Skin colors
Hello again…!
In this post I will talk about the empathy that we must instill in the little ones of the house towards DIVERSITY.
As we well know and I celebrate that it is so, we are millions and millions of people who have different skin tones, people who have that “Divine Grace” as I call it, for having a darker skin tone or much, much lighter than what we have been put in our heads as “NORMAL”. By the way, this word is not that I consider it one of my favorites. I go on…! There is nothing more wonderful than genetic variability. No one individual is the same as another, we are unique living and sharing the same home (our planet Earth) with many others. Different eye color and shape, different hair types and physical constitution, different cultures…Different….different and this is the wonderful thing about every human being, we are all diverse. How good is diversity and integration…! If we were all the same, what a mess of a world, wouldn’t it? Besides, we wouldn’t recognize each other.
That’s how diverse and particular we all are!
Unfortunately today, there are still signs of intolerance and rejection towards people who by genetic inheritance have a darker or lighter skin tone. A rejection that should no longer be allowed.
School-age children continually ask questions about themselves and the people around them, are able to put cultural and ethnic differences into perspective. They can learn to appreciate (or despise) the traits that make others different from themselves. In other words, this is the best time for parents to form their attitudes about cultural and ethnic diversity. The beauty of children is that most are born with a natural sense of fairness and justice, unless they are taught to be hurtful and cruel, children know that it is wrong to attack others, either physically or with words.
So how do we make this task easier?
It is important to nurture children’s natural love for people. It may not be necessary to teach tolerance, but it is important to talk about it. Another important point is to analyze our own attitude toward this subject. If you feel uncomfortable with people from different backgrounds, your child will sense it. Think about the way you talk about people. Start with yourself so that you can set an example. A good communication and talk about the subject makes the child feel confident to say what he or she thinks. We can also rely on toys or educational stories, giving them the possibility through them and a healthy game, to learn to accept people whatever their physical condition, their features or simply their skin tone. For example, there is a wide variety of AFRO rag dolls. A unique and educational gift to make children live and share naturally that we are all different beyond our physical conditions and where we come from. That what is important are the principles and affective values that we can give and receive from people.
From Barcelonines, one of our main ideals is that through our toys, we try to become better people in every way and the fact of being able to offer them makes us happy. To be part of the solution with the help of our toys and thus improve our thinking and attitudes towards ourselves and of course, towards everyone in our environment. Although schools and cities tend to become more diverse every day, there is no doubt that we still have a long way to go. Never stop talking to your children about diversity, encouraging their questions and fostering an environment that accepts and celebrates everyone’s differences.
Here is a short list of some wonderful stories to work on DIVERSITY with your little ones. Lean on healthy toys, there is a great variety and specialized in the subject.
I hope with all my heart that you liked and helped this post. Let me know with a comment.
See you next time…!
And long live cultural and ethnic diversity…!!!!
1. Cirilo el cocodrilo. Autor: Almudena Taboada
2. Orejas de mariposa. Autores: Luisa Aguilar y André Lleves
3. Todos menos uno. Autor: Èric Battut
4. Monstruo Rosa. Autor: Olga de Dios
5. Por cuatro esquinitas de nada. Autor: Jerome Ruillier
6. Un bicho extraño. Autores: Mon Daporta y óscar Villán
7. El cazo de Lorenzo. Autor: Isabelle Carrier