This is important because if we ignore a child’s culture, we are showing them that their sense of self, their sense of being, is not important.
A child’s culture, the values and beliefs that they learn at home and from their families, shape who they are as individuals, and who they will become as they continue to positively develop their own sense of identity.
Without having a strong sense of their own identity, a child will struggle to feel a sense of belonging. If we ignore a child’s culture, or don’t bother to take the time to appreciate and include their culture in our daily teachings and communications, how can we expect children to achieve the first learning outcome in the ELYF, Children have a strong sense of identity. A child will struggle to communicate and express themselves if they feel their
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We live in a multicultural country, and children need to see that that is ok, and that other cultures will be accepted.
It is also important for families to see that their child’s culture will not only be respected, but included, as ensuring the family’s sense of belonging is also critically important. Some families may not want their child to attend a particular early childcare centre if they know that the dominant culture is favoured. It is all well and good to say we treat children fairly and respect cultural differences but to truly embrace and celebrate difference we have to include their culture. We can do this by speaking to the children and their families, finding out about their individual cultures, what is important to them and how can we incorporate this into the curriculum.
Failing to show respect and understanding of a child’s culture also promotes a bias and prejudice environment and these behaviours can be learned by other children witnessing this