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There are four children at the age of three, who are playing dress ups. The group contains three girls and one boy. Each are choosing a costume to wear. The little boy chooses a pink dress. He then shows it to the teacher. The teacher replies, “Pink’s for girls.” Seconds later, the little boy is seen wearing it. He completes the look by wearing heels and by holding a side bag. The teacher puts on music. The boy starts to slowly dance. Moments later, we see the teacher dancing with the little boy. Two other boys sit by watching their peers dance.

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A three-year-old girl is seated at a table. In one hand, she is seen holding a nail on top of a wooden block. In the other hand, is a real hammer. The wooden block contains two already pinned down nails. The little girl tries constantly to pin down a third nail.  She repeatedly rearranges her grip. After several attempts she is still unable to pin down the nail. The girl shifts her seating position and continues banging the nail. Seconds go by, the girl is then seen placing the hammer on the table and staring at her unpinned nail.

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A three-year-old boy is seen standing in a kitchen. He is repeatedly kneading and folding a chunk of playdough. He grabs a toy pot and begins to spread the dough in it. He then puts the pot in a cardboard box, saying it’s time to cook. Seconds later, the boy takes the “chicken pie” out of the “oven” and begins to cut it up. While he is cutting up the pie in pieces, he calls out to his mum’s friend, “Dinner’s coming in a minute.” The boy then holds the pie and takes it to the visitor. He then asks her, if she would like a fork and knife.

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The three-year-old playroom is located on the second floor. As you approach the entrance, you can hear the screaming and laughter of the little children. The walls are decorated with the children’s artworks and photos. The blinds are drawn up allowing the bright sun to beam through. The room is separated into several different working stations. These include, a kitchen section, a dress up section etc… Each station includes appropriate props and equipment. Children are scattered around the room. They are constantly moving in and out of sections. Some are in groups and some are alone. The teacher, Mrs Andrews, can be seen bending down assisting the children in need. An Aboriginal flag can be seen in the corner of the room, acknowledging the traditional owners of the land. In addition, a long string is seen hung around the ceiling. Attached to the string, are the different flags of the world.

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How does play promote diversity and inclusion?

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As a pre-service teacher, I should be prepared to cope with and adapt to daily challenges. These challenges may include unpacking gendered dominant discourses. In other words, “regimes of truth” (Pacini-Ketchabaw 2015, p.145). These are our beliefs and thoughts based on the interpretations of the world. Strategies that I will implement to overcome these challenges are showcasing the importance of cultural differences. These include the different ethnicities, race, place of origin etc… This links to Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework. Identity can be defined as the unique characteristics that separate each individual.  “What shapes their interests and how they come to view the people and events around them” (VCAA 2016, p.20).

Theorist Barbara Rogoff (1950) believed that cultural differences impact learning processes. As a result, it is vital that I do not disrespect a child’s opinion or belief. This will impact their ability to express their thoughts and feelings in the future. This can be demonstrated by the educators response to the little boy wanting to wear a pink dress,“ but pink’s for girls.” As an educator, we need to consider where the little boy has come from. This can be linked to Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. He believes, “the world children inhabit is shaped by their families, communities, socioeconomic status, education, and culture (Mooney 2013, p.63).”

The children’s actions and decisions can be based upon their personal experiences. For example, the young girl’s ability to use the hammer can be because one of her parents/guardians is a blacksmith. The young boy calling out “dinner will be ready in a minute,” could be the way his parents call him to dinner. Jerome Bruner, a socio-cultural theorist, believes that communication between parents, assists children in developing their language skills. Bruner referred to this as scaffolding. Scaffolding is the “collaborative process of creating shared meanings (Nolan & Raban 2015, p.33).”

To sum it all up, children will need to be exposed to an environment of equal play. No belief or opinion should be taught. Children must be able to explore these on their own.

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As part of my future teaching practice, I will attempt to utilise story books to spread cultural awareness. “Whoever you are” by Mem Fox would be a perfect example. The book states how we are different on the outside and how we are the same on the inside. Spreading cultural awareness in the classroom will allow children to become more open-minded. They will slowly begin to accept different viewpoints on a specific topic. As a result, it will prevent them from developing prejudices later in life. This can be seen when a small crowd of boys had formed around the boy in the dress. They may have perceived the situation as having fun. This will assist them in breaking down the social norms or expectations of “boys.” It will also strengthen the children’s confidence. This could simply be that one of the boys who had come to watch had before been scared to wear a dress. However, now that his seen one of his peers do it, his fear of what the other children might think of him may have vanished. This demonstrates how play promotes diversity and inclusion. It is also through play and diversity that children develop strong relationships. Children begin to learn more about their peers. They begin to accept each other’s differences. When forming relationships, children will learn a new skill. Communication. They will learn to listen to each other and respect each other’s beliefs and opinions. Theorist, Lev Vygotsky, believed that “children learn from each other every day. They develop language skills and grasp new concepts as they speak to and listen to each other” (Mooney 2013, p.63). Children will also develop and implement new skills/techniques that they learn from their peers. In other words, children from different backgrounds may know a different technique to complete a specific task. This can be linked to the girl attempting to pin down a nail. She never gave up. However, she could have asked for help from one of her peers who had previously hammered in the two other nails. In doing so, that person may have used a different technique to the girl. They can then pass on their knowledge and expertise. Vygotsky also stated that children “learn through this cultural lens by interacting with others and following the rules, skills, and abilities shaped by our culture (Linda S .Neff, n.d).”