Antisectarian

Our families

PDF icon PDF file: Download all six activities as a PDF file

5. Our Families

Learning Outcomes

  • develop confidence, self-esteem and a sense of security.
  • develop positive attitudes towards others whose gender, language, religion or culture, for example, are different from their own.
  • form positive relationships with other children and adults.
  • become aware of and respect the needs and feelings of others.

We will know we have been successful if we

  • understand that all families are different but they are all special.

Purposes of the curriculum 3-18

To enable all young people to become:

  • confident individuals with a sense of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
  • responsible citizens with respect for others and able to understand different beliefs and cultures

Resources required

  • A book depicting a nuclear family.

Time required
Anything from 10 - 15 minutes.

Method
Read the book then say that not all families are like the family in that story. Talk about similarities and differences as you ask each child who is in their family. Highlight that not all families have the same number of people in them, not all families have mums, not all families have dads, some have two mums or two dads, some have aunts, uncles, grandparents, some have sisters and brothers who have a different mum or dad, or who don't live in the same house as them and some families look different too. 'So Much' depicts a black extended family and focuses on each member of the family arriving at the house for a party, each person saying about the different ways in which they love the baby so much. It is a wonderful story to promote discussion about similarities and differences between families, enabling the reader to highlight that even though our families can be very different, they all love the members of their family. The discussion could be extended into a circle time about what you do with your family, e.g. sports, worshipping, helping out around the house.

Links to Free-Play Activities
Books depicting people from a wide range of family backgrounds should always be readily available to all children in the story corner. The books on offer, and posters throughout the nursery should reflect our diverse society and depict people of a broad range of ethnic origins, genders, abilities, sexual orientations, ages in positive, non-stereotypical roles. The specific books used in an adult led activity will be revisited by the children if they are made available in the book corner. All staff should be encouraged to discuss similarities and differences on an ad hoc basis.

Add the book Elmer the Patchwork Elephant to the story corner to generate further discussion about similarities and differences.

Invite children to bring in photos of their family and make a book showing the children's families, which can be used with adults or independently by children in the story corner.

Some of my favourite books for talking about difference include:
Some really well known and loved stories such as Cinderella and Hans Christian Andersen's Ugly Duckling are quite clearly about excluding someone and worth a read focusing on issues surrounding exclusion.

Hutchins P, Titch, Puffin
Holstein E, A Duck So Small, Magi
McKee D, Elmer (and series), Anderson Press
Cook T, So Much, Walker Books
Bernard A, Clever Sticks, HarperCollins

There is a beautifully illustrated series by Mary Auld, published by Franklin Watts called 'Meet the Family' with six books each about a different family member. Each book shows a variety of families who are all portrayed positively without any stereotyping and is a lovely stimulus for conversation about things such as gender roles.