People Say Hello!

Using Steve Elci & Friends' Hello Song to teach kids about world cultures and languages

Isn't the world such a wonderfully diverse place? Teaching kids about different cultures is one of my most favorite topics. So, when I heard Steve Elci & Friends' Hello Song, I had to use it as inspiration for this week's (rather time consuming) craft! Oh but it was worth it! Researching and making these paper dolls was so much fun and my kids have loved looking at the beautiful clothes that people wear around the world.

The song, from the album 'Jump In The Puddles', teaches kids how to say hello in different languages from around the world. I first made the dolls; then I gave them to my kids and we talked about which countries the costumes were from and then I played the song to them. The first time we listened, I did a quiz to see if they could identify where the different hellos were from. They did so well and I was surprised how many they knew. There was, from left to right using the picture above:

Aloha - Hawaii

Hello - Scotland (I'm Scottish so may have been biased in choosing this but who doesn't love a kilt?!)

Ni hao - China

Jambo - Kenya

Hola - Peru - I love the vibrancy of the Peruvian national dress

Konnichiwa - Japan

Bonjour - France - France doesn't have an official national dress but everyone recognises the classic sailor stripe which comes from the French navy and was brought into the public domain by French designers such as Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Namaste - India

These paper dolls took a long time to make but quick versions could be made easily by printing out pictures from the internet and sticking onto card. If you had a few kids you could give one to each kid and, when their doll's way of saying hello came up in the song, they could stand up and say hello in whichever language their doll represents. I only had two kids so I gave them half each and they had to stand up and say hello and hold up the correct doll when it came up in the song. By the end they had learned all the different ways of saying hello!

The Hello Song is a fantastic way to introduce international cultures and languages to kids. Kids are naturally interested in finding out about how other people live and this activity would be a great introduction to a themed week or topic.

About Steve Elci and Friends' New Album

Steve Elci and Friends' new album 'Jump In The Puddles' (Imagination Nation Records - release date July 13th, 2018) will be available at iTunes, CDBaby, and Steve Elci & Friends shows. The album consists of a number of really upbeat and catchy songs covering music genres from rock n roll, '60s, 12-bar blues and country. The spectrum of music genres is sure to keep kids interested. Mine demanded we have a disco right away the first time we listened!

*I have not received any financial compensation for this post. I am endorsing this album because I genuinely like it and think it is a great addition to any family's music library.

Do you use music at home? Do you have a song you'd like me to make up a game or activity to along with? Let me know! Email me at mail@mamatomomama.com

Helen

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