Teaching Your Kids to Respect Other Cultures

Since our world is rich in diversity, it’s important for parents to raise their children with a sense of cultural awareness and respect for others. There are lots of ways to teach your child to be respectful, but when it comes to appreciating other cultures it’s worth teaching them about different traditions and religious beliefs. Here are some tips from a senior girls’ school in London to help get you started. 

The way we treat other people often stems from our ability to empathise with them and understand where they’re coming from. If your child has a basic comprehension of different cultures, they are more likely to get on with different people and treat them with respect. On the other hand, if they know nothing about them, they might try and stay away and prefer to make friends with other children who look like them or have the same upbringings. 

Start by showing your child a world map or a globe. You can easily get one up on Google Images if you don’t have one to hand. Point out some of the different countries and explain that within these countries, people have different coloured skin, they speak a different language, wear different clothing and may even have different religious beliefs. Explain that there are billions of people on this planet and no two people are the same, but they should be treated as equals, nonetheless. Encourage them to ask questions and share their thoughts and opinions to help develop their understanding. 

Another way to help your child understand other cultures is to explore some of the traditional events and religious holidays from around the world. The list is endless, from Diwali and Eid to Thanksgiving and Halloween. Talk to your child about how these events originated and what people do to celebrate them. Perhaps you can celebrate them yourself at home, by eating traditional foods and wearing traditional clothing. If it helps, make a note of these special occasions in your calendar so that you don’t forget. 

Respecting others should be a vital underlying life lesson that you explore with your child from a very young age. It’s important that they are considerate of other people’s thoughts and feelings, their likes and dislikes, their opinions and beliefs. As a result, they will be far more capable of getting on with others and building solid relationships. Parents should always aim to be a good role model and demonstrate respectful behaviour at all times. This means no stereotypical ‘jokes’ or bad manners aimed at a particular group of people. Explore the concept that we should all treat people the way we wish to be treated.