesn’t speak, learn a few basic words, like “hello,” “please,” and “thank you.” Google Translate is an excellent free website that allows you to look up words and phrases and often listen to the pronunciation. Try to use your new vocabulary repeatedly during the evening. This will expose your child to unfamiliar languages that they might be interested in studying more down the road.
Prepare Food from the Country
Culture and language go hand in hand, and food is one of the easiest aspects of culture to explore at home. Allrecipes has a section specifically for world cuisine, and you can browse by country. Since children often enjoy participating in food preparation, you might look for recipes that have some simple steps that children can help with. This also might make them more interested in trying the food.
Enjoy Authentic Entertainment
To set the mood, try to find an authentic activity to enjoy with your family. You can find international movies and TV shows on Netflix and Hulu, though they may be difficult for children to follow. Otherwise, you might consider playing games from the country or finding a traditional arts and crafts project to work on. Want some authentic background music for your meal? You can stream international radio stations online through Tune In.
How do you help your children learn more about the world around them? Share your tips and tricks in the comments section below!
