October gives us a lovely opportunity to celebrate and talk about the wonderfully diverse world around us: Global Diversity Awareness Month.
But talking to children about diversity doesn’t have to involve complicated conversations or sitting down for a serious chat. In fact, some of the best conversations happen naturally while children are playing, colouring, making and imagining.
So we’ve put together a few free printable diversity activities that you can enjoy together. From dressing dolls with different skin tones to a lovely colouring sheet depicting the very brave Ruby Bridges, these are simple activities designed to encourage creativity, imaginative play and little conversations about the people and families who make up our world. Download Ruby Bridges Colouring Printable
Dress up dolls with different skin tones
Print, snip, fold and dress two beautiful dollies: This gentle, creative activity is perfect for quiet time and offers the opportunity to chat about how people (and dolls!) can have lots of different skin colours.
Lola
Download Lola Wooden Doll Printable
Ferne
Download Ferne Wooden Doll Printable
Doll colouring
Use every shade in your pencil case to create a family that looks just like your own (or one that reflects our diverse world). Your child can decide how their family looks. There are no wrong answers.
Download Doll Family Printable
Baby doll birth certificate
Bring some imaginative role-play into welcome a new baby, doll or teddy into your home. This birth certificate can be used by all sorts of new additions and features a family with brown skin.
Download Birth Certificate Printable
Hotel door sign to print, cut out and make
The Happy Folk Hotel toy set features dolls with a whole range of skin tones - and this DIY hotel door hanger does too! It’s an essential addition to playing ‘holidays’ from the comfort of home
Download Door Hanger Printable
If these activities lead to bigger questions about race and difference, our post on small conversions that matter has ideas for simple ways to talk to your toddler about these big subjects. And if you’d like to add a few more diverse faces to your toy box and dolls house, you can browse our full range and read about them in diverse dolls for a diverse world.