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Anti-Bias Activities for Toddlers

Children can develop biases for or against different groups, such as class, race, gender and religion, at a young age. Biases cause children to have problems working together and getting along in the classroom. You can prepare some anti-bias activities to teach toddlers to focus on positive differences. Anti-bias activities also help children build self-confidence and positive ideas about themselves.

Alike and Different Activities
- Have the toddlers sit in a circle and select one toddler to go first. Ask the child to point at someone in the circle who shares the same characteristic as him, such as a hair color. Alternatively, he can also find someone with a different characteristic, such as shirt color. Allow the toddlers to compare the similarities and differences between one another. If the younger toddlers have trouble doing this activity, help them point out the similarities and differences. Explain that everyone has differences; however, everyone also has similarities.
Music Activities
- Make a CD or fill an MP3 player with music that features different types of instruments. Explain to the children that different cultures listen and create different types of music. Allow the children to listen and dance along to the music. If you can get in touch with musicians from different cultures, ask them to come to the classroom to sing, dance and teach the children about their music. The toddlers will learn that not everyone listens and likes the same kinds of music and sounds.
Skin Color Activities
- For an easy activity, give the toddlers different colors of knee-high stockings to put on their arms. Explain to the children that even though some people have different color skin, we are all the same. The children can also use brown, black, yellow, white and red tempura paint to make their own skin a different color. Allow the children to mix the paints with a paintbrush to try to create their own skin color.
Hair Activities
- Give each toddler a sheet of construction paper. Ask each child to draw her face and hair on the paper using crayons. After each child finishes, go around the room and discuss the different lengths, colors and textures of hair. Tell the toddlers that each person is born with a certain type of hair and although everyone has a different type, we are all the same. You can also tell the children that having their own distinctive hair makes them unique in their own way.

Kids Games