Activity Set: Our Families, Our World
❤️ Core Principles for Teaching About Families
The goal is to celebrate all family structures and help each child see their own family reflected and valued. Activities should foster a sense of belonging, identity, and understanding that families are connected by love and care, not just by traditional roles.
📝 Activity 1: "My Family Story" (Identity & Representation)
This foundational activity validates each child's unique family structure through storytelling and creation.
Main Activity: "Our Family Portrait"
Discussion & Book: Start by reading a simple, inclusive book about families (e.g., "The Family Book" by Todd Parr, "Who's in My Family?" by Robie H. Harris). Discuss how all families are different and special.
Creative Task: Provide children with diverse art materials (paper, crayons, fabric scraps, yarn, glue). Do not provide pre-drawn "mother-father-child" templates. Instead, give them blank paper or frames.
Instruction: Ask each child to create a portrait of their family. They can draw, collage, or use provided materials. Emphasize: "Include the people and even pets who are family to you. What makes your family special?"
Sharing: Create a "Our Family Gallery" wall. Let children share their portraits if they wish, using simple prompts: "This is my [sister/brother/grandma/etc.] Name. We like to activity together."
Adaptation for Kathmandu: Encourage children to include elements that show family in Nepali culture. They might draw their family receiving tika during Dashain, sharing a meal, or at a local temple. You can introduce words like "परिवार" (parivaar - family), "दाई" (dai - older brother), "बहिनी" (bahini - younger sister).
🧩 Activity 2: "Family Roles & Helping Hands" (Roles & Responsibilities)
This activity moves beyond "what families look like" to explore "what families do"—how they function, help each other, and share love through actions.
Main Activity: "Our Family Helper Chart"
Brainstorm: In a circle, ask children, "What are some jobs people do to help their family at home?" List ideas (e.g., setting the table, watering plants, putting away toys, helping a younger sibling).
Create: Give each child a paper "helper chart" template with days of the week. They can draw or write (with help) one small helping task they did or will do each day.
Connect to Culture: Discuss how helping is a part of family culture everywhere. Share examples: "In some families, children help make rotis or sort rice. In others, they might fold laundry or feed a pet. All help is important."
Follow-up Activity: "Act It Out!" (Family Charades)
Write simple family actions on cards (e.g., "reading a story," "cooking dal bhat," "fixing a bicycle," "celebrating a birthday").
Children take turns picking a card and acting it out silently while others guess the helping action. This reinforces vocabulary and understanding of diverse family roles.
📚 Activity 3: "Family Trees & Stories" (Heritage & Connections)
This activity gently introduces the concept of family history and intergenerational connection in a simple, tangible way.
Main Activity: "Handprint Family Tree"
Concept: Explain that families are like trees, with roots (past generations) and branches (current and future family).
Art Project: Provide a large tree trunk outline. Each child traces and cuts out their own handprint on green paper (the leaves). On their handprint, they write (or an adult scribes) the first names of people in their immediate family/caregivers.
Assemble: Children glue their "family handprint" onto the class tree's branches. The resulting display shows that while each family (hand) is unique, they are all part of the strong, supportive community (tree).
Alternative for Simplicity: "Family Story Stones"
Collect smooth stones. Children can use paint or markers to draw a simple symbol for each family member on a different stone (e.g., a heart for mom, a book for a sibling who loves to read). They can keep the stones in a pouch and use them to tell stories about their family.
👨👩👧👦 Activity 4: "A Family for Every Child" (Inclusivity Project)
This culminating project explicitly celebrates diversity and ensures every child feels seen.
The Activity: "Our Class Family Album"
Process: Create a physical or digital book for the classroom.
Each Child's Page: Includes their Family Portrait from Activity 1, a dictated sentence ("My family is special because..."), and a photo (sent from home with permission).
Teacher's Pages: Include pages that represent diverse family structures explicitly: single-parent families, grandparent-led families, families with two moms or two dads, multigenerational joint families (common in Nepal), families with foster or adoptive children. Use simple language: "Some families have one parent. Some families have two moms. All families give love."
Use: Keep this book in the reading corner. It becomes a powerful tool for children to see their own family and learn about others in a matter-of-fact, positive way.
✨ Key Tips for Facilitators
Use Inclusive Language: Always ask, "Who is in your family?" instead of "Do you have a mom and dad?" Use terms like "grown-ups," "caregivers," and "guardians."
Prepare for Diversity: Be ready for a child to say, "I live with my baje (grandfather) and aama (mom)." Celebrate that. "How wonderful you have your grandfather with you!"
Partner with Homes: Send a note to families explaining the project, assuring them it celebrates all structures, and inviting them to share a simple family tradition if they wish.
Focus on Love & Care: The ultimate message is that a family is made of people who love, care for, and support each other.
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