Teaching Tolerance to Children

We live in a world of diversity. There are people of different races, cultures, and beliefs on every street. Because our world is varied, it is imperative that we teach our children to be tolerant of others, and of the different belief systems out there. The following are some ways of teaching your children to be tolerant, whether it be of race, religion, culture, or something else.

Tip one: Teach your children tolerance by helping them see some of the challenges of bias and hate. No one is born a bigot. No one is born hating others; these are learned behaviors that are hurtful. If your child has ever been the victim of intolerance, you can use that as a learning opportunity. You can teach them about intolerance, and why it is important to be tolerant of others so that they do not contribute to the hurt. For example, if your child is left out of a basketball game because they wear glasses, or because they are too short, you can teach them about intolerance then. Ask them how they feel. Ask them if it is fair to leave them out because of their height. Then teach them how this is not any different from being intolerant of someone because of the skin color, hair color, religion, or culture.

Children are born tolerant.

Tip two: Teach tolerance through example. If you want your child to be tolerant of others, it has to start with you. Children live what they learn, and they often learn through observation. If your child sees you fearing someone because they are Muslim, or hating someone because they are brown skinned, or disliking someone because they are Baptist, then they will learn intolerance, hate, prejudice, and bias. However, if your child sees you helping the poor, befriending those of different races, religions, and cultures, they will learn to do the same. You can stop the cycle of bias, hate, and prejudice by being an example of a loving, tolerant person.

Tip three: Stop intolerance in its tracks. If you want to teach your children to be tolerant of others, then you have to speak up. If you hear an off color joke, a racial slur, or a comment of any kind that leads to intolerance, you need to speak up. Whether your child says it, or a celebrity on the television says it, you have to let your child know that it is not okay. When you see bias, prejudice, and hate happening, it is time to say something. Your child will not learn if you do not make it a point to teach them. So look at those things as opportunities to teach your child how to love and be accepting of everyone, white black, small, tall, genius, and mentally handicapped, Jew, Christian, and more.

Tip four: Make intolerance impossible. If your child’s best friend is a different race, their babysitter a different religion, their next door neighbor a different social or economic class, etc. then it is going to be hard for your child to be intolerant. Help your child to associate with all walks of life so that they learn how ridiculous intolerance is. It is hard to be intolerant of a religion or race if you know people of it and know that they are good people. So, teach your kids that everyone is valuable, and that whether you are rich or poor, short or tall, you are equal. The more you reinforce it, the easier it will be for your child.