When your children are young, they soak up every ounce of information we feed them. They also mimick and learn from your actions and speech. You must teach your child to be inclusive in all aspects of their life, especially in the classroom. The classroom is where our children learn to be socially interactive and often sets the stage for how they treat people throughout the rest of their lives.
The Basics
While the classroom focuses primarily on furthering your child’s education, the basic fundamentals of kindness and inclusivity begin at home. In addition to teaching your child how to be kind to themselves, you should also encourage them to be kind and generous to others. Encourage them to think before speaking and be gracious and helpful to their peers. Teach your child not to judge and to be humble in the face of adversity. Embracing differences in themselves and others will teach them to navigate life through an accepting lens. It will also make them well-rounded and better human beings.
Understanding
Perhaps the most important lesson you can teach your child is understanding. When you are more educated about a topic, you understand and can navigate it better. By instilling knowledge about children with disabilities and how much they can struggle compared to other kids, you can help them know how important it is to be kind and nurturing. Excluding others may not be intentional.
Teaching your kids to be aware of how they treat others and how they would want to be treated is essential to the concept of understanding. Ensure that your child feels that they have an open and honest line of communication with you so they can express themselves fully to work through their emotions. This will build empathy and compassion within your child. They should realize that they have an opportunity to make everyone around them feel valued in every social interaction.
Patience
After your child learns to embrace others’ differences, teach them to be patient with people with special needs. Ensure that they understand that children with disabilities might need extra time to accomplish a task but that they can still accomplish it. Just because it takes them a little longer doesn’t mean they aren’t up to the task. Your child should include children with special needs and set an example for other children to do the same. Patience is a virtue in every situation. Teach your child to practice patience by explaining concerns to them. Let them know it’s ok to get frustrated but imagine how frustrating it must be for a child with special needs. Encouraging your child to examine situations from another’s perspective can help them be more receptive. When they can empathize with other students, they can learn gratitude for how easily they can achieve tasks that can be challenging for others.
Methods
Children recognize when people are different from them at a very young age. By encouraging them to ask questions until they fully understand, you’re teaching them that it is okay to be naturally curious. They shouldn’t feel embarrassed for asking questions. Methods can vary in effectiveness by age range when teaching your child about learning and developmental disabilities.
From age 5 to nine, teaching concrete thinking skills and respect is vital. Your child should know how to balance curiosity with respect by being thoughtful with their questioning. Around the ages of ten and eleven, you should discuss social structures and how important it is to be inclusive with your peers. Social groups begin to form around this age, and it can b easy to fall into cliques. Normalize their confusion about situations and address their feelings that involve conflict or emotions.
For the remainder of their teenage years, you should teach your child the necessity of practicing empathy and kindness. This age of development is crucial in teaching ideologies that can shape your child’s future. Differences begin to emerge, and they may need help figuring out who they want to be. Encourage your child to seek out new opportunities that might enrich their lives. They should know that it is okay and progressive to branch out and try new things.
Prospects
Teach your child how to look beyond their years. Your social status in school doesn’t always carry over into adulthood. Encourage your child to seek out peers that might be isolated or unpopular. They might have something unique and valuable to offer to their friendship that others don’t give them the chance to portray. Being nice is always a good rule, no matter the situation. By including everyone and not judging a book by its cover, your child could make a significant difference in someone’s life. Sometimes all a person needs is to be shown a little compassion from one of their peers.
Contribution
Set a good example for your child by being inclusive in your life. If we could all work toward not excluding others for their differences, we could contribute to diminishing the adverse effects of diversity in society.
*This is a collaborative post