Good early childhood care and education programs consistently demonstrate awareness and respect for cultural diversity. Holidays provide wonderful opportunities to help children learn about many different traditions.

In the winter months, many early childhood programs include children whose families celebrate Hanukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day, Christmas, and other holidays. Some programs thoughtfully choose to retain their typical program curriculum rather than incorporate activities planned around holidays — the idea is to provide a predictable and calming environment during a time when children can easily be over-stimulated and anxious. Other programs incorporate current holidays into their program through books, stories, music, props, and art activities. In either case, teachers should be prepared with information about all holidays, because children’s play and conversation may introduce these topics and provide teachable moments about diversity in families and celebrations.

 

The goal is to help children from all cultural groups construct a positive sense of self and a respectful understanding of others. Everything we do in our interactions with children and their families should abide by this principle. Using this as a guide, we utilize every opportunity to acknowledge one child’s experiences and stimulate exploration about the experiences of other children. We help children learn that there are multiple holidays and within each holiday, a variety of traditions for celebrating. Of course, holidays are only one small example of the multiple opportunities provided in early childhood programs to introduce concepts about multiple ways of doing things that are viewed in a positive, respective manner.

References

Derman-Sparks, L. and Edwards, J.O. 2010. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (pp. 135-148). Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Day, C.B., Ed. 2004. Essentials for Child Development Associates Working with Young Children (pp. 209-222). Washington, DC: Council for Professional Recognition.

Bredekamp, S. 2010. Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education: Building a Foundation (pp. 212-219). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

 

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