CULTURAL COMPETENCE:
An induction kit to embed culturally compentent practice in everyday practice
Putting it into Practice
Cultural competence should underpin everyday practice in our multicultural society. However, it is important to avoid stereotypes and tokenism. On this page you will find some suggestions of activities to ensure your activities are culturally safe and inclusive. All of these activities can be connected to the EYLF.
Show and Tell
Children can bring a treasured possession related to their home life/background and share this with the other children in the service. This can be extended by the educator researching how a similar item could be used in different cultures and creating activities around this.
Learn Auslan
Older children could learn the Auslan alphabet and some commonly used signs. Posters could be situated around the room and children could work towards learning a song in sign.
Musical Instruments
Musical instruments from around the world could be placed in the room for children to explore as they wish. If an educator observes a child playing a particular instrument, they can discuss this instrument with the child, such as origin, when it is played in the traditional culture etc.
Learning About the Traditional Owners
Educators can research the traditional owners of the land on which the service stands and share this with the children. An elder could come in and speak about traditions. A craft activity related to this could be creating traditional Aboriginal dot paintings.
For some tips on managing bias and challenging stereotypes
Family Photos
Children could bring in photos of their household structure. These could be displayed around the room as an example of how people of different cultures live.
