We talk normal, right? 5 reasons to encourage multicultural literacy

It's never too early to break free of monoculturalism!

I was waiting in the Atlanta International airport when an announcement was made in French. Near me, a boy of about five asked his dad about it. The dad explained that some people talk in a different language.

The boy paused, then said, “But we talk normal, right?”

It’s never too early to break free of monoculturalism!

Multicultural literacy offers enormous benefits. It can help a child:

1. See a bigger world. Books take readers far beyond their neighborhood into other cultures, climates, and ways of life. Through the power of story, they can almost smell street food in Bangkok or hear music in Rio. It’s like traveling without packing a suitcase.
   

2. Understand people, not just places. Multicultural stories help kids get why other families celebrate different holidays or eat different foods. Customs and traditions stop seeming “foreign” and start feeling fascinating!
   

3.  Level-up language. Diverse books stretch vocab muscles in fun ways—new expressions, dialogue with dialect and linguistic nuances. Learning how people communicate and express themselves all over the world makes kids better communicators too.
   

4. Be a brighter thinker. Navigating stories from different cultural angles requires a child to follow diverse narratives and grapple with multiple points of view without getting overwhelmed. What better way to be prepared for today's world?
   

5. Be a kinder kid. The more they meet characters from all walks of life, the easier it is for kids to appreciate differences while also recognizing commonalities. This builds empathy toward those with different life experiences.

——————————

📘Even ‘board book stage’ isn’t too early to expose your child to diverse settings and characters. But it’s also never too late. I hope you'll start now!