Expatriate (expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. They are different from immigrants, to the extent that expats maintain cultural ties of their home country.
Maintaining these ties – whether it’s of language, culture, tradition has been very important to me. It becomes even more important when you are bringing up your young ones in a foreign land. When we came to Hong Kong from India, my older son was almost 3 and my younger one was not even born, so it was all upto me to create these strong and lasting ties for them for their motherland.
As we approach our 75th Indian Independence Day on 15th August 2022, here are some things that you can do with your children –
1. Flag hoisting!
Create some excitement about this activity. Explain to your kids in advance what does it mean to “hoist” a flag. If you can’t find a readymade flag then creating a simple one using paper and some colours a day in advance. Use your creativity for “hoisting”, salute the flag like soldiers, play the national anthem in the background or even sing along to create a patriotic fervour.
2. Wear National colours
Anything with saffron, white and green with a touch of blue! And be a role model yourself if you want them to do this year after year. Somehow wearing these traditional colours brings about a sense of joy and patriotism. Go shopping beforehand or dig into your wardrobe to mix n match!
3. Art n craft with a patriotic twist
Bring together some colours, papers, glitter and glue and get them to draw anything with the I-day theme. Flag, freedom, historical places, monuments, whatever motivates them to express their feelings through colours. You could also have a mini competition between your children. Invite the neighbours kids along for this activity to build more excitement!
4. Quiz contest
Create a quiz on Kahoot! Use the I-day theme and include questions on freedom fighters, Indian history, important festivals, dates, etc This will not only encourage friendly competition and genuine interest but will also increase their knowledge about India.
5. I-Day theme party
Last but not the least these activities will have a lot more significance if done in a group. Independence Day is the perfect theme and reason you need to bring together friends and celebrate as a group. Imagine everyone wearing National colours, doing their art n craft together, playing theme-based games and don’t forget the most important element – FOOD! Theme-based dishes like tricolour sandwiches, ribbon rice, tricolour pasta and salad, orange or carrot juice can only make the day worth remembering!
Happy 75th Independence Day! #harghartiranga
Photo by Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash
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