Hello Peculiar Reader and welcome to our first official blog post!
Today we would like to share with you an amazing guide we found when we were researching on LGBTQIA+ rights, diversity and inclusion of queer children in education during the last pride month.
In the Rainbow Resources guide, a project supported by the Council of Europe, you will find lots of activities to work on gender identity, diversity and LGBTQIA+ rights in the classroom or at home. The guide has the important work of teachers and educators at heart. Starting with a theoretical section with different pieces of information and reflections, the guide focuses on supporting educators in their work.
Activities and group dynamics about LGBTQIA+ rights, diversity and gender identity
The second part of the Spanish publication is more practical, as it proposes over 30 activities and group dynamics about diversity and gender identity. The exercises proposed in the Rainbow Resources encourage reflection, empathy and the questioning of stereotypes that we have internalised. We would love to share two of our favourite activities with you:
Inside and Outside (p. 30)
No material needed!
To play this game in class, the kids should stand in circle. Then, the teacher should make different kinds of statements, for example: “Everyone wearing glasses” or “Everyone who has siblings”. The children to whom these statements apply should then make a step towards the middle of the circle. Depending on the age and the dynamics of the group, different topics can be addressed using this game. The goal is to show children that everyone shares similarities and that differences are natural. Talk with them about how they felt when being in a minority group, so they develop openness and empathy.
A Genderless Story (p. 34)
Material: Paper and crayons or colour pencils.
The aim of this activity is to teach children about the power of words and their role in building gender stereotypes. To use this exercise in class, prepare a story about a kid, perhaps about a day in their life, without specifying their gender. Give each child a sheet of paper where they can draw the character whilst you tell them the story. Once the story is over, talk about why each of them has imagined the person the way they have. This is a good chance to challenge gender stereotypes and learn to be aware about our own misconceptions – both the pupils’ and the teachers’.
We hope you enjoyed these proposals and you will be able to implement them with your class or at home. Let us know in the comments how it went and if you have found them useful!
