Teaching your child about diversity is important for her future, especially as she goes on to school, to college and eventually into a job. Understanding and embracing diversity as a family can open doors for your child and ultimately enrich her life. Your child came into the world with an open mind, which makes it easy to teach her to respect others, no matter what differences might exist.
About Tolerance
Tolerance refers to a mindset in which a person respects the differences of another, according to website Kids Health. There are many differences that your child might encounter in his peers, including race, socioeconomic status, religion, sexuality or sexual orientation, family structure, gender, age, differences in physical and mental ability or cultural background. Tolerating differences means that the difference does not cause your child to discriminate, bully or treat another person poorly. You child should treat everyone with respect.
Teaching Diversity
According to Kids Health, the easiest and most effective way to teach your child about tolerance and diversity is through subtleties. Children by nature watch and mirror the actions of people they love. This means that family members, siblings and, later, friends influence how they deal with and interact with people who are different from them. Modeling tolerant and accepting behavior and allowing your child to interact with your own co-workers, friends or acquaintances who are different from you helps your child learn accepting behaviors and thought patterns.
Living a Diversity-Centered Life
One of the first things you can do to ensure your child learns about diversity is to bring book, movies, television shows or other entertainment items into the home that promote diversity, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. Encourage your child to take part in activities and events that promote diversity, such as afterschool programs, sports, camps, concerts or other places of worship.
Discussing Diversity
Listen to your child as she contemplates differences between people. Ignoring her questions and thoughts about differences can cause her to believe that diversity is a bad or taboo subject. Ignoring that differences exist is unrealistic and misses the point of embracing diversity, according to Christopher J. Metzler, Ph.D. and PBS Parents. Differences do exist and a child will pick up on them, so it is best to engage your child in conversation.
Interact with Diversity
Metzler says that getting out of your comfort zone is one way of helping children embrace diversity. Living a family life that includes interactions with people who are different means more than eating at an ethnic restaurant or going to a cultural event. Getting in-depth and having real, and sometimes intense or awkward, conversations with your child can create a lifetime of diversity acceptance.
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