How and Why to Teach Your Child About Diversity

If you’re the parent of a child who’s old enough to talk, you’ve likely experienced at least one of those embarrassing moments at the store where your child encounters someone different than she is.

Maybe you were innocently strolling down the aisle when you encountered someone with dwarfism. 

You tried not to stare. Your child, on the other hand, blurts out, “hey, look how short that lady is!” 

Her words feel so loud to you, you wonder who handed her a microphone.

You smile in deep embarrassment, still trying to avoid eye contact, and rush into another aisle where you scold your child to never talk about other people like that.

If that is in fact similar to how you’re handling these horrifying moments, you’re missing out on great opportunities to teach your child important lessons.

When children point out differences, they do so out of curiosity, free from any prejudice or ill intent. 

Unfortunately, such prejudices can quickly attach themselves to these differences as your child gets older and is exposed to the many sadly inherent prejudices in our society.

The good news is, you have a powerful influence over whether your child embraces people of other abilities, appearances, and beliefs.

Let’s look at some of the best ways to make sure she does appreciate diversity, then we’ll talk about why this is such an important trait to instill in your child.

1. Embrace Teachable Moments

The younger you can start some informal “diversity training” with your child, the better.

Younger kids speak out more without a filter, are with you more so you’re right there to help navigate their questions, and are less likely to already have been exposed to any prejudice surrounding diversity.

But since we can’t go backwards, it’s obviously best to start now at whatever age your child is.

So let’s say you’re in the store and your child expresses excitement and amazement at “that really short lady right there!” 

You’ll want to die of embarrassment, but you can rest assured this is something she’s been dealing with all of her life, so don’t think your child is inflicting some type of unique pain on her.

Fact is, most adults are pretty comfortable with what ever their diverse trait is.

Instead of running away in shame, start by responding, “Isn’t it great that people are all so different from each other?”

You can consciously move away from the person as you continue with your lesson here, but she will likely appreciate the fact that you’re using this moment to give your child some life lessons.

Explain the cause of whatever the difference is and encourage your child to ask questions. 

Teach your child that physical diversity is beautiful and that what we really want to focus on when meeting people is who they are on the inside, something we can’t at all figure out by what we see in their physical appearance.

Some people will even respond to your child when he makes a comment about their difference.

This is the best possible teachable moment so don’t try to rush your child away from it.

The child who asks you, “Mommy why does that man only have one leg?” could be met with a powerful story from the man about how he was careless as a child and lost his leg in an avoidable accident. 

When these moments happen, thank the person for their generosity in helping your child learn to navigate the world.

2. Be a Role Model

Sometimes when we encounter older people who are racist, for example, we’ll give them a pass because that’s the way things were when they were growing up.

In other words, they don’t know any better because that’s what they were taught.

Despite all the outside influences from peers, other adults, and the media, you are your child’s biggest influencer and he will, for the most part anyway, adapt the attitudes you teach him about diversity.

This doesn’t mean you have to go around constantly pushing some diversity agenda.

It simply means that you let your child see you living a life that treats people equally no matter what their appearance is.

Say hello to the homeless people you pass by rather than crossing the street to avoid him, and refuse to tolerate insensitivity from others.

If someone tells an inappropriate joke, let your child know that way of thinking and talking is not okay. 

Openly stand up against all kinds of insensitivity to diversity that you see in real life and that you hear about on the TV, radio, or social media.

3. Read Good Books

Make it a point to read books by authors who look different and have different backgrounds than your child does.

Seek out books that will introduce your child to new places, people, and foods.

Choose some books that specifically address diversity, such as:

Special People, Special Ways by Arlene Maguire

This book presents a positive image of those with disabilities and shows that despite such differences, we all still have so much in common.

My Sister is Special by Larry Jansen

Especially good for younger children, this is a beautiful story of a boy learning compassion through caring for his little sister with Down’s Syndrome.

It’s Not What You’ve Got by Wayne Dyer

This book sends the message that money doesn’t define who you are and teaches that it doesn’t matter what others have and that abundance comes in many forms.

I’m Like You, You’re Like Me by Cindy Gainer

Here kids learn to appreciate the ways we are all alike, while still affirming our individual differences such as straight and curly hair, and large and small bodies.

I Don’t Want Curly Hair, by Laura Ellen Anderson

This is a great book especially if your child is uncomfortable with a physical trait she has. When a curly-haired girl meets a straight-haired girl, we learn that we often think we want what we can’t have!

This is a tiny sampling of hundreds of books that are out there. 

Oftentimes your local library will have special sections with all the books about diversity in them. You can also browse Amazon for more books than you’ll ever need on this important topic.

4. Make a Conscious Effort to Explore Diversity

There are many ways to seek out diversity, from listening to different music, exploring different foods, and attending cultural festivals, to volunteering at a special care facility or a youth center that serves kids who come from different backgrounds than your child.

You can buy a globe and teach your child about far away places, using books and TV shows to let her see how people in China, Africa, and France look, speak, and live.

The more opportunities you seek out to surround your children with others who look different than she does, the more she’ll grow up seeing how much we’re really all the same.

Why It’s So Important to Teach Your Child the Value of Diversity

Teaching your child about diversity has value far beyond the desire to see our children grow up as well-rounded humans.

And yes, we want them to be able to work with and deal with all types of people because more and more they are going to be encountering people with different appearances and abilities in their lives. 

We want our child to be the leader, the one who says and shows that it’s right to treat people based on who they are not what they look like or what their physical abilities are.

But it goes far beyond that.

Perhaps most importantly, we want our child to know that it’s okay to be the one who’s different. 

To stand up to bullies when they are the target or when they see another child being targeted.

To make good choices when “everyone else” is experimenting with sex, drugs, and alcohol.

To pursue their dream career even if it doesn’t mean the traditional path of college and working for someone else.

Teaching your child that diversity is a good thing, that each individual has value in who they inherently are, gives your child a solid base for becoming a strong individual.

This will serve her well as she navigates all the social challenges of school and childhood, as well as the grown up challenges to finding her own path for a happy life.

At KidsPartyCharacters.com we love diversity, which is one reason we have over 200 characters to choose from.

No matter what your child is in to, chances are we have it, even if it isn’t the latest fad all the other kids are choosing for their party themes.

Visit us at KidsPartyCharacters.com to book your child’s next party, and don’t hesitate to advise us of any special accommodations you need to make your child and all of his guests feel welcome and included.

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook to for daily updates on the magic we bring to parties, as well as parenting strategies for raising happy and healthy children.