Most youngsters will play or interact with children from other races unless taught otherwise. Racism, prejudice, and intolerance may be learned by the time the child enters school. Prejudice can be learned from parental and family attitudes, television, movies, books, and from persons outside the immediate family.

Preschoolers begin to recognize differences among children and adults outside of their families. They are curious about differences in skin color, hair, facial features and the way others talk. They may repeat racial remarks made by parents or other family members without knowing what they mean.

Elementary school-aged children recognize cultural and social differences among people. They are heavily influenced by the attitudes of their parents or the comments made about others from a culture or race different from their own. Children may be more picky about choosing playmates.

Older children have already developed attitudes about persons from other cultures and races. They may use racial comments more freely. They may begin to exclude children from their social circle who are not in the group.

Teaching Children Tolerance for Others:

Tolerance for others begins with the family and the child. Parents and other family members need to examine their own attitudes and prejudices. Secondly, children need to develop positive self-esteem. Children who feel good about themselves may be better able to accept and get along with others.

Activities to Promote Self-Esteem:

Designate a “family together time” to complete the self-esteem-raising activities below. Adapt them to your children's age.

• Praise and encourage your child on specific achievements and characteristics.
• Both you and your child take each letter of his or her name and create a positive statement about your child on a piece of paper. Let your child decorate paper. For example, the name Peggy: “Picks up her toys when she is finished playing,” etc.
• Trace each family member's body on a large sheet of paper and write positive words about each person. Hang up and display.
• Encourage your child to say something nice about each family member and about herself and/or do something special each day for each person in the family, including herself.
• Play family games that require teams, such as Pictionary and Charades. For young children, play motor games that focus on body awareness: Twister, Hokey Pokey, Ring Around the Rosie and Simon Says.

Activities to Promote Tolerance for Others:

• Learn more about your culture and heritage and share this information with your children.
• Answer any questions and discuss any misconceptions about persons from a culture and race that is different from your own.
• Tell your children racial comments about others are not okay.
• Encourage your children to interact with children from other cultures at school, church, at the park, etc.
• Get to know the parents of your children's friends.
• Provide younger children with multi-cultural dolls.
• Read multi-cultural stories with your children.
• Go to museums, libraries, festivals and other places where you and your children can be exposed to and learn about persons from other cultures.
• Allow your child to create with crayons, markers, paint and play dough that are colored like various natural skin tones, such as brown, black, beige, etc.

The information was developed by The Family Conservancy from a variety of professional resources. This is not a standardized measurement tool.