Diversity and Inclusion Craft Kits

by | Oct 10, 2020 | Uncategorized

These are the instructions for craft kits SBPC distributed to interested members earlier this year. We are posting the instructions here so other groups may use them is inspiration for building their own diversity and inclusion craft kits or so families can do these crafts on their own.

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This is a dynamic document that we will keep digital so it may be updated and improved upon as needed. We welcome feedback.

For children aged 3-6 years.

Contains choking hazards that may be inappropriate for younger children. The crafts may be fun for older children as well, but the suggested conversations would need to be adapted to be more robust. “An age-by-age guide to talking to your kids about racism” on Motherly offers suggestions on how to develop conversations about racism as your child grows.

The San Bruno Parents Club is committed to being a supportive community for all local families. SBPC strongly condemns racism and firmly believes in justice and equality for all. We believe that the goals of raising children who have empathy, compassion, and a sense of justice cannot be achieved without directly engaging with these issues–and honestly questioning our knowledge gaps, thinking about the values we want to model for our children, and encouraging future conversations. We hope this craft kit will give your child a healthy introduction to race, diversity, and inclusion; provide them an opportunity to ask important questions; and be a springboard for more in-depth conversations about racism and anti-racism.

Kits

  • 14 containers of 1oz containers of paint per family (~0.5 oz of paint per color per child; siblings’ paint combined into as few containers as possible)
    • 8 skin tones
    • Black and white to lighten and darken
    • Primary colors (red, blue, yellow, green)
  • 2 paintbrushes per child
  • 1 blank “SBPC Celebrates Diversity” handprint template per child
  • 2 blank head templates per child
  • 5 peg dolls per child
  • 5 paper doll cutouts per child (in 5 different skin tones)
  • 1 set of paper doll clothing/accessory templates per child
  • 1 glue stick per child
  • 2 coloring pages per child
  • 1 set Multicultural markers per family (first 20 families)

Materials provided by families

  • Colorful media from around home to make paper doll clothing and accessories (paper, fabric, foil, etc.)
  • Mirror or a photo of your child’s face
  • Scissors
  • Optional: Containers for mixing paints
  • Optional: Photograph of a friend

Activities

“All the Colors we Are” Handprint Collage

Inspired by Teach Peace Now

Materials:

  • Tempera paint (included)
  • “SBPC Celebrates Diversity” handprint template
  • Paintbrush
  • Optional: Container for mixing paint (you provide)

Directions:

  1. Have your child look at all the paint colors they received in the kit and get them talking about what colors they are. What would your child call each color?
  2. Watch “All The Colors we Are” read aloud. If you love the book please consider purchasing it to support the author!
  3. Have your child hold various paint colors next to their skin. Ask them to notice that even though people’s skin may be called black, brown, or white no one’s skin is actually black or white, and there are many shades of brown.
    -Younger kids: pick the closest paint color to their skin tone.
    -Older kids: mix colors in a bowl to get the tone just right to match their skin.
  1. Paint your child’s hand and press onto paper for a handprint in the child’s own skin tone. Reserve leftover paint for the next activity.
  2. Snap a pic and send to SBPC so we can make a collage of all the kids’ different skin tones.

Conversation: Talk about where the tone of your child’s skin comes from (e.g. parents/ancestors, sun, melanin, as described in the book). Encourage your child to look at their skin tone next to other family members’. What words would they use to describe their skin tone? Refer to a make-up company’s color guide and share some of the beautiful words used to describe various skin tones (This one includes a nice range).

Once we post the handprint collage, show it to your child. Which skin tones are more or less common among SBPC kids? How might/does it feel to be the only one in a group with your skin tone? Here are some books that foster confidence and self-love in children of color you may use to follow up on this discussion (If you love these books, please consider buying them to support the authors!):

The next activities will further explore owning your uniqueness, celebrating diversity, fostering inclusion, and fighting against unfair treatment.

“We’re Different, We’re The Same” Portraits

Inspired by Teaching with Haley. (Follow link for finished product inspiration photos!)

Materials:

  • Tempera paint (included) or Multicultural markers for a less messy version
  • Paintbrush (included)
  • Blank face templates (included)
  • Mirror or a photo of your child’s face (you provide)
  • Optional: Photo of a friend (or use someone present as a model)
  • Optional: Container for mixing paint (you provide)

Directions:

  1. Watch “We’re Different, We’re The Same” Sesame Street read along. If you love the book please consider purchasing it to support the author!
  2. Use paint your child picked or mixed in Step 2 of the above activity to paint a blank head template to match your child’s skin tone. Have your child talk about and add their other features to their self-portrait.
  3. Pick someone with some different physical features than your child: a family member, a friend of whom you have a photograph, or a character in a book or movie. Select or mix paint to match the chosen person’s skin tone, then paint another head template with that color. Have your child add and discuss their other features.

Conversation: How are your child and the other person different? How are they the same? (As the book notes, even when some features look different they function the same). What’s your child’s favorite thing about the other person?

Diverse Peg Dolls

Inspired by @mamapapabubba. (Follow link for finished product inspiration photos!)

Materials:

  • Unpainted peg dolls (included)
  • Tempera paint (included) or Multicultural markers for a less messy version
  • Paintbrushes (included)

Directions:

  1. Watch “The Day You Begin” read aloud. If you love the book please consider purchasing it to support the author!
  2. Encourage your child to use paint that went unused in the last two activities to paint peg dolls with different skin and clothing colors, forming a group of friends with all different sizes, shapes, and colors. They can paint on faces or draw them on once the paint has dried.

Conversation: How do you feel different from others? What are some ways you can own and share your uniqueness? Think of some times that other people owning and sharing their uniqueness with you has enriched your life. (With young kids who have fewer interpersonal experiences, it may be the parent answering these questions and sharing their experiences with the child). Roleplay with the peg dolls to model inclusion.

“All Are Welcome” Paper Dolls

Inspired by Hello Wonderful. (Follow link for finished product inspiration photos!)

Materials:

  • Paper doll cutouts (included)
  • Paper clothing and accessories templates (included)
  • Glue stick (included)
  • Colorful media from around your home to make clothing and accessories (you provide)
  • Scissors (you provide)

Directions:

  1. Watch “All Are Welcome” read aloud. If you love the book please consider purchasing it to support the author!
  2. We’ve included templates for a shirt, pants, a dress, shoes, a hat, hair, and a headscarf. Look around your home for colored paper, wrapping paper, tissue paper, fabric, cereal boxes, etc. Use the templates to trace patterns onto the media you find and cut them out. You can cut the arms off a traced long-sleeved shirt to get a short-sleeved shirt, cut the legs off pants to get shorts, cut one or both brims off the hat to get a cap or beanie, and you can give the hairdos a haircut.
  3. Let your child mix and match various outfits on the people-shaped cut-outs. They can also color the templates and use those as paper doll clothes. You don’t have to stick to the templates—get creative! Add yarn for hair, a ribbon for a belt, beads for jewelry, real buttons, googly eyes, etc.
  4. Once your child is happy with the paper dolls’ outfits you can glue them on.
  5. Optional: If you would like to display your diverse paper dolls punch holes in their “hands” and string them together with ribbon or twin to make a banner.

Conversation: Talk about the different types of clothing/accessories people wear in the book, and the different types of clothing/accessories people you know wear. What are the names of some of the articles of clothing/accessories your family doesn’t usually wear? Isn’t diversity beautiful!

Diverse Coloring Pages

Featured: Coloring pages from Dana Clark Colors

Materials:

Directions:

  1. Watch “I Walk With Vanessa” read aloud. As this wordless video plays, ask your child to consider what the characters are saying, thinking, or feeling in each picture. Pause the video to answer questions if needed. If you love the book please consider purchasing it to support the author!
  2. Have your child color coloring pages featuring children of various types of hair and facial features. Which person is your child most excited to color first? Ask what they like about it (or dislike about the alternatives)? This may give you some insight into biases your child has already formed.

Conversation: What are some things you could do if you saw another child being picked on, bullied, or treated unfairly? (e.g. ask the victim what they need, be a friend to the victim, listen to the victim, be inclusive, tell a grown-up, speak up, etc.) As a parent, share some of the things you have done to address inequality and injustice in the world. If you have time for one more children’s book, “Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea” is an empowering read that exemplifies how people working together can bring about big changes.