A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN

A Diverse and Inclusive Environment for Children

Diversity can be defined as the acceptance of differences among two or more things including plants, animals, and human beings. We human beings, as social animals prefer to live in an alike atmosphere where we can find people that follow the same norms and cultures. And to some extent, we get successful in finding such an environment, but still, there are people around who do not belong to the same culture or migrants from other countries. The beautiful thing that diversity teaches us is to accept their differences and treat them also like a part of the same society.

Children are innocent to differentiate these differences, they are pure at heart and observe how people are being treated around them. Being a parent this becomes your huge responsibility to represent a role model of how your child should deal with the people around. Early childhood is the ideal phase to teach them the importance of diversity and introduce them to an inclusive environment where they can enjoy being around others without judging their cultural or physical differences.

According to a study, a child of six months starts to recognize people around, and subconsciously groups individuals according to their gender and race, but they are not able to form opinions about those differences. However, most children begin to articulate those differences by the age of five, as they start to get into coordination with other children & adults in school as well as in society.

To help children develop a sense of understanding and acceptance of other cultures around the world many activities could be introduced to them.

Modern technology has made it possible to travel around the world in just one click, take your child on a free virtual tour at least once a week and introduce them to different places, cultures, food, arts & crafts, and people around the world, and let them explore the cultural differences under your guidance.

Show the child some artwork from other cultures and let them get ideas and create their masterpiece, for example, they can learn origami or can paint landscapes, and decorate their rooms according to different cultural themes they get impressed with.

You can also plan a trip to another town to a different socioeconomic community. Let your child explore the surroundings, make friends, and learn from people directly about their cultures. This will help them notice the cultural differences and see the diversity before their eyes.

Diversity is all about acceptance, no matter how you teach your child, you just have to make sure that they learn to appreciate and accept the cultural differences. Understanding these differences will not only expand their knowledge of multiculturalism but will also allow you to learn and grow with your child.