For children, their family seems like the standard family type.
Often, they don’t discover different kinds of families or learn about other cultures until they go to school. Their own family structure and traditions may also change.
All children benefit from learning about diversity and how to treat others with respect. Your children will have a better understanding when their peers have families different from their own. They’ll also be more able to adjust to any changes in their own family.
Tips for teaching your child (even newborns) about different cultures and backgrounds:
- Show your children pictures of a variety of cultures and people.
- Read books about different cultures, races, religions, and family types.
- Play with different kinds of art materials and musical instruments from around the world.
- Talk to your children about your culture(s) and also about different cultures.
- Talk about all the different types of families you can think of together.
- Help your children understand that people have different abilities.
- When your child has questions, use age-appropriate answers. If you don’t know the answer, be honest about that. Help your child find other ways (such as books or neighbors) of getting answers.
- Encourage child care providers and teachers to use materials to educate about and celebrate different heritages and family types.