Creating a diverse and inclusive childhood environment is a fundamental component of creating an environment where a child feels valued, respected, and celebrated. Early childhood is a critical time for children to develop a sense of self and learn about their inner-community circle. By role-modeling inclusion of diversity in the child care environment, caregivers can help promote a more inclusive and empathic community.
Below are a few strategies to encourage inclusion and empathy in your child care environment.
1. Recognizing and Celebrating Cultural Differences
Children come from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Recognizing and celebrating these differences helps children appreciate the diversity around them.
A great way for early childhood educators to recognize these differences is by involving the families enrolled in the program:
If families are comfortable, ask about each family’s cultural celebrations. Then, introduce children to the celebration, such as Diwali, Lunar New Year, Kwanzaa, and others. Another fun approach is to invite a different family to visit the child care environment each month and share their stories, food, music, or art from their own traditions.
2. Incorporate intentional materials. The classroom, sometimes called the “third teacher,” refers to the learning environment, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. A high-quality learning environment can be considered a teacher alongside the child’s peers and caregivers.
It is important for a child to feel seen and heard, especially a young child learning new social and cultural norms; we can support this by:
Adding multicultural materials like books or singing songs in different languages; adding a variety of culturally diverse clothing or foods in the dramatic play area; incorporating activities that represent a variety of cultures and traditions; adding materials that represent different family units, races, ethnicities, and traditions, such as posters and puzzles.
For example, in the block play area, provide pictures or books with visuals of various multicultural structures from around the world. Ask the children their thoughts about the structures. Ask if they have seen any of the structures and which structures are their favorite. Connect songs or food from the region in conversations about these structures. This can encourage their curiosity, inspiring deeper conversations, and lesson plan investigations.
For more support on materials that can be added to the classroom, please refer to the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) or Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS) material checklist suggestions under Promoting Acceptance of Diversity.
3. Encourage positive language to help build empathy and respect for others
Encouraging positive self-talk not only creates a welcoming environment, it also helps build a community that feels safe to process their emotions.
Teaching children to understand and control their emotions not only improves their emotional literacy, it also helps improve social skills, reduce challenging behavior, and increase problem-solving skills. The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) is a great resource that has multiple scripted stories, book lists, and behavior support plans.
Looking for new activities to do with your child that focus on social and emotional development? Please visit the Children’s Home Society of California (CHS) website and check out our Activity Sheets, which are available in English and Spanish. For example:
Social and Emotional Development
- Infants: Peace Like a River – Print and Digital
- Toddlers: Mirror Emotions – Print and Digital
- Preschool-Age Children: Feelings Box – Print and Digital
- School-Age Children: Feeling Story Cubes – Print and Digital
- Role-playing activities: Use role-play to help children understand different experiences and viewpoints. Pretend-play scenarios can help children explore how to interact respectfully with peers from different backgrounds.
For example, the children can hold a pretend “food festival.” Child care providers can provide different menus, pictures, or even the actual food (check with parents regarding allergies beforehand). Children can role-play cooking each food, and if they are unfamiliar with a particular food, can ask a peer for help. In this process, children learn about their differences and similarities during meal times.
Below are a few more CHS Activity Sheets focusing on Self-Identity and Diversity.
- Infants: Look at Me! Activity – Print and Digital
- Toddlers: Can You Do What I Do? Activity – Print and Digital
- Preschool-Age Children: Mirror Self-Portraits Activity – Print and Digital
- School-Age Children: Exploring Fingerprints Activity – Print and Digital
Fostering inclusion and diversity in an early childhood setting is a fun and powerful way to support a foundation for a more equitable society. As educators, we play an important role in nurturing empathetic and respectful young individuals inside and outside the classroom.
References and Resources:
All About Resources | ERS Institute
California Early Childhood Online (CECO) funded by CDSS
Children’s Home Society of California | Activity Sheets
ECERS-3-Materials-Checklist-revised.pdf
FCCERS-R materials final ( 9-29-23 1-05-23 PM).pdf
Inclusive Systems Help Adults and Children Thrive | HeadStart.gov
Informed and Guided by Context: Strengths-Based Teaching and Learning
Shop Diversity & Inclusion | Lakeshore®
Teaching Your Child to: Identify and Express Emotions
Teaching Your Child About Feelings
Valuing Diversity: Developing a Deeper Understanding of All Young Children’s Behavior