Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/bunny-ears-and-cupcakes-for-all-are-parties-developmentally-appropriate/5007439/
Programs serving young children devote a great amount of time and resources on celebrations, festivals, Christmas, and parties. I'm not sure why this has developed. Maybe adults believe parties and young children automatically go together. Maybe adults remember the good times they had at parties when they were young. Maybe adults like to give parties. Or perhaps these activities are popular because they lend themselves to a multidisciplined curriculum approach: dance, music, art, bulletin board displays, and physical activities. Additionally, early childhood programs are seriously attempting to respond to an increasingly more diverse population. We wish to support the racial and ethnic richness in our programs, and to expose all our children to cultural diversity. Many programs use parties, celebrations, and festivals to achieve these goals.In some early childhood programs, major curriculum content for each month is determined by a festival or celebration: Christmas, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco De Mayo, etc. We have allowed these days to become a central part of our curriculum without asking whether this is a good idea. "Are St. Patrick's Day and the Easter Bunny really as important in your life ...