How To Help Adopted Children Connect to Their Native Culture
There are a lot of things you can do to help the children.Your child should be exposed to the native art, dance, and music.Seek out mentors for your adopted child who can help them understand what it means to have a native culture as well as an adopted culture.Show your support by learning more about your child's culture.
Step 1: Understand your child's culture.
The more information you have about your child's native culture, the better you will be to answer their questions.Information at your local library and online can help you connect with your native culture.There are books, websites, and online videos.If you want to learn more about your child's native culture, you should visit your local library.If your child was born in Estonia, you can rent books and DVDs about the country from your local library and use your preferred search engine to find more information.
Step 2: Tell them about your child's native culture.
Showing your child that you value and respect their culture will make them happy and inspire them to do the same.Explain to your child that Mahatma Gandhi is from India and that he is one of the greatest leaders in the world.If your child is from India, you could ask them if cows are revered as sacred animals.If your child was born to Mexican parents, you could say that chocolate and popcorn are native inventions of Mexico.
Step 3: It should be an open topic.
Maintaining an open and positive relationship with your children about their cultural and ethnic background is a great way for them to adapt to being born in one culture and raised in another.With your children, learn and celebrate their birth culture's traditions, values, and beliefs.They have celebrated holidays and traditions that should be incorporated into your own.As your children get older, they will learn to develop their own self-identity through these techniques.
Step 4: Enroll your child in a diverse school.
If your child is the only native child in the school, they might feel out of place.If you can, enroll your child in a school that has a more diverse student body.If your adopted child's school doesn't have students of the same race, a more diverse student body will allow them to have friends who are more knowledgeable about racism and discrimination.
Step 5: Your child's native culture is celebrated on holidays.
Different cultures have different holidays.You can check online for a list of holidays celebrated by your child's ancestors, or you can talk to others about the holidays of your native culture.You can celebrate holidays that are unique to that culture with your child.If your adopted child is from Korea, you can celebrate chuseok, a holiday that is often translated as "Korean Thanksgiving," by making rice cake called songpyeon.
Step 6: There are cultural elements in the home.
When your children see that there are elements related to their culture in their environment, they may feel more comfortable and at home.Bring in other home decor related to your children's birth culture.For dinner, bring in music, movies, and culturally-specific foods.Explore these items with your children to make them feel at home.
Step 7: Your child should be encouraged to share their heritage.
During international culture celebrations, your child might want to share the history and culture of their ancestral land.Your child might be interested in sharing information about their native culture at these events in the form of a brief presentation, a performance of dance or music, or by cooking and sharing food from their culture.Your child should tell their friends about their culture.Your child should write about their culture for homework.
Step 8: Encourage your child to be artistic.
Traditional arts and crafts can help your child understand their culture.China is well-known for its calligraphy and brushwork.If your child is interested in taking up calligraphy, you can give them a set of calligraphy brushes and enroll them in classes.If your child doesn't like creating art forms of their native culture, they might enjoy learning about it.Children can see art of their native culture at museums and cultural institutions.
Step 9: Show your child traditional dances.
It is possible for your child to connect with their native culture through the unique dance traditions of many countries.If your adopted child's native culture is that of China, you may be able to get your child lessons in traditional ribbon dancing through a Chinese heritage organization or dance instructor.To find out if dance lessons are available, contact heritage organizations and dance studios.Help your child check out live or recorded performances of their native culture's dance traditions if lessons are not available.If your child was adopted from China, you could use your preferred search engine to run a word string like " Chinese traditional dance".Offer an age-appropriate explanation of the dance tradition so that your adopted child understands that the form of dance they are engaged in is from their native culture.Explain to your child that the Chinese ribbon dance is a traditional type of dance from China.
Step 10: Share the music of your child's culture.
There are a number of ways to introduce your child to music.Your child could learn to play a musical instrument from their country of birth.Learning to play the duduk can help your child connect to their native culture.Visit your local music shop to find out if they offer lessons in the duduk, the native instrument of your child's culture of origin.You can provide your child with recorded music.Ask for recordings of music from your child's native culture at your local library or check out relevant recordings online.To have a child understand that the music or instrument is from their native culture, offer an explanation and discussion.Explain to your adopted child that this is music from Armenia, the country in which you were born.
Step 11: You can cook the food of your child's native culture.
The cultural product is food.If your child can eat a meal inspired by their native culture, they might feel more connected to that culture.They might try other dishes and learn more about their culture.If you and your child don't feel comfortable in the kitchen, visit an appropriate restaurant in your area.If your adopted child is from Ethiopia, you can make a reservation for your family to eat at a restaurant in your vicinity.You should teach the child about the native culture.
Step 12: Introduce your child to other cultures.
Many cultures around the world have unique cultural traditions.Find out what cultural practices your child might be interested in by contacting organizations that promote native culture.You can arrange opportunities for your child to engage in cultural practices.Tannin hides are celebrated as an important skill in certain Native American tribes.If your child is Native American, you may be able to connect them with others who are tanning.
Step 13: Your child should visit the country of their native culture.
If your child is from Ukraine, you can arrange for them to visit their home country.If your child wants you to travel with them to the country of their native culture, then you should.Financial help for kids belonging to certain ethnic traditions is offered by some cultural heritage organizations.Birthright Israel gives trips to Israel for Jews living outside of Israel.
Step 14: Send your child to camp.
A culture camp is a summer camp where kids of a certain native culture can meet other kids from the same culture.A culture camp might bring together kids adopted from India in order to expose them to Indian dance, music, and cultural practices.Culture camps are unique since every culture around the world is different.It's not possible to generalize about culture camp experiences.It is possible that your child will get to try the food of their native culture or dress in traditional style.Some camps have native speakers who speak to your child's culture.Other camps teach your child the language of their native culture.You can find more information about these camps online or from organizations that promote the native culture of your child.
Step 15: Encourage your child to speak their native language.
The best way to learn another language is to live in a country with a native tongue and use the language all day long.Your child can learn the language of their native culture through other routes.If your child's parents were from Vietnam, locate Vietnamese language classes in your area.You can find online resources to help your child learn Vietnamese.Visit your local public library for language books that teach the language, or order books of your own through your bookstore.The best foreign language books will include a CD or digital download that will allow you and your child to actually hear the language.
Step 16: Ask for help from your caseworker.
The process of adoption puts you in contact with a government agent or representative of a nonprofit, known as a caseworker, to help your adoption process go smoothly.Your caseworker may be able to connect you and your child to resources that can help them connect to their native culture.If your child is adopted from a Native American tribe, your caseworker could help you establish a connection to that tribe or give you resources to help understand your heritage.
Step 17: A mentor is needed for your child.
To help your child understand what cultural heritage means, connect them with someone of their native culture.There is a local heritage organization that promotes cultural understanding of your child's native culture.Find out if the organization has mentorship programs.If they don't ask if the organization has someone who could be a mentor to your child.If your adopted child is from Iraq, you should identify a local Iraqi or Arabic heritage organization where your child could meet a mentor.This person could answer your child's questions and help them understand Iraqi history and culture.
Step 18: Help your child keep in touch with their birth family.
If you have the contact information for your adopted child's birth family, your child might be interested in staying in touch.Send pictures of your child to their birth family, and encourage them to write letters.