An idea to teach different cultures to toddlers?

Question

An idea to teach different cultures to toddlers?

Answer 1

I'd be careful to do it without setting up stereotypes...

Foods would be great - they are non political, will get them to try new things, and at the same time show them that there are varieties out there in the world.

Answer 2

A country's  special celebration day - Christmas, Mardi-Gras, festivals etc.  Make costumes, or cook something but it should be done naturally not like a lesson.  Toddlers won't get into too detailed explanation and the like

Answer 3

Toddlers? [1-3]  I see no reason for it. a toddler only knows the here and now, even saying ''next week' is meaningless to them. He is just learning everything about his or her little world, they couldn't absorb it anyway.  toilet training, table 'manners', a toddler's word is all about themselves, putting on their own coat, their own shoes, saying please, thank you, etc. it's all about self [ego] at this stage, and that is normal for development. Or you meant to say ''pre-schoolers'' ? ages 3-5.

Answer 4

Teaching culture  to toddlers isnt something that you should plan to do.  To a toddler culture is what they are around day after day.  Culture is how they live at home and anything that differs from that is a difference in culture.  So how one child lives and how another child lives even in the same community can have different cultures due to family backgrounds.  To add to the cultural diversity in your home or classroom have posters at childrens levels that depict children in different manners of dress and different types of food, in the dramatic play areas add food items such as hispanic foods and clothing items from other areas of the world along with the items that children see on a daily basis, in dolls offer different dolls with multiple skin tones and feature books with different colors of children.  A celebration of different holidays are fun to and can teach children about different cultures as well, but children learn more by doing and by seeing how things work than by simply being sat down and told a bunch of useless information, if the lesson or the information doesnt mean something to them then they will not retain the information. You are better off simply intergrating different cultures through music, daily food and play and small activities that the children can choose for themselves and from there you can choose to say " I see that you want to play with the drum, all around the world other little boys and girls play with different types of drums, what do you think they sound like?" And then the child can take off on their own exploration of the drum.  

Also keep your families involved they may be able to help share another aspect of a culture with you that you may never of thought of before.

I hope this helps!!!

Answer 5

Have books that you know the story of but they are written in different languages.....it is more just a way for them to see other ways to write.......Have cd's or tapes of songs the kids know sung in different languages....Also play other music that is from other cultures....Indian was very popular with my kids....

Have other foods in your housekeeping area...having sushi or dumplings, tacos and other different foods.

Have different patterns of material and make pillow cases out of them or just capes the kids can wear....we use to go to Jo Ann fabrics and would get some African, Japanese and other ethnic prints and have them around the room.

Ask parents or friends if they can come in and sing, cook, read, or do something with the kids....even if they just come in a read books in a different language is exposing the kids to a different culture.

Answer 6

There have to be videos and books on different cultures that are friendly for young children.  If not, you could do research yourself and then teach what you found to the toddlers.

Answer 7

This can be tricky but if you are someone you know speak a language speak to the some of the time in that language. Try reading books and buying DVD's or somehting too. Don't try to teach a toddler more than two culture's (yours and the one you picker)at a time. If you do they will get the languages all mixed up and you will heve to unteach every thing!

Answer 8

ask, does teaching this have any meaning and value to the child? toddlers have no clue the difference between China or Texas. Teaching there are differences teaches differences. Just go ahead and present material as a part of your class. Serve Chinese food, don't identify it as such. Do you say 'hey, we are serving Italian!' every time you have pizza? you will drive yourself crazy labeling everything by its culture.  beware, so many trends to 'teach' multiculturalism actually teaches stereotypes.

Answer 9

that's a bit tough, since toddlers are still learning the rudiments of their own culture.  I guess you can try, tho.

toddlers learn best by doing, and they need help categorizing, so don't move too fast.  maybe spend a week on each culture.  introduce them to some of the foods of the culture, 'celebrate' the major holidays, let them try on traditional clothes, show pictures, and sing songs.  remind them often what culture this is and how it's different from ours.

Answer 10

Celebrate festivals from different cultures. Examples of religious and cultural observances could include:

Holi - a Hindu festival that takes place in early March, when the wheat harvest is gathered in.

Chinese New Year - starts on the first day of the Chinese calendar. Celebrations are based on bringing luck, happiness, health and wealth during the new year.

Easter - a Christian celebration that takes place between 21 March and 25th April.  Easter celebrates Jesus’ resurrection.

Celebrate all nationalities and religions in a childcare setting.

Encourage children and parents to involve the childcare setting in their celebrations/customs to ensure a wider understanding of other families - to help develop a more tolerant society later in life.

Promote and celebrate language diversity as this will enrich the experiences of all children & promote the self esteem of bilingual children.

Do not judges differences as better or worse.

Be a positive role model  - maintain effective working relationships with all colleagues regardless of their racial origins.

Be aware of cultural variations in the role of play:

- In western Europe and the USA children are often given toys to play with.

- In other countries children will play mainly with natural materials, such as stones, sand and water.

- In some cultures - adults think it’s not a good idea to play with children.  They let children play together, (mixed age groups)

- In other cultures - adults play with their children and teach them through their play.

When drawing up curriculum plans covering culture and religion consider what is happening outside the setting and use resources within the community, e.g. multicultural toys and musical instruments from around the world can be borrowed from toy libraries.

There are many resources that can be used within a child care setting to develop positive images and identities, and prevent cultural stereotyping, such as posters, books, role play equipment, etc.