Together we can do more: Teaching Kids Tolerance & Diversity (Berrutti - Cuestas - Espino

Teaching Kids Tolerance & Diversity

We live in a time in which the world is becoming increasingly more diverse. However, even though the world is more diverse, racism and intolerance still exists. Here are eight ways you can teach children about tolerance and diversity.

1- Practice what you preach.

Children will often practice what they see and hear as opposed to what they are taught. This is why children are more inclined to treat others with respect when they see you practicing tolerance and accepting others for who they are.

2- Discuss tolerance & diversity honestly.

Many adults tell children things like “we don't see color” and we are all the same on the inside”. The truth is, people do come in different colors. It is more important that children learn to accept other for who they are instead of pretending that differences don't exist.

3- Expose Kids to diversity.

Have your child participate in activities or play dates with children from diverse backgrounds when possible. This will help them understand that although people are different.They can still work and have fun together.

4- Correct racial & cultural insensitivity

Sometimes children will repeat things they hear not knowing that what they are saying is offensive. It's important to correct them and explain why it is unacceptable to speak negatively about people because they are different.

5- Help kids embrace their own culture.

This is helpful because when a child accepts who they are and have positive self- esteem, they are less likely to see people who are different as threats. They will be more likely to respect others because they appreciate and respect themselves.

6- Read diversity & tolerance themed books.

There are many great, kid friendly books that teach children about diversity and accepting other for who they are. Visit kiddiematters.com for a list of books.

7- Watch diversity & tolerance movies.

Popular films such as Mulan, Brave, Frozen, wreck it Ralph, Monster´s inc., and Shrek are just a few movies you can choose from. Make sure that you discuss any elements of diversity and tolerance that come up while watching these films.

8- Complete diversity & tolerance activities.

Play dress up and provide children with clothing from different cultures. For example yarmulkes, kimono, sari, etc. Discuss with children what culture each piece of clothing is from and why it is worn.

www.kiddiematters.com

Activity 2: Read and select what type of text is:

Informative ………………
Instructive ………………..
Article ……………………

Where was it extracted from?

A web page ………………
A book ……………….
A magazine ………………

Activity 3: Tick the right answer.

How many ways of teaching tolerance are suggested in this text?

There is 7 ways.
There is 9 ways.
There is 8 ways.

Children often perform

What they see and hear
The dangerous and forbidden
What they like
What an adult is doing at that time

Why is it important to keep children informed about diversity?

Because children repeat things without knowing that they can offend others.
Because children are usually uninformed and offend with their comments.
Because sometimes children will repeat things they hear not knowing that what they are saying is offensive.

Activity 4: Indicate which paragraph number corresponds.

……..When asked by children, we must be honest.
……There is a great variety of movies for children that serve as a resource to discuss the topic.
…….Working with children from different backgrounds will be very positive to ensure that differences are assumed as a natural part of living together.
…….Children often imitate adult attitudes. For this reason you should practice what you preach.

Activity 5: True or false

Kids are more inclined to treat others with respect if they see and hear opposed to what they are taught.
Its important to teach children that skin colors don't exist.
Keep your children exposed to diversity to get used to it.
Let your children repeat things that they hear, whether it is correct or not, they will correct it by themselves.
keeping your children exposed to their own culture will make them think with a less open mind.
reading books about tolerance and diversity will teach your children about acceptance.
Discussing the topics related to diversity in some popular films for children is a good way of teaching tolerance.