I Am the Same, and Different Too!

Young children need to develop a positive sense of their own identity. They will need to develop respect and appreciation for other people with differences as well.

This identity is shaped by many factors, including gender, race, cultural and family background, language, religion, abilities, life experiences, and circumstances. Because cultural diversity is the norm in America, children must learn to function in, and appreciate, a culturally diverse society. All children develop within, and are influenced by social and cultural experiences.

There are many teachable moments throughout a day in which you can help children learn about similarities and differences. Videos with familiar characters may keep their attention and help open topics for discussion, for instance, a character being mean to a child in a wheelchair. It allows you to be able to talk about the reasons for wheelchair use, how to treat someone in a wheelchair and what not to do.

Bring in foods from different cultures, learn some often used words in a different language, ask children how they would function and feel if they were of a different race or in a certain circumstance, such as homeless.

Allow children to discuss their backgrounds. Let them share so they see how they are built the same, and different as well. Help them learn to be accepting either way. Conduct simple experiments like who has red hair, who has a scar, who has been to another country, who likes milk or who has only one parent. It's okay to be the same and also okay to be different.

A Basic Approach to Child Growth and Development
Supporting Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Education (3 hours / .3 CEU)
Multiculturalism (1 hour / .1 CEU)
Child Self Esteem (.1 CEU/1 Hour)