In addition to all the usual Christmas crafts and games, this year include some international Christmas traditions in your preschool lessons. Children will be fascinated to hear how things are done differently in other parts of the world and you can take the opportunity to discuss other cultures and geographic facts, like the changing of the seasons.

December 6
To teach a Christmas lesson early in the month, inform your preschoolers about a German Christmas tradition. December 6 is Saint Nikolaus’ Day, the day their version of Santa Claus visits. Instead of stockings, children place their shoes in front of their doors, but only perfectly clean shoes will be filled with oranges, nuts and chocolates before morning. Have your children take their shoes off, pretend to clean them and set them in a row. Drop some candy into each one.

Decorate a Palm Tree
In some countries of the world, Christmas comes in the summer. Explain to your children how, if you live on the other side of the world, summer and winter come at opposite times. In some of these countries, such as Australia, people may choose to celebrate by decorating not a pine tree, a symbol of winter, but a palm tree, a symbol of tropical weather. Purchase a plastic palm tree or make a large picture of one and have the children decorate it with either real or paper ornaments.

English Snacks
In England, instead of leaving cookies and milk for Santa Claus, people put out mince pies and sherry. Mince pies are small pastries filled with beef and covered with sugar. You may not be able to find some, but any kind of small “pie” filled with chicken or other meat is acceptable. Offer your children a taste of a meat pie with juice instead of sherry and ask them which one they think Santa Claus would like better.

Paper Bag Craft
In Mexico, traditional Christmas decorating includes cutting designs into brown paper bags and creating farolitos, or lanterns. Mexicans put candles inside the bags to light up the designs. They then place them in lines outside on the sidewalk, by houses and in windows. Candles aren’t safe for the classroom, but cut off one side of each bag. Help the children fold them up and cut designs in them, then tape them against the window in a line, to imitate the effect of farolitos.