Christmas Around the World is a great way to learn about different cultures. Drama is a great way to help kids experience different cultures and remember what they’ve learned. Put the two together and you have a fun way for the families in your homeschool co-op or neighborhood to enjoy Christmas together.

Hi! My name is Danielle and I have homeschooled my kids from Pre-K through high school. When we started homeschooling, I was concerned my kids may not be able to participate in some of the fun activities like drama that I was able to do growing up, but I quickly found out that I had nothing to worry about and found there are a lot of ways to fit drama into your homeschool.

Learn More about the Many Cultures Represented in Your Community

One year we decided to finish our fall semester with a Christmas Around the World event, which turned into an annual event. This meant that interested families could pick a country to learn about and demonstrate what Christmas looks like in that country. We set up tables around a room or some years outside at the pavilion, and each family brought decorations and examples of Christmas from their representative country.

In our group, we had many families that came from different countries or missionaries who had lived overseas. The rest of us could pull from our ancestors and where they came from. 

The families that grew up in another culture were able to take things they had from home and make family recipes to share. It was always fun for the parents to share these traditions with their children and then for their children to share them with their friends. 

Since we did not grow up in another culture, we chose a country that represented our family’s ancestry. We are really a mix of so many countries, but the kids had an interest in France, so we decided to learn more about how they celebrate Christmas.

There’s Always a Way to Fit Drama into Your Homeschool Experiences

One thing we learned about France was that Christmas plays and puppet shows are popular entertainments at Christmas. We decided it would be fun to have a puppet show to represent our country. This is not supposed to be an expensive endeavor, so we chose to make the puppets and the scenery from what we already had around the house. It’s amazing what you can do if you just look around and use a little creativity.

First step was to do more research to learn how the French celebrate Christmas. We learned that this can be a month-long event starting with St. Nicholas Eve and ending with the Epiphany. We also learned that the crèche, a Nativity scene, can be a focal point of Christmas for a lot of families, so we decided that was the story we would tell in our puppet show.

I do not sew, therefore the puppets needed to be something really simple. We cut out material using our hand as a template and did a basic stitch that would be enough to hold two pieces together. In some areas we used glue and brought back-up safety pins just in case (read How to Make Hand Puppets to learn more). I think it helped my kids to learn to use what we already have and that it doesn’t have to be perfect.

My kids and I adapted the Nativity story to be really short while still telling important details. They helped build the scenery using PVC pipes, a blanket, a box and some paper. They also wrote up a history of French Christmas traditions that they shared with the other students to help them experience this culture. It was an amazing opportunity and well worth the time.

Acting Can Make a Presentation More Interactive and Memorable

In presenting this country, my kids got into character and greeted the kids in French. They would have the kids repeat them so that maybe they would walk away knowing another language. Throughout their presentation they would use the French pronunciations of cities, decorations and popular dishes.

Then it was time to present the puppet show. The first year, my kids and I were the ones hiding behind the curtain wall performing the first Christmas. We would each have two puppets since there wasn’t a lot of space behind the curtain. In the years to follow, I would have students from my class at our homeschool co-op take the roles and perform this tradition.

Besides the puppet show, one of my favorite props was the fireplace that we built. It was simply a box with wrapping paper turned inside out, so it would be white, some construction paper for the fire and a small shelf for the mantle. We learned that children leave their shoes by the hearth so Père Noël, or Father Christmas, can fill them with gifts. We had the kids watching the puppet show put their shoes by the fireplace at the beginning of the show. At the end when they grabbed their shoes, they found a coin or two inside. Some years we used the chocolate candy ones for a bonus surprise.

Using drama was a wonderful way for my kids to dig in and really learn about another culture, and a great way for them to share that culture with their friends. Because it was presented in this way, the kids all walked away remembering the details of the French Christmas experience and having fun as well.

The Benefits of Celebrating Christmas Around the World

There are a lot of other traditions that the French celebrate each Christmas that I recommend you look up and learn about or pick another country of interest. We learned so much about so many cultures from this experience and each year different countries were represented depending on the families that participated. I still have notes from my kids that say Buon Natale, Merry Christmas in Italian, on one side and a sweet note on the other. It was such a great time for the kids and the parents, and we all learned so much about each other and the many cultures represented.

This became such a great activity for my kids as they learned so much through it. We learned:

• the history of another culture and how they celebrate Christmas 

• how to make simple puppets 

• how to write a short script

• how to present both in front of the curtain and behind it with puppets

Want to make life easier and be the first to know when the next blog is posted? Sign up below for our email newsletter to get the latest news!

Thanks for joining us!

Danielle at homeschooldrama.com