Celebrating the Beauty of Diversity

As caregivers, it's crucial to ensure that our little ones grow up to be compassionate individuals who value diversity and treat everyone with respect. 

One way to achieve this is by exposing them to various cultures, religions, people, and our history. Teaching them about this can help them become more accepting and open-minded towards others. 

This practice will encourage them to embrace differences rather than fear or reject them, reducing prejudice and discrimination in the future. 

Children learn empathy, appreciate different views, and understand that their experiences aren't the only ones that matter.

Be Honest

Explaining some parts of our history to young children is complicated, especially when we must address our dark past, such as colonisation and the slave trade.

Still, they are some ways in which you can talk about the past in a child-friendly way, so here are some tips on how to talk to children about this topic in an age-appropriate manner.

When teaching your child about our history, colonisation and slavery, explain in simple language what these terms mean. For example, colonisation takes over a land and its people, while slavery forces someone to work without pay. 

Discuss the impacts of colonisation and how unfair it was for the countries or continents being colonised. Explain what slavery is and highlight its brutal nature in simple language.

Fairness and Unfairness

A fantastic way to help you navigate these subjects and help your little one understand them better is to discuss fairness and unfairness.

Talk about what it means to be fair and unfair with your little one and give examples they can relate to from their everyday life. 

For example, let's say that a teacher gives out cupcakes to the class. If the teacher only gives cupcakes to some children and not others, that would be unfair. But if the teacher gives each child a cupcake, that would be fair. 

Using examples like this will promote empathy; ask your little one to put themselves in the position of one of the children who did not get a cupcake, and ask questions to encourage their thinking and understanding. 

Such as "How do you think the children felt? What could the teacher have done to change the situation" What do you think the children that got a cupcake should say?" etc.

Celebrating the Beauty of Diversity

While being honest about the dark part of our history is important, focusing on the positive and celebrating the beauty of diverse cultures is equally important.

Here are some ideas for you to try with your little one:

Folktales and Fables

Let's explore folktales and fables from different cultures that contain moral lessons or showcase unique aspects of their way of life. By reading stories from around the world, your children can expand their cultural knowledge and let their imaginations wander to distant lands, where they can encounter new animals, landscapes, and people.

• Funny Folk Tales by Allison Galbraith. Eleven of the funniest traditional tales from around the world.

• Tales our Abuelita told by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. This collection of 12 Latin American folktales shows the many diverse roots of Latin culture: Indigenous, African, Arab, Hebrew, and Spanish. 

• A Bedtime Full of Stories: 50 Folktales and Legends from Around the World by Angela McAllister. This magical tale collection includes well-known classics and lesser-known treasures from Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, North America, the Middle East and Latin America. 

• Tinga Tinga Tales by Edward Gakuya , Claudia LLoyd. Inspired by traditional African animal stories and the Tingatinga artwork of Tanzania, the Tinga Tinga Tales series of picture books tell different African animal tales. 

Representation Matters

Books are an incredible resource! They offer an engaging and enjoyable way for children, particularly babies and toddlers, to learn about the world around them.

By providing age-appropriate stories and books, you can encourage your little ones to explore their own identity and introduce them to a diverse range of genders, cultures, and individuals.

Representation in stories and books is important and a varied collection of baby board books can help your little one appreciate and embrace the beauty of diversity right from the start.

Celebrations and Festivals

The diversity of our world gifts us with a massive range of meaningful, vivid and colourful celebrations and festivals all year round! Sharing the essence of these events is an excellent way for children to learn about other cultures' different customs and traditions.

Books and stories are such fantastic tools to help you navigate festivals and celebrations from around the world; in addition, you could find yourself a cultural calendar on the internet or in a shop and explore and learn about different cultures and ways of life.

• Celebrations (We Are Little Feminists) by Little Feminist

• Let's Celebrate! Special Days Around the World by Kate DePalma 

Music and Dance 

Exposing your little one to various cultures and their dance forms will help them better understand and appreciate different cultures. In addition, learning and performing dances from around the world will help them overcome shyness and build confidence in their abilities.

There are so many fun dances to pick from! From African dance (Africa), Salsa (Latin America), Bollywood Dance (India), Irish step dance (Ireland), Can Can (France) to Flamenco (Spain) and Dragon Dance (China), the possibilities are endless!

Food and Cuisine 

Explore new and exciting dishes from around the world. Every week, choose a dish from a different continent to prepare together. You could start with South American cuisine and then move on to Asia the following week.

Your little one can better understand the connection between food and culture by learning about other diets, local ingredients, and traditional recipes. Plus, you'll get to enjoy some delicious meals and treats together!

Art and Crafts 

Arts and crafts have always been fun and engaging for young children to explore their creativity and imagination. 

From painting and drawing to sculpting and knitting, there are countless ways for children to express themselves through art. 

Across the globe, different cultures have their own unique traditions and techniques when it comes to creating art, and children will benefit so much from learning about these diverse practices. 

• Some ideas for multicultural art projects include traditional Mexican papel picado, Japanese origami, African beadwork, or Australian aboriginal dot painting. 

• Encouraging young children to engage in art and crafts can help them develop essential skills such as problem-solving, fine motor skills, and confidence in their abilities and teach them about their world.