Valentine’s Day Traditions Around the World
Have fun learning about other countries by studying Valentine’s Day traditions around the world!
This is a fun study to do with your kiddos around Valentine’s Day! Many children (and adults too) don’t really know how people in other countries celebrate holidays such as Valentine’s Day. We tend to think they celebrate the same ways we do. And while that is true for some countries, others have traditions that we might find completely different from our own! This is an interesting way to learn a little about other countries and how they are the same in some ways and different in others.
Why should we teach our children about people in other countries?
You may be wondering if it’s worth the time to teach your children how people in other countries celebrate Valentine’s Day. There are so many important things to teach our children, so why spend time on this topic?
After you’ve read why it’s important to study other countries, you’ll find a link to go to the Only Passionate Curiosity store to download your own copy of our printable with information about how people in 9 different countries celebrate Valentine’s Day. We hope you enjoy this quick study!
Here are 5 great reasons to teach your children about other countries and cultures!
1. It’s fun!
There are so many things we have to teach our children! They have to learn to read, write, do basic math, and so much more. And yet we want our children to enjoy learning and to want to learn. An easy way to encourage a love of learning is to do fun things! Learning about other people, countries, and cultures is a great way to light a spark in our children. It just might reveal a new interest in a hobby or language or even a new kind of food!
2. They are learning about us!
Even though I’ve only traveled to a small number of other countries, I’ve been surprised every single time to realize how much people in other countries know about people in the United States! I have friends in other countries who message me asking about our weather or political events or holidays. They often know more than I do about what’s going on right here in my own country! Many of us learn only (or mostly) about what’s currently happening in the United States or what happened in our own history. Perhaps we should spend at least a smal amount of time learning more about people in other countries just to broaden our knowledge and give us more understanding and compassion for people around the world.
3. It can help us better communicate with and appreciate others.
When we know more about how people in other countries live, we become more effective communicators. There are so many people from other countries living in the United States! If our children don’t have some small understanding of their backgrounds, they won’t be as effective at understanding and communicating with them. For example, there are some gestures that are used here that are considered rude in other countries. (And the same is true in reverse.)
Once we have a bit of understanding about others, we become more interested and less intimidated by the thought of getting to know them. And once we get over that nervousness, we can start to communicate and develop relationships.
4. It can teach us to slow down and enjoy life.
One of the things I’ve learned from my experiences with friends in South America is that many people in Latin American countries know how to slow down and enjoy life while we in America always seem to be a hurry! For the past few years, I’ve been busy homeschooling, working from home, doing church work, and trying to keep people fed and clothed that I almost forgot to slow down and enjoy spending time with my family. (And the ironic thing is that my family is the main reason I was doing all of those things!) Most of us here in the US can benefit from their example. Slow down. Spend time with your family. Cook together. Eat together. Play games. Read books. Do whatever you enjoy doing together, and do it today!
5. It can expose us to new traditions and ways of doing things.
It’s comforting to develop traditions that we enjoy with our families year after year. Hopefully, our children will continue our family traditions with their own children in the future. Learning about traditions in other countries can be a fun way to add some interest to our own family traditions or to encourage us to develop new family traditions.
In fact, this Valentine’s Day Traditions Around the World printable may just expose you to some fun new traditions you’ll want to add to your own Valentine’s Day celebration each year!
Where to Find Your Printable Valentine’s Day Traditions Around the World Info
You can get your printable Valentine’s Day Traditions Around the World information in the Only Passionate Curiosity store. We hope you enjoy this quick study and that it ignites a love of learning about other countries!
Countries included are:
- Brasil
- China
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Italy
- the Philippines
- South Africa
- South Korea
