Children are never too young to tackle issues that, sometimes, adults find challenging. Indeed, the youngest children in particular are so open in their mind-set that it’s a great opportunity to lay down the foundation for a future inclusive society if we engage them in discussion now.
Our Reception class have been doing just that, looking at their similarities and differences in Circle Time. They started by looking at the colour tights they were wearing – some in grey, some in white, and Mrs Gunn, Reception teacher, in bright pink! They then moved onto shoes, hair ornaments and hair and eye colour, really engaging in the conversation and talking at length. The finale to the discussion was using a mirror to look at and describe their skin colour.
It was heart-warming to hear the girls acknowledge that it didn’t matter if we were different from each other. One girl said how dreadfully boring it would be if we all looked the same! “It was a delightful opportunity to include the whole class in the conversation,” said Mrs Gunn. “They all embraced talking about themselves and each other with complete acceptance and celebration of their similarities and differences.”
Core to the Aims and Ethos of the School, embedding such positivity and respect in children of this age helps them develop an array of valuable attributes and transferable life skills, such as acceptance, inclusion and equality.