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This is another great addition from the Backpack Connection Series. This handout offers strategies on how to help your child avoid meltdowns. It outlines teachable moments and and offers tips for different times of the day.

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This is the story of a boy and his grandfather who do not speak the same language. They learn to communicate through their shared love of art.
Recommended for ages 3-5.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076FN3Z9S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

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March is Women's history month! One great way to celebrate is to read this book about a young girl who broke tradition to become a female drummer at a time when that was not allowed in her culture.
The following are extension activities from Bright Horizons that are appropriate for home and school .

1. Possible Journal Prompts (KP, K, SA)

Draw and write about a time you (or someone you know) was brave or courageous.

What is your dream? What can you do to achieve it?
The book says the girl had to “practice, practice, practice” in order to be a great drummer. What do you practice doing? What would you like to practice doing?

2. Explore different types of drums. In the book, the girl plays conga, bongo, and timbales drums. Ask children to compare/contrast those drums and/or the drums in your classroom.

3. Share Cuban music with the children. You can find the CDs Cuba, Cuba and Cuban Playground on BrightBuy. Ask children to listen for drums in the music.

4. Provide children with boxes or other recycled materials to make their own drums.
Recommended for ages 2-14.
https://www.amazon.com/Drum-Dream-Girl-Courage-Changed/dp/1520018177

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This is an excerpt from Bright Horizons’ magazine, Spark. It offers suggestions on how to support children with special needs.

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This book visually represents diverse characters and celebrates diverse family structures such as gay parents, single parents, blended families, and more.
Recommended for ages infant-3.
https://www.amazon.com/My-Family-Your-Kathryn-Cole/dp/1772601330/ref=asc_df_1772601330/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416850358709&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5957702927028542560&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033347&hvtargid=pla-979881943822&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=95590145644&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416850358709&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5957702927028542560&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033347&hvtargid=pla-979881943822

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The transition back to school from winter vacations can be challemging for some children. They may be tired, miss their families, or struggle to get back to the daily routine. Book Nook suggests using Llama Llama Misses Mama to help children overcome these challenges and offers a variety of activity ideas.

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Toward a Better World Materials in Learning Center

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Encouraging children to speak their home language begins with a warm, welcoming environment that fosters a sense of belonging and self-confidence. The environment should feel safe and comfortable, and connect with their home culture. This list from Bright Horizons provides suggestions on classrooms materials that can contribute to such an environment.

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The new year is a great time to evaluate where you are in your professional development journey. This flyer provides an excellent overview of some of the many trainings Bright Horizons has to offer on diversity, equity, inclusion.

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Lone Wolf is the story of Maple, the husky. She is her family’s pet dog but is often mistaken for a wolf. Maple fears that she does not belong with her family. This story is about family, self-acceptance, and belonging. It does a fantastic job representing children with diverse abilities without that being the central focus.
Recommended for ages 4-8.
https://www.amazon.com/Lone-Wolf-Sarah-Kurpiel/dp/0062943820/ref=asc_df_0062943820/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416850358709&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4898493512138479717&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033347&hvtargid=pla-911346981803&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=95590145644&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416850358709&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4898493512138479717&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033347&hvtargid=pla-911346981803

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Early Childhood Gender 101 is an introduction to gender identity in early childhood. It defines key terms, explores the concepts of gender expansiveness, and provides a basic timeline of how children develop in their understanding i gender.

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This is another great addition from the Backpack Connection Series. This one focuses on sharing and offers tips for home, school, and a book recommendation.

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Easy DIY Light Table Tutorial (Step by Step Directions)

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Many holidays this time of year are celebrations of light. Why not explore light at home with this easy DIY light table?

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Easy DIY Light Table Tutorial (Step by Step Directions)

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DIY light table tutorial for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. Learn how to make your own light table with these easy to follow, step-by-step directions and inexpensive materials.

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DIY Light Table for Preschool

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This is a bilingual book about diversity, individuality, and self-confidence.
Recommended age 4-8.
https://www.amazon.com/Marisol-McDonald-Doesnt-Match-combina/dp/0892392355/ref=asc_df_0892392355/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312603973638&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6820703878697066050&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033351&hvtargid=pla-522898956843&psc=1

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Preparing Young Children for the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities into the Classroom

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This article from the National Association for the Education of Young Children offers tips on how to be more inclusive and help children of all abilities be successful.

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Preparing Young Children for the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities into the Classroom

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Here are some tips for making your classroom more inclusive and helping all students be successful!

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This is a beautiful children’s picture book that showcases a young Indian boy’s fascination with his mother’s bindi, the red dot commonly worn by Hindu women. Rather than chastise her son, she teaches him about its cultural significance and doesn’t flinch when he asks for one himself. Wearing it allows him to joyfully explore and express his difference.
Recommended for ages 4-8.
https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Bindi-Vivek-Shraya/dp/1551526689/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+boy+and+the+bindi&qid=1638321140&sr=8-1

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The Way I Feel is a colorful picture book that is perfect for teaching children about feelings and giving them the vocabulary they need to describe their emotions.

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This is an article from the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences that discusses young children’s awareness of race and racial identity.

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Activity 1: Word Games and Alphabet Fun

Try these word and alphabet games to practice letter and vocabulary knowledge, sound recognition, and phonetic development. Take turns coming up with different variations and themes.

Choose a category (e.g., animals, activities, household items, food). Starting with the letter A, take turns naming things from that category that start with each subsequent letter of the alphabet. Examples:

English: alligator, bear, cat…
Spanish: águila, burro, cocodrilo….
Mix it up: alligator, búho, cat, delfín…

Variation: One person thinks of a word in a category, and the next person uses the last letter of that word to start their word. Examples:

English: alligatoR, RabbiT, Tiger…
Spanish: vacA, AlcE, ElefantE…
Mix it up: conejO, OtteR, RabbiT, TigrE…

Look around the room and name the first object you see (in either language). Then have children search for other objects that start with that letter. Examples:

English: Letter B: book, box, ball, bread…
Spanish: Letter F: fresa, fruta, flores, fotos…
Mix it up: Letter S: spoon, silla, sugar, sofa…

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Building Community in the Inclusive Classroom

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This article from NAEYC describes the importance of community and relationships in inclusive classrooms. It offers practical tips and suggestions.

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Understanding Gender Diversity in Early Childhood

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This is an excellent article that discusses the three dimensions of gender and what children need to know about gender diversity. It also offers conversation starters and book recommendations.

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The Backpack Connection series helps teachers and families work together to address children’s social-emotional learning. This issue focuses on empowering young children to take charge of their big emotions by first teaching them to label their feelings.

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The Little Spot of Emotion book set explores eight different emotions. Each book in the series helps children understand which emotion they are experiencing and offers helpful strategies to control them.
Recommended for ages 2-7.
https://www.amazon.com/Little-SPOT-Emotion-Box-Books/dp/1951287134/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3T1C0VADQD97N&dchild=1&keywords=emotion+spot+books&qid=1632354807&sprefix=Emotion+spot%2Caps%2C245&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUDYxOEc2U05JQU5TJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTY5MTQ1Mjc1RVNTODYxU0Y3NiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDg3MzIxMjNFUzNLWUpGWlMxSyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

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Practice making faces and expressing emotions while singing this song with your child! You can also print the faces to show them while you sing.

If You're Happy And You Know It:
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
Other verses:

angry....stomp feet

sad....cry "Boo-hoo"

surprised....say "Oh, my!"

scared....shiver and shake (or, hide your eyes)

tired....give a yawn

silly....make a face

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As we move into the winter holiday season, this is an excellent guide for teachers trying to navigate how to celebrate and plan activities that are developmentally and culturally appropriate.

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Hispanic Heritage month continues through October 15th. Why not celebrate by learning about the way different Latino countries use similar ingredients to create unique foods?
Recommended for ages 3-5.
https://www.amazon.com/Proud-Be-Latino-English-Spanish/dp/1641701544/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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With its black cats and witches hats, Halloween paints the color black in a bad light. This October, let’s remove the negative connotation and enjoy the color black. Learn about black animals like spiders and bats, look for the color black in nature, or explore shades of black with this fun color mixing activity. You can you use black and white paint and canvases as the activity suggests or just use paper and mix black with another color to experiment with shades of color.

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"Before launching into the full spectrum of color, stand at its edge with white and black, the beginning and the end of color. Black and white provide a frame through which we more clearly see and understand color. Side by side on paper, the contrast between black and white call each more fully to life."

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This article addresses some common misunderstandings about learning two languages. It offers solid facts and tips on how to approach dual-language learning.

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Spike the Mixed Up Monster is a story about friendship that combines English and Spanish. This book exposes children to simple Spanish language, and it introduces them to the axylotl, an endangered species found exclusively in the lake complex of Xochimilco in Mexico.
https://www.amazon.com/Spike-Mixed-up-Monster-Susan-Hood/dp/1442406011/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1632405922&sr=1-1

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From infancy, babies can distinguish between different languages. It is never too early to start teaching your baby multiple languages. “Learning two languages from birth changes the way a child’s brain is wired—just one of the many gifts that bilingualism offers to young children. What’s the takeaway for families? Use all your home languages around your baby and toddler. Children start listening—and learning—right from the start!” (Parlakian, 2017). Narrate your actions, sing songs, listen to music, and read books in the target language. There are several effective methods for raising bilingual children. Choose what works best for your family, but keep talking!
Bilingual from birth. ZERO TO THREE. (n.d.).  https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1780-bilingual-from-birth

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While children progress at their own rates, and every child is different, there are certain milestones that a typically developing child will reach within a general timeline. This article outlines developmental milestones from 3 to 12 months and includes links to additional resources.

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Updated, March 2019 Esta página en Spanish | This page in Spanish Childhood is a time of tremendous growth and learning. How very exciting to be a baby...or a two-year-old... or get on a school bus for the first time. There's so much to know!

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This book describes colors based on imagery. It is illustrated in black and white with raised lines and includes Braille lettering. It encourages young children to empathize with people who are visually impaired.
Recommended for ages 3 and up.
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Book-Colours-Cottin-Menena/dp/1406322180/ref=asc_df_1406322180/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=532800953219&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4737318745161987742&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033347&hvtargid=pla-525099680339&psc=1

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Outdoor play is stimulating for children of all abilities, specifically those who need a little extra help developing gross motor skills.  When engaging children in outdoor play time, organize specific games like hopscotch, “Simon Says,” tag and “Red Light Green Light.”  Games like these promote whole body movement and balance while teaching children to follow directions and focus their attention.

Offering plenty of options for free play is important too.  When given sidewalk chalk and outdoor equipment like balls and hula hoops, children will engage their fine and gross motor skills without even realizing it.

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This article discusses understanding gender and development, breaking down gender stereotypes, and supporting gender identity exploration at home. It is an excellent read for educators and families alike.

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At Bright Horizons, we know gender identity is a complex issue, deserving of thoughtful dialogue. As educators, we strive to "create a safe and reflective space for children to develop their identities and to counterbalance gender stereotypes."

At Bright Horizons, we know gender identity is a complex issue, deserving of thoughtful dialogue. As educators, we strive to "create a safe and reflective space for children to develop their identities and to counterbalance gender stereotypes."

In a preschool classroom, a girl skillfully hammers nails into a piece of wood at the woodworking center. Across the room, boys play with dolls, carefully wrapping their babies in blankets, rocking them, and putting them in cradles. These activities might challenge traditional expectations about gender, but children aren't worried about stereotypes - they're just learning and playing.

At this age, children of all genders have similar interests and needs:

They're making sense of language, social interactions, and their own bodies.

They're curious about the world, and eager to learn through games, arts, and tactile experiences. They want to get messy and adventurous and to be physical and curious.

Understanding Gender & Development

One of the most profound developmental tasks for young children is to understand who they are - to develop a sense of identity. Gender is a core aspect of who we are. However, gender is more complex than the binary categories of male and female. It is an interplay of sex, identity, and social influences. Our role as parents and educators is to support children on this path - as well as to actively work to counter gender stereotypes.

From an early age, some children identify (gender identity) with a sex other than the one they were assigned at birth. "Gender expansive" children may explore and express their identity in ways that do not conform with gender norms, although young children may not articulate these feelings as they work to understand their identity. Many gender expansive children experience bullying and feelings of shame or rejection. Adults cannot control or change how young children feel about their gender, but how we respond to children can powerfully affect their sense of worth and emotional well-being.

Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes

Young children naturally classify, sort, and look for patterns to make sense of the world. This is why your child may use external characteristics, such as hairstyle or clothing, to understand a person's gender. As a parent, you can teach your child to understand that what people wear or how they style their hair does not define gender identity (though it may inform gender expression).

Challenge stereotypes with open discussion. Assertions like, " girls can't be firefighters " or "boys can't be nurses" are perfect teachable moments. Stop and ask why they might think these things are true, and then, together, search for images of female firefighters or male nurses.

Even very young children understand biological differences and can be influenced by cultural stereotyping . We give our children a gift when we allow for a broad range of interests and expressions in the early years as children learn about the world and their places in it.

Supporting Identity Exploration at Home

All children, no matter their identities and regardless of unique likes and dislikes, need time to experiment with all sorts of activities. Children need freedom to move robustly, reflect peacefully, cuddle with soft toys, build, have rough and tumble play, explore books , and enjoy nature .

Our interactions and the language we use with children should model respect for all people as we encourage children to explore their interests, engage in thoughtful dialogue about gender, and teach social skills like collaboration and compromise.

Children of all gender identities benefit from loving, supportive adults in their lives, as well as a rich variety of experiences free from cultural stereotyping. In these environments, children have their best chances to develop healthy, balanced ideas about gender, and learn about their own interests and strengths.

This open-minded, open-ended approach will inspire healthy experimentation and cooperative play throughout your child's life, potentially remove restrictions from prescribed gender roles, and support their growth into caring and loving friends, partners, and adults.

More on Identity in Childhood

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At Bright Horizons, we know gender identity is a complex issue, deserving of thoughtful dialogue. As educators, we strive to "create a safe and reflective space for children to develop their identities and to counterbalance gender stereotypes." At Bright Horizons, we know gender identity is a complex issue, deserving of thoughtful dialogue.

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This book gently explores gender fluidity and the use of a variety of pronouns. It includes a section for adults that discusses gender ambiguity and inclusivity.
Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Gonzalez, M., C., & Smith-Gonzalez, M. (2017). They, She, He, Me : Free to Be! Reflection Press.

https://www.amazon.com/They-She-He-Me-Free/dp/1945289066

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Do you want a great way to start conversations with your children about gender diversity? Choose a favorite children’s book and change the pronouns of the main character.