Celebrating holidays from other countries is fun for children and makes other cultures seem exciting. Celebrate these holidays throughout the year or create a holiday week and observe a different one each day. Holidays that your class will enjoy include Brazilian Carnival, Chinese New Year and Diwali, which is the Indian festival of lights. Study each one by reading books, making crafts and cooking foods that are traditionally eaten at the holiday. Invite visitors from these cultures to come and celebrate the holiday with your class.
Preschoolers love to move, and music from other cultures helps them picture how other children live. Visit the local library for CDs of music such as African drumming, reggae or folk songs from other countries. Play the music and ask children to dance along. After five minutes or so, stop the music. Ask children to guess where the music is from and what instruments are being used. Repeat this with several types of music, then ask children what they liked best and why.
Teach children how their peers in other countries say "hello" and "goodbye." Each morning, teach the class these words in another language. Ask them to greet one another that way all day. Add a writing-practice element by writing the words on the chalkboard. Pass out lined paper and ask children to practice copying them. If you have a student in class who speaks another language, ask him in private if he will teach the class a few words. Some children may be too shy to do this, while others will be happy to teach classmates about their language.
Connect your class with another class in a foreign country. Websites such EPals allow you to search for a class or group that is seeking pen pals. Once you find a class of children around the same age who speak the same language, your classes can exchange emails or paper mail. Your children can ask their new friends questions about life in their country and practice their social and writing skills at the same time.