English as an additional language (EAL) for Early Years
Top tips for celebrating cultural diversity
- Include books showing people and places from all around the world as well as stories from other countries and books in other languages
- Have skin tone crayons, paints, paper and markers available
- In the role play area, include dolls with different skin tones, genders and multicultural clothes for both the dolls and the children
- In the role play area include cooking utensils and different types of food and packaging
- Include puzzles that reflect different cultures
- Use musical instruments from around the world
- Display objects of interest eg pieces of pottery, animals or fabric from other countries
- Introduce healthy food from around the world at the snack table
- Inviting parents to read or talk to the children about the country that they come from at story time
- Provide opportunities to listen to music and stories in the children's home language from around the world
- Use puppets reflecting cultural diversity
- Introduce a travelling teddy bear that children can take home, on holidays, take photographs of and talk about when they return to the setting
- Display texts in different languages