By Guest

• June 23, 2011
Juliet Mickelburgh More ideas and downloadable focus activities together with a booklist and mindmap. These are ideas only: ANY CURRICULUM LINKS DO NOT RELATE TO THE CURRENT (2012) EYFS REQUIREMENTS

Introduction

There is so much to explore in this topic! It embraces language, costume, religions, travel, festivals, food, care for our world – the list is endless. This is a wonderful topic for celebrating the diversity of the children in an early years setting. If you have children who have relatives from other countries or who have English as a second language, invite their families to participate in some of the activities. It is also a theme for recognising the similarities we share with those who live around the world. It is important not to use stereotypical images when talking about another country, but for example, to show that there are skyscrapers in Africa and in America.

Overview

The topic web provides a mind map of useful suggestions and ideas listed under the areas of learning. There are also twelve focus plans for a selection of topic-related activities in either MS Word or acrobat(pdf) format (click on the icon corresponding to the format you'd like) and a book list to enrich the topic.

Personal Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

Communication, language and literacy (CLL)

Knowledge and understanding of the world (KUW)

Mathematical Development (MD)

Physical Development (PD)

Creative Development (CD)

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

Ideas and Suggestions

• Role play areas – Bedouin tent, Inuit igloo etc
• Stories and songs from other countries
• Story telling using props
• Invite visitors to talk about other cultures and religions
• Look at different national or religious costumes/head coverings
• Talk about festivals and celebrations from other countries
• Circle times
• Puzzles and games depicting pictures from around the world
• Learn to say ‘hello’ in different languages
• Make contact with an early years setting in another country and write/draw pictures to them
• Collect water in containers in the garden and talk about the importance of water in different countries and how we need to use water carefully
• Stories and songs

Activities

Tibetan Prayer Flags /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

My Favourite Place /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Communication, language and literacy (CLL)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Role play areas – Bedouin Tent, Inuit igloo, market stall from another country, sari shop
• Collect artefacts from around the world – Russian dolls, African drums or masks, bells, sari material etc.
• Tell stories of journeys using these props
• Book making
• Story telling with props and puppets
• Memory games – ‘I went to market and I bought…’
• Holiday photos from abroad
• Get relatives who are abroad to send postcards – display them on a world map
• Chinese writing
• Make up a global alphabet using words associated with other countries
• Small world toys – e.g. airport
• Boats to travel in water tray/desert in sand tray
• Books, rhymes and songs from other countries

Activities

Chinese Scrolls /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Around the World Story Bag /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Knowledge and understanding of the world (KUW)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• World maps, globes and atlases
• Role play areas – Bedouin Tent/Inuit igloo/Sari shop
• Taste food from other countries- Indian sweets/German Stollen cake/French croissants/Chinese rice etc.
• Label a world map with children’s names of places they have been/ their relatives live
• Play ‘Fruit Salad’ with fruits from around the world
• Non-fiction books
• Link up with a setting from another country and write/send pictures to them
• Posters and pictures showing scenes from other countries
• Collection of hats from other countries – sombrero, Australian bush hat, Russian fur hat, British sun hat etc.
• Hold a Japanese tea ceremony
• Sand and water play
• Discuss the importance of water to everyone

Activities

Precious Water /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Getting About /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Display example

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Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy (PSRN)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Russian Dolls and other things that fit inside each other
• Foreign coins
• Role play areas – shops from other countries e.g. African market stall/Indian sari shop
• Patterns and shapes – Mehndi and rangoli patterns from India/ Tangrams from China
• Look at the patterns on different national flags
• Sorting artefacts to their appropriate country
• Counting songs and books from other countries
• Learn to count to 5 or 10 in another language

Activites

Tangrams /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Sorting Coins /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Physical Development (PD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Simple Origami
• Use chopsticks
• Dressing up in different costumes form other countries
• Have a go at tai chi or yoga
• Play children’s games from other countries
• Action songs from around the world
• Carry things in baskets on your head/water in a bucket/bundles of washing on your back
• Dance to music from around the world

Activites

Chopsticks /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Global Music/forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Creative Development (CD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Role play areas
• Play with Indian sari material
• Music from around the world
• Songs from around the world
• Instruments from other countries
• Make Japanese folded paper fans
• Face painting – look at how people in other countries decorate their bodies
• Weaving
• Chinese writing
• African print making
• Make clay pots

Activities

African Weaving /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Make a Japanese Fan /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Other Resources

• A booklist is available here:

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• 'mindmap' document here:

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