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Children's Diversity Games

Games are a great way to help children learn about diverse customs and beliefs. They can help children to become more open-minded and look at life from other perspectives. Any class can incorporate these games, even physical education, as Dan Ninham says in, "The Games of Life." Parents can also play them with kids at home. The more children are exposed to diversity in positive ways, the more these lessons will make an impression on them.

Culture Clash
- For this role-playing game, described on Wilderdom.com, divide children into two groups. Then, separate the two groups and give each a set of cultural rules to follow. Make sure the other team can't hear you as you give each team its instructions. Then pair them up, placing each student with someone from the other group, and give them a task to complete together. They might interview each other, do a puzzle, or complete a simple assignment related to classwork, while following their cultural customs. Older kids could attend an international meeting, working together to solve a problem, as described on Wilderdom.com.
World Tour
- In this activity, kids take a tour of different countries around the world. Along the way, they learn about the music, environment, games, stories and food of those countries. Discovery Education offers a guide for this activity, with discussion prompts and suggestions. You can also design your own plan for taking kids on a virtual trip to a series of countries. Lay down a "magic carpet" for students to sit on as you travel to your next destination.
Heritage Game
- In this game, challenge kids to find traditions that originate in contemporary, mainstream culture. Break them into two groups, and tell each group to come up with a series of items that may originate in modern, mainstream culture. These items could be foods, toys, games, stories, celebrations, clothing or anything else. Then have the groups swap lists. Each then investigates the other group's list of items, trying to prove that these traditions have roots further back in history. They'll find that most traditions do originate from another time or from cultural exchanges.
Puppets
- Puppets are another great way to bring diversity into the classroom. Guidance counselor Helene McGlauflin recommends introducing kids to a handful of puppets that each have a different disability. Alternatively, each puppet could be from a different culture, and one might have a disability. Emphasize how they are different as well as what they have in common. Then distribute the puppets among the kids so they each have a character to play. If the class is large, have the kids take turns doing short skits with the puppets, giving them a prompt to begin with. For instance, it could be one puppet's first day of school.
Traditional Games
- Playing traditional games from different cultures can help kids to develop an interest in cultures outside of their own. The Children's Folk Games website describes numerous games from around the world. Ninham describes traditional sports games that children can play. These types of games provide a great introduction for a lesson on another culture. When introducing them, talk about who played the games, whether they were part of a celebration, and other information about the culture.

Kids Games