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!
- Plus Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Dia De Los Muertos Word Wall and Informative Writing Stimulus
Learn and use the language of Mexican tradition with a Dia de Los Muertos vocabulary word wall and informational writing prompt.
- Plus Plan
Printable Day of the Dead Decorations - Papel Picado
Create your own Day of the Dead decorations with printable papel picado colouring sheets.
- Plus Plan
St. Patrick's Day Word Search - Differentiated
A St. Patrick’s Day-themed word search.
- Plus Plan
Asian Zodiac Calendars Poster Pack
A set of posters showing the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese zodiac calendars.
- Plus Plan
Lunar New Year Word Wall Vocabulary
Fifty-eight Lunar New Year related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
- Plus Plan
Remembrance Day Poppy Writing Template
Reflect on Remembrance Day with this poppy template and reflective sentence starters.
- Plus Plan
New Year's Goals Worksheet
A resource to have your students create goals for the new year.
- Plus Plan
Eid-al-Adha Word Wall Vocabulary
Twenty-seven Eid-al-Adha related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
- Plus Plan
Epiphany Information Poster
A poster detailing key information about the celebration of Epiphany.
- Plus Plan
Epiphany Word Search With Solution
A fun word search to help your students learn and work with Epiphany related vocabulary.
- Plus Plan
Epiphany Word Wall Vocabulary
Epiphany related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
- Free Plan
Bastille Day Fact Sheet
A fact sheet covering important facts and traditions of Bastille Day in France.
- Free Plan
Chinese New Year Fact Sheet
A fact sheet covering important facts and traditions of Chinese New Year.
- Plus Plan
Matariki Poster
A poster to display in your classroom during Matariki (Māori New Year).
- Plus Plan
Matariki Word Wall Vocabulary
A set of 18 Matariki related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
- Plus Plan
Matariki Worksheets
A collection of 6 worksheets to use with your class when exploring Matariki (Māori New Year).
- Plus Plan
Celebrations Around The World Unit Plan
This Humanities and Social Sciences unit addresses the topic of celebrations. It covers personal, family and community celebrations; national days; Australia-specific commemorations and religious/cultural celebrations from around the world.
- 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