As we step into them month of June, we will learn and teach the children to appreciate Pride month, and Indigenous History month. As we recognize and implement both Pride and Indigenous History month activities to our classroom learning, we take notes that it is equally important to recognize them both. To recognize the importance of Pride month, we introduced stories and books about different family environments, as well as encouraging the children to keep an open mind about diverse families and different beliefs.
Pride Month is a great opportunity for the children to learn about being kind, respectful, and proud of who you are. It's also a time to celebrate people who love in different ways and express themselves in their own unique style. By reading stories, doing fun activities, and talking together, kids can learn how to be good friends to everyone. Pride helps us understand that it's okay to be different—and that everyone deserves to feel safe, happy, and included.
Pride Month offers a valuable opportunity for children to learn about diversity, inclusion, and the importance of acceptance. By engaging in age-appropriate discussions and activities, children can develop empathy and a deeper understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. This fosters an environment where all individuals feel valued and supported.
Why Pride Month Matters for Kids
Promotes Inclusivity: Celebrating Pride Month teaches children the importance of embracing differences and treating everyone with respect, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Encourages Empathy: Learning about the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals helps children develop empathy and a sense of justice, empowering them to stand up against discrimination and bullying.
Builds Self-Confidence: For LGBTQ+ children, seeing positive representations during Pride Month can boost self-esteem and provide a sense of belonging.
Fosters Open Dialogue: Discussing Pride Month opens the door for conversations about love, identity, and acceptance, helping children navigate complex topics in a supportive environment.
Incorporating Pride Month into educational programs enriches children's understanding of the world, promoting a culture of kindness and acceptance that benefits everyone.
Activity: "Painting with Pride"
During the first week of June, the classroom was full of energy as the students gathered around a table filled with colourful paints, brushes, and paper. The day's activity was a special art project to celebrate Pride Month.
Before we started our painting activity we read a book called “pride puppy!” as we read we talked about the depictions we saw of a neighbourhood community participating in a pride community event. we made some parallels of what we saw in the book to what we saw happening in the children’s world. The children primarily noticed the rainbow flag on each page and how their school has one out-front.
The rainbow flag, a key symbol of Pride, represents diversity and unity.
We decided to paint a rainbow using the children’s hand prints to represent diversity, uniqueness and individuality as no two hand prints are exactly the same. As the students began painting, they used the colours of the rainbow to create vibrant works of art. The children painted their hands in different colours, placing it somewhere onto the rainbow covered paper.
As we painted, the educator reminded the children what each colour represented: Light Pink/Light Blue represents gender identity, white/brown/black represents race -the colours that make up a variety of skin tones. The colour Red represents Life – like the blood that keeps us alive. Orange represents healing. Yellow represents sunlight, which help us grown which is also a colour that represents light and happiness. Green in the pride flag represents nature, Blue represents Serenity and the feeling of calmness. Lastly is the colour purple, this represents the spirit that exists in all of us.
When the artwork was finished, the class displayed it in the hallway for everyone to enjoy. While the paint was still out, the children took advantage of the remaining time and created their own individual art pieces inspired by the book. The project helped the children understand the value of kindness, respect, and inclusion. It gave them a chance to express themselves while learning about the importance of accepting and celebrating differences.
By learning through art, children grow not only as artists but also as thoughtful, caring individuals
