Families All Around the World
Atlas the friendly globe-explorer kneels by a big spinning world map, pointing at homes and smiling families on many sunny continents.
- Name three different kinds of homes that families live in.
- Tell what a tradition is in your own words.
- Match a family to a special tradition they share.
- Say one way your own family is special.
Key terms
- family
- A group of people who love and care for each other.
- tradition
- A special thing a family repeats again and again over time.
- home
- The place where a family lives, rests, and feels safe.
- caregiver
- A grown-up like a parent, grandparent, or guardian who takes care of you.
Families Come in Many Shapes
Families do not all look the same, and that is perfectly okay. Some families are big with many cousins, and some are small with just a few people. A child might live with a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, or a foster parent. What makes a group a family is not its size or who is in it, but that the people love and care for one another every day.
Homes Around the World
Families live in all sorts of homes depending on where they are and what is around them. Some families live in tall apartment buildings in busy cities. Others live in houses on quiet farms, by the sea, or high up in cold mountains. No matter the kind of home, every one of them can be warm, cozy, and full of love for the family that lives inside.
Traditions Families Share
A tradition is a special activity a family does over and over, not just once. It might be a yummy meal, a fun dance, a favorite song, or a yearly party. Reading a story at bedtime or eating pancakes on Sundays can be traditions too. Traditions help families feel close and remember happy times together, and they often get passed from grown-ups to children.
Worked examples
Decide whether a group of people is a family.
- Ask: do these people love and care for each other?
- If yes, they can be a family even if they live in different homes.
- Family is about caring, not about size or address.
- So caring people who look after each other are a family.
Answer: Yes, people who love and care for each other are a family.
Tell whether reading a bedtime story every night is a tradition.
- Ask: does the family do it again and again?
- Yes, they read a story every single night.
- A tradition is something repeated over time.
- So the bedtime story is a tradition.
Answer: Yes, the nightly bedtime story is a family tradition.
Activity
Match each family card on the left to the special tradition they like to share on the right.
Practice
Name two different kinds of homes that families live in.
Describe one special tradition that your own family shares.
Common mistakes to avoid
- All families look exactly the same.Families come in many sizes and kinds, and every one of them is a real family.
- Family members must live in the same house.Some family members live in different homes and are still a loving family.
Check your understanding
What is a family?
What is a tradition?
Do all families live in the same kind of home?
Recap
A family is a group of people who love and care for each other, and families come in many sizes and live in many kinds of homes. Families share traditions, which are special things they do again and again, and every family is special in its own way.
Reflect
What is one tradition your family shares that makes you feel happy?