Travel. When better times allows, take your
child to see firsthand how different cultures
live and appreciate their respective art, food,
architecture and language. But even without
getting on a plane, we can still study other cultures
by experiencing different culinary adventures,
seeing museum virtually or watching films about
other cultures and their history. The important
thing is to expose your child to different ways of
life. Another great way to broaden acceptance
is to learn another language. A study from the
University of Chicago revealed that children
who hear multiple languages in daily life are more
accepting of people whose language differ from
their own.
Teach manners. We all know how brutally
honest kids can be. But sometimes that honesty
can be offensive. It’s one thing to refer a dead bug
as gross, but it’s rude to call food from a different
culture as gross. Or to call someone’s way of dress
as weird. Teaching your child simple manners
goes a long way to foster a spirit of tolerance.
Lead by example. Leading by example is
perhaps the most effective way to increase racial
and cultural literacy. Through and through,
children model their parents. So widen your
circle of friends and acquaintances to include
people from different backgrounds, cultures and
experiences, so they will do it too. •
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