Here are some ideas for fun ways to teach your child about respecting others.
It is important for young children to learn the names for their feelings and how to express feelings in ways that don't hurt others. Talk with your child about feelings, such as happiness, sadness, anger, disappointment, and surprise. Ask her to show you what she looks like when feeling different emotions. Talk about what might make someone feel that way. Ask, "How do you feel when someone says you can't play with them? How do you feel when you learn to do a new thing?" Listen to a song together. Talk about how the song makes you feel. You and your child can create a dance that used your bodies to show how the song makes you feel. Continue doing this with other songs that express a variety of emotions – for example, loud, angry music; soft, sad music; cheerful, upbeat music. Then take turns acting out a feeling and having the other person guess what feeling you are expressing.
Talk with your child about times he has had to cooperate and work together with others. Let him know that you will play a cooperating game together. To play the game, you and your child will have to work together to get a job done. Choose a simple household task, such as picking up toys or sorting the laundry. Then hold your child's hand. Say, "To play this game, we have to pick up all the toys without letting our hands go." Hold hands as you work together to complete the task. Talk to each other as you work, encouraging your child to let you know what he will be doing. "I'm going to bend over now; you should bend over, too." When you are finished, share a hug and talk about what would have happened if you didn't cooperate and how cooperating made it easier to do the job.
As your child plays with other children indoors and outdoors, use these opportunities to reinforce the anti-bias goals. Help her learn skills such as taking turns, sharing toys, and inviting new children to play. For example, when two children are on a seesaw, you could say, "Melissa, it looks like Shelly wants to play on the seesaw, too. Why don't you ask her to play with you? Then you can decide together how to play on the seesaw in a fair way." Encourage children to stand up for someone who's getting teased or chased. You might model, saying, "Stop that! You're hurting Juan's feelings!" As your child plays, take advantage of opportunities to point out and praise the ways children work together successfully, and gently offer suggestions when she needs help getting along with others.
Chester's Way by K. Henkes
Feelings by Aliki
Friends by R. Isadora
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