Activity Cards
Birthdays are a special day for each of us. There are other special days which lots of people celebrate together - these are called festivals. At festivals sometimes people dress up in special clothes and eat special food.
Why can't I have a birthday every day?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS What makes your birthday special? What other special days can you think of? Have you ever been to a festival? (St. Patrick's Day, Chinese New Year, the 12th Parade). What sorts of things do you do at a festival? Eat special foods? Wear special clothes? How do you feel on special occasions? Happy? Excited? Anticipation?
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Activities You Can Do in the Classroom: Below are some suggestions for how the theme of festivals can be incorporated into areas of play.
| AREAS OF PLAY | ACTIVITIES / EXPERIENCES |
|---|---|
| Class Festival | Designate a day for a class festival that everyone can celebrate together. As a class, decide what you will celebrate (e.g., the colours of the rainbow, the sun, etc.). Invite children to come to pre-school dressed in special "festival" clothes that are relevant to the theme. |
| Role Play | Add special clothes and accessories, such as scarves or hats, to dressing up area to enable children to role play going to festivals |
| Creative Area | Encourage children to make banners, greetings cards, and decorations for the class festival |
| Dough | Make cakes for the special class festival |
| Snack Time | Each festival has its own special foods. Sample foods from other festivals: e.g., on the Chinese New Year people eat tangerines for luck, on St. Patrick's Day people eat Irish stew. |
LINKS WITH PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES:
Talk to children about: Different festivals that they've seen, the 12th Parade, St. Patrick's and Chinese New Year's Day parades, Halloween, etc.
