Search the Internet for games from around the world. Choose several and play them in class. Using a world map on the wall, pinpoint the areas in which each game is played and mark the country or region. Examples include mancala from Africa, Chinese tangrams and Big Snake from Ghana. In Big Snake, a game of tag, the first child who is "It" tags children. Any children he tags link hands with him to form a "snake" and tag others with him as a team. Only the head or tail of the "snake" can free others. If the "snake" breaks, the game starts again.
Find recipes from around the globe on the Internet. Introduce the activity by gathering various types of apples in different colors. Have the children observe all the different colors of apples, then cut each apple open to observe how they are the same on the inside, just as people are. Then make recipes from other countries and cultures with children, such as lassi, a yogurt drink from India. From Italy, recreate the appetizer of ham and melon. To experience food from Mexico, fry up some tortillas. Have the children help with the mixing and tortilla dough forming while you do the frying.
Use the Internet to travel the world. Create a little "passport" for every child. Staple white paper to colored construction paper and label the booklet "My Passport." Look for online images of different countries and learn a bit about the people, the weather and the geography. Stamp that country's name on a page along with a digital photo you snap of the child holding a prop from that country. Use different hats or instruments to represent each country. Label a map with the countries you study.
Studying art from different cultures is an excellent way to introduce children to the world. Create kente cloths from Ghana by first showing the class online images of kente cloth and teaching about the different geometric shapes and colors used in the cloth. Allow children to paint and draw on strips of heavy white paper, then glue these onto a larger sheet of paper. Show children images of Koru art from the Maori people of New Zealand. They can then draw large designs with double lines and color these in with colored chalk. From Japan, look at images of fans. Have children draw nature scenes, such as flowers or trees, then paint these with watercolor paint. Show the children how to fold their pictures accordion-style to make fans. Staple one end of the pleats together.