Pretty ProgressiveYou have likely noticed that children are naturally quite open and accepting of everyone, no matter how different they might seem. But the truth is that acceptance happens because of exposure to various people and cultures. When we ignore or shy away from our differences, it can cause young people to become closed off to the beauty of the world around them.
Earth is full of billions of unique humans due to their upbringing, culture, and surroundings. Our differences are something that we should learn about, celebrate, and accept. Here is how to incorporate cultural diversity in your daycare.
Around the World
When choosing activities to entertain the kids, consider adding an “Around the World” segment wherein you travel to a different part of the world and explore their culture. Scholars estimate that there are around 3800 cultures in our world. You and the children will never run out of places to travel and cultures to embrace.
To incorporate this cultural diversity lesson plan in your daycare, consider pinning up a world map and have each child pick where to go. You can make the selection process fun by doing a “pin the tail on the donkey” game. Once you have your chosen location, dedicate a few days to learning about the culture, practices, foods, and lifestyles of the people there.
Change Your Décor
One of the most enjoyable aspects of running a daycare is setting up the décor. Next time you decorate your daycare, incorporate your dedication to embracing cultural diversity into the space. The easiest way to do this is by changing the decorations to highlight the different cultures you instruct the kids about. Consider choosing an area or bulletin board in the daycare and designate it as your cultural wall. That way, you won’t feel overwhelmed filling up the space.
Show and Tell
Children love to share facts about themselves and learn about their peers. Encourage kids to bring an item from home relating to their culture that they can tell the group about. When the children share their cultures, they’ll learn just how many different groups of people make up our world.
