October is Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month, providing a unique opportunity to recognize and celebrate the wonderful aspects of bilingualism and multiculturalism. We are offering fun activities, handouts and more to celebrate this special month!
Continue reading October is Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month!
Inspired by World Kit Lit Month, the annual celebration of world literature for children and young adults, use the month of September to travel the world and explore other cultures through literature, food, games, and more!
Join Language Lizard as we Celebrate the Bilingual Child this month! For over a decade, we have been celebrating these children every October. Today we talk about the history of this celebration, how you can celebrate, and our newest Bilingual Book Giveaway!
Continue reading October is Celebrate the Bilingual Child Month
Language Lizard is partnering with World Kid Lit to talk about world literature for young readers. This collective of volunteers is dedicated to sharing fiction and nonfiction from aroun the world! Today, we’ll talk about why that is so important. Continue reading Introducing #WorldKidLit Month
We at Language Lizard always strive to promote inclusion, and celebrate diversity. We encourage schools, teachers and families to address the inequities that exist in our society. This post contains resources that specifically address how parents and teachers can talk about race and racism with children.
Continue reading Talking to Children about Racism and Inequality – Resources for Teachers and Parents
Spring is a great time to celebrate the outstanding educators and language learners in your life!
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 7-11. It’s the perfect opportunity to say “thank you” to the teachers and school staff that work tirelessly to make a difference in our children’s lives. Continue reading Diverse Gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week & to Celebrate Bilingual Students
Right now, our lives are permeated with emotionally charged discourse about political and social upheaval. When you think about how much news media, social media and personal conversations we’re exposed to, it’s very likely our kids and students are aware and possibly experiencing anxiety about what they hear and see going on in the world around them. We all may feel disheartened with the current events that are dividing us as people, and as a nation.
If you’re worried that the children in your life are experiencing stress or anxiety, you first want to acknowledge and address these emotions, as we discussed in a previous post. Then, you can try to direct the conversation to the good that is happening in the world. One way we suggest doing this is to celebrate diversity with our children. When we open our hearts and minds to people of other cultures, we also cultivate a spirit of love and hope, which can lead to strength and healing.
Below are a few ways we can mitigate anxiety for students, your kids and yourself.
As informed adults, we can’t ever “bury our heads in the sand” by turning our backs on current events. It’s, in fact, vitally important that we check in regularly with reputable news organizations because so much is happening in the political and social realm, in such a short amount of time. However, don’t allow yourself to become inundated by what can feel like a flood of information and reactions. Decide how much time a day you want to dedicate to staying informed, then try to stay within that limit.
If older kids are exposed to news or social media directly, work with them to establish boundaries and talk about what they’re hearing and seeing. With younger kids, we need to be wary that their little ears are picking up on our adult conversations. Decide what information you want to convey to them, and be ready to answer their questions in an age-appropriate manner.
One of the best ways to feel better is by doing good for those around you. Find a way that you and your family or classroom can volunteer to make the world a better place. Working selflessly for others can do wonders for your own state of mind. This is also a great opportunity to connect with other people, and build an emotional and social support network.
If you are concerned about the treatment of vulnerable members of society, or discriminatory attitudes, consider supporting causes that reflect your values and help those who could benefit most from your assistance. Working with children to raise funds to support a cause can be empowering, and allow for substantive discussions on important issues.
When you’re feeling stressed out or sad, take a moment for yourself. Think about the good things in your life that you’re grateful for. Take a break and do something just for you – like reading a book, listening to your favorite song or going for a stroll – and just be present in the moment. Meditate or just lie down and rest for a bit! In order to be kind to others, you must first be kind to yourself.
Suggest these strategies to children as well; these are valuable life lessons that will help them navigate future challenges. You can also make use of online resources to find support and recommendations.
We would love to hear the beautiful, thoughtful, brave ways you are making the world a better place! Take a moment to #CelebrateDiversity with us on social media, and keep up the good work!
“World” by Kevin Dooley via Flickr is licensed under CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/9nZaR3