It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr
In the way only Todd Parr can do, It’s Okay to be Different delivers messages of acceptance, understanding, and confidence to be who you are to young children. Recommended for ages 3-8. Available at Napa County Library.
Self Portrait Activity
- Have children draw a picture of their whole body with a pencil and then add details with crayons, colored pencils, paints. If you have butcher paper, you could even trace them.
- Encourage them to add lots of details that are special or unique to them — freckles, hairstyles, clothing choices, etc. Encourage children to “try on” a new hairstyle or outfit that they’ve always wanted to try. Something that would make them feel special or like their true selves. Use any extra craft supplies, such as feathers, buttons, pompoms, etc to make the project really fun.
Additional Activities
Todd Parr’s website has some fun coloring pages and other reproducible activities
Teaching Tolerance has some great activity and discussion questions for children grades K -5
Important Note: It is natural and developmentally appropriate for children under 5 to notice differences in race, gender expression, etc. For more resources on how to talk with kids about race and gender, read the following articles:
https://mashable.com/article/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-gender/
Definitions
difference [ dif-er-uhns, dif-ruhns ] (noun) something that is not the same about two or more people or things; something that makes two or more people or things unlike each other
diversity [ dih-vur-si-tee ] (noun) the quality of being made up of many different kinds of people, creatures or things; having a lot of variety
community [ kuh-myoo-ni-tee ] (noun) a group of people who share something, like an interest, goal, or living or working space; a group of people who cooperate and learn to work together