Who are these festivals commemorating? Be sure to tell your children that after reading the knowledge.
On a leisurely weekend afternoon, I was sorting out some old books in my study at home when my ten-year-old daughter, Xiaomei, walked in with a children's picture book about the festival in her hand.
"Dad, the book says Martin Luther King Jr. Day is in honor of a very important person. Who is he?" Mei looked at me curiously, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
I smiled and put down the book in my hand and gestured to the sofa in the study. "Come, let's sit down and have a good talk. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man who fought all his life for equality and justice. I began to tell her the story of Martin Luther King Jr., including how he led the civil rights movement, and his famous speech, "I Have a Dream."
Xiaomei listened with relish, and then asked, "Are there any other festivals to commemorate important people?"
This question sparked the idea that I wanted to explore and share this topic in more depth. I decided to use this opportunity to teach Xiaomei more about the historical figures and stories behind the different festivals.
"Of course, for example, Columbus Day commemorates Christopher Columbus's discovery of the American continent, and King's Day commemorates the King of Thailand. I continued to explain, Mei's eyes filled with surprise.
After that, I decided to write an article that would introduce more parents and children to the people behind these festivals in the form of storytelling. I think this is a good opportunity to not only improve children's knowledge, but also to improve communication between parents and children.
In the article, I first described the conversation with Xiaomei in the study, so that it could resonate with the parents. Then, I detailed a few of the major holidays and the people they commemorate, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Columbus Day, and others such as Lincoln and Washington's birthdays.
I've also included some guiding questions and activity suggestions to encourage parents and children to explore the historical significance of these festivals together, such as making handicrafts from people or visiting relevant history museums together.
After the article was published, I received a lot of positive feedback from parents. They shared their experience of exploring the background of the festival with their children, saying that it not only increased the children's knowledge, but also made the family's parent-child activities more enriching and interesting.
This writing experience made me deeply aware that as parents, we are not only caregivers of our children, but also their guides and educators. By sharing knowledge and history, we can help children develop a broad perspective and deep understanding of the world.