10 Ways to Travel the WORLD with your Family

There are SO many places that our family would like to visit around the globe; China, Australia, Greece, the list is endless. This summer, although we would LOVE the opportunity to actually travel the world with our children, we are spending time traveling to other countries through Art, Music, Literature, Local Travel and even in our Playtime. 

As parents, we are providing our children opportunities to travel the globe, without actually traveling there!

Traveling the World Activities for Kids

Check out some simple ways you can bring the world into your own home, just in time for the Olympics too! Just click on the images to bring you to each activity!

Art & Crafts

It’s really easy to learn about other places through art! You can learn about famous artists from an area and study their pieces. You can recreate your own. One of the key things about using art is that it introduces the new vocabulary words to your child in a sensory integrated way.

Toys and Games

Here’s another hands on way to learn about other cultures. You can recreate a place with place and print out the landmarks. Discover different modes of transportation or simply play with dolls from that region.  Using play to learn is best!

Cooking

If you have been following our blog, you would know that we are cooking around the world this year with a focus of one country each month. Any time you want to learn about a new place it’s a great way to connect your child’s senses with cooking.

Clothing and Objects

A great  way to experience another culture is to find out the clothing and items that come from that region.  Sometimes friends travel and it’s an easy thing to bring back or you can stumble upon them at garage sales.  Playing dressup can take you to any place on earth!

Literature

The first thing you should get out to travel the world is a Globe and a Children’s Atlas!  Libraries are full of books about every place around the world. Just pick a destination and a book will take you there. You can learn about the land, monuments, culture, foods, art and even famous people from your destination. Folktales are a fun way to learn about another place! 

Encourage your children to act out stories from other regions during playtime.

Language and Music

Just as in the story Mandy and Pandy Say “Ni Hao Ma?”, One of the stories from Memetales Readathon this week, it’s fun to learn new words from other languages too. 

Here’s a simple family word book you could create for the country you want to learn about.

Travel

Many cities offer opportunities to visit other countries without traveling very far.

• Local Museums– Our local art museum hosts several exhibits that feature artists of other cultures.  They even have monthly family friendly cultural events that are free of charge.  We take advantage of these and take our kids when possible.
• One-time events – Many dance or performing groups may hold a one-time event that is free or low-cost.  We have seen drummers, dancers, and even painters from other countries performing their art. Many of these events are listed in our local paper and online.

• Family Vacations– Using part of your family vacation to stop at a location that teaches your family about another culture is also an amazing way to travel the globe!  We were fortunate to be able to take a trip to Disney World this year.  Our adventures in Epcot have spurred an interest in reading, cooking, and learning about other cultures.

We can’t wait until our next adventure!  Where is your next adventure? 

To get more inspiration we encourage you to check our Around the World Page.