Few cultures capture children's imaginations like Italy's. From pizza and gelato to art, music and ancient ruins, Italian culture is warm, colourful and instantly appealing. Bringing it into your lessons is one of the best ways to get students excited about the language. Here are some fun, hands-on ways to bring Italian culture into your primary classroom, whatever your own level of Italian.
Start with everyday language
Weave simple Italian through your day. A cheerful Ciao or Buongiorno to greet the class, grazie for thank you, and counting in Italian during routines all bring the language to life. Italian is spelled the way it sounds, so students pick up these words quickly and love using them.
Explore the food
Italian food is a joyful way in. Talk about pizza, pasta, gelato and fresh ingredients, and set up a pretend pizzeria where students order and make paper pizzas in Italian. Food vocabulary is fun, familiar and full of words students already recognise, which builds instant confidence.
Discover art and landmarks
Italy is the home of some of the world's most famous art and architecture, from Leonardo and Michelangelo to the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Sharing these, then letting students create their own masterpiece or build a paper landmark, connects the language to a rich visual culture children find fascinating.
Enjoy the music
Italy gave the world opera and a great deal of the language of music itself, words like piano, forte and tempo. Play a little Italian music, teach a simple song, or try a lively tarantella-style dance. Music carries pronunciation and rhythm naturally and gets the whole class involved.
Make Carnevale masks
Carnevale, the Italian carnival, is famous for its beautiful, colourful masks. Making and decorating masks is a wonderful craft that links to art and gives students a hands-on connection to a real Italian celebration. Your classroom fills with colour and students remember the vocabulary that goes with it.
Play Italian games
Games make language active. Classics like Ruba bandiera, a steal-the-flag team game, work brilliantly in Italian, and simple counting and guessing games get students using the language naturally. A little friendly competition keeps everyone engaged and speaking.
Explore Italy's regions
Italy is a land of distinct regions, from Rome and Venice to Tuscany and Sicily. Pulling out a map and exploring the gondolas of Venice, the food of each region and the famous sights helps students see Italy as a real, varied place, and gives endless material to bring lessons to life.
Bring a little Italy to your class
You do not need to have been to Italy to share its culture with your class. A pretend pizzeria here, a Carnevale mask there, a game of Ruba bandiera and a few friendly greetings, and students quickly build a warm connection to the language. If you would like the teaching side made simple too, see our beginner's guide to teaching Italian.
Ready-made Italian resources for primary classrooms
Our Italian resources include print-and-go worksheets, no-prep lessons and a full-year program, mapped to Kindergarten through Year 6 and the Australian Curriculum, so you can bring the language and culture together with ease.
Explore our Italian resources