Published: 18 June 2020
Noticing and discussing the many different people who live in your neighbourhood is a great way to open up discussion on diversity, differences and similarities between different people and the different cultures, religions, ethnicities and languages that make up a community.
Find a time to go out for a walk in your local neighbourhood with your child (or a surrounding area if you would like to explore somewhere that may be different). Talk to your child about the people and things that you see. Is there a temple or other place of worship? Who goes there? Does your child know what happens inside?
Point out shops or restaurants that may serve/sell food related to a particular culture - has your child tried food from this culture before? Perhaps you could try a recipe together?
Talk about the different clothes people are wearing, the colours of skin, different hair styles, etc. Discuss that none of us are exactly the same but sometimes we might see people who are similar to us, and other times very different. Can your child think of something they have different and the same to you or another family member, friend or neighbour? There are differences and similarities between us all!
You may like to take some pictures of places you see on your exploration e.g. a place of worship, a sign featuring a different language and you could discuss these when you get home. Alternatively, look up some images of the things you saw. Talk with your child about the different places and people that make up your community. A community is all about bringing different people together.
If there is limited diversity in your local neighbourhood, you could also use the internet to do some research of other communities and learn more about the people who live there. Did you or your partner grow up somewhere different? Do you have family members or friends living in different places/of different cultures or religion to your child’s experience? Use the opportunity to learn more about these. Reiterate to your child how wonderful it is that we get to live in a world where there are so many different people, but we are all people just the same.
What you'll need A stick
