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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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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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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Chinese Dragon Puppet – Craft Activity
Bring the Chinese dragon to life with this dragon puppet craft activity.
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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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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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Celebrations Around The World - Fact Sheet Pack
A pack of 6 fact sheets detailing different celebrations around the world.
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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 Word Find – Worksheet
A word find with vocabulary themed around celebrations and holidays.
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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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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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Chinese New Year Informational Poster
Teach about Chinese New Year with this informational poster.
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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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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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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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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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Christmas in Japan - Holidays Around the World Mini Book
Introduce your students to Japanese Christmas traditions and decorations with a printable Christmas in Japan Mini Book.
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Christmas in Egypt – Celebrations Around the World Mini Book
Introduce your students to Egyptian Christmas traditions with a printable Christmas in Egypt Mini Book.
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Asian Zodiac Calendars Poster Pack
A set of posters showing the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese zodiac calendars.
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Lunar New Year PowerPoint
Learn all about the Lunar New Year celebration with an instructional slide deck.
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Brazilian Tinsel Tail Bird Ornament Craft
Introduce your students to Christmas in Brazil with a printable tinsel-tailed bird Christmas ornament template.
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Christmas in France - Yule Log Craft Activity
Introduce your students to the Yule Log Craft, a common tradition for Christmas in France.
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Christmas in Japan - Kindness Christmas Light Template
Use a Christmas light template to create a Kindness Christmas bulb craft while learning about Christmas in Japan.
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Christmas in The Philippines Mini Book
Introduce your students to Filipino Christmas celebrations and traditions with a printable Christmas in the Philippines book for kids.
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Day of the Dead Decor - Papel Picado Template
Create your Day of the Dead decorations with a printable Papel Picado template.
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The Day of the Dead Skeleton Craft Activity
Make a Dancing Calavera craft for Dia de Muertos using a printable skeleton craft template.
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A Story of the Zodiac Animals and Activity Task Cards
Read and learn about the Chinese zodiac animals with a zodiac animal reading passage and a set of 12 matching activity task cards.
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Lunar New Year Word Wall Vocabulary
Fifty-eight Lunar New Year related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
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Christmas Poinsettia Craft Template
Introduce your students to Mexico's Christmas traditions and decorations with a printable poinsettia craft template.
- 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