.svg)
As an early childhood educator, it’s important to create learning environments that feel welcoming, diverse, and inclusive for all children in your care. From the way you decorate your classroom and the language you use to the stories that you read and the lessons you teach, demonstrating representation and inclusivity can help children feel safe and accepted.
Inclusive lessons can also help children understand and learn tolerance for the differences of others. For example, Pride Month—held every June in the U.S. and Canada—is a perfect time to teach children about LGBTQ+ families and the history of the LGBTQ+ community.
That doesn’t mean you have to limit your lessons to just one month a year, though. This guide will give you some tips on how to incorporate lessons about Pride Month into your curriculum and provide some fun and age-appropriate activities you can use to teach children about the significance of Pride Month all year long.
The history of Pride Month
Pride Month is observed in the U.S. every June in honor of the Stonewall Uprising that occurred in New York in 1969 when thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community members came together to protest the rampant injustices LGBTQ+ citizens faced nationwide.
The events marked a turning point in the movement toward modern rights for the LGBTQ+ community. And Pride Month is a chance to not only reflect on these events but also celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and activism throughout the years.
Pride Season is also celebrated in Canada from June through September each year in honor of similar protests that began in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. For young children, these celebrations are a great time to learn about equality and the value of diversity—in families, in their schools, and in their communities.
How to explain Pride Month to preschoolers
While it’s important to give children an honest representation of the history of Pride Month, it’s also important to use age-appropriate language and imagery to teach them about the events that transpired.
Having conversations around LGBTQ+ pride and the community does not mean you have to reference sex or anatomy. It’s simply an opportunity to discuss concepts like respecting others’ differences, treating people with fairness and kindness, and understanding that you can’t judge a book by its cover. You might explain that “while someone may look a certain way on the outside, it does not always mean they feel that way on the inside.”
You can also give an honest account of the events that led to the celebration of Pride Month as we now know it by explaining how LGBTQ+ members were mistreated in the past, why they decided to stand up and protest for equal rights, and who were some of the most famous figures that helped pave the way for LGBTQ+ equality.
How to celebrate Pride Month
While you can promote values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your curriculum, policies, and administrative practices all year long, Pride Month is a great time to put more emphasis on these concepts with young children. It’s important to ensure that your lessons and celebrations are accurate, engaging, and effective.
Make your teachers’ jobs less time consuming and more rewarding with a tool like brightwheel’s lesson plan feature. Brightwheel supports early learning standards for all 50 states, allowing you to customize to meet the needs of your program and log observations with ease.
Educate yourself first
Before teaching children about the history of Pride Month, be sure to study it yourself. It’s important that you have a strong grasp of the topic and events that led to the celebration of LGBTQ+ culture. Children are naturally inquisitive and will likely have lots of surprising questions to ask—be prepared to answer their questions honestly and accurately.
Don’t just focus on the “good” parts
While Pride Month is a great time to celebrate diversity and acceptance, it doesn’t come without a painful history. Acknowledging the injustices and struggles faced by LGBTQ+ members—both in the past and present-day—will give children an honest account of why equality is important and why their actions toward others matter.
Allow children to be part of the lessons
Allowing children to discuss how their families, or they themselves, are unique can not only help reinforce important concepts like diversity and acceptance but also make lessons more impactful, as children have “real world” examples to apply their newfound knowledge to.
Include examples of other cultures
While LGBTQ+ community members should be the focal point of Pride Month lessons, children in your class might celebrate other events that are important to them. Whether it’s religious holidays like Diwali or Ramadan or other annual observances like Black History Month or Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, be sure to incorporate opportunities to celebrate the backgrounds of all children in your lessons.
Pride Month activities for children
Here are a few fun and engaging activities you can try as you celebrate Pride Month.
Read books with LGBTQ+ characters
Reading books with LGBTQ+ characters is a simple and effective way to incorporate Pride Month lessons into your curriculum while also showing the value of representation of diverse characters. You can find reading recommendations for children of all ages here.
Have a dance party
Dancing isn’t just a great way to help children enhance their sensory motor skills. It can also be used to celebrate Pride Month by featuring music from popular LGBTQ+ artists. You can find a list of popular LGBTQ+ musical artists here.
Make arts and crafts rainbow themed
The rainbow flag is an important symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, representing the community’s spirit and diversity. From activities with paint or chalk to sand or stickers, there are tons of fun and interactive rainbow-themed arts and craft ideas your children will love.
Let children celebrate their own uniqueness
Give children the opportunity to express what makes them unique, through self-portraits or stories. Having them celebrate their own individuality is a great way to teach them about accepting others for their differences as well.
Hear stories directly from LGBTQ+ community members
If you have colleagues, friends, or families of children in your class who are willing to share their experiences, have them tell their own personal stories and discuss what Pride Month means to them.
Conclusion
While June is a great time to teach children about the history of Pride Month and LGBTQ+ culture, your lessons on diversity, inclusion, and acceptance shouldn’t last just one month. Incorporate activities that celebrate different cultures and backgrounds into your lessons all year long, allowing children to understand the importance of acceptance and the value of equal representation.
Honor the diversity of your community by acknowledging other important celebrations throughout the year:
