How to Teach Preschoolers About Family

There are teaching moments that crop up in ordinary daily life. Take advantage of them. You can teach a preschooler about the concept of family by living life as a healthy, functioning family unit, regardless of what the makeup of your particular family is, and by singing songs about it. Reading books about the different kind of family structures will give youngsters an understanding that the nuclear family unit isn't always the same. Stress that difference is OK.

Things You'll Need

  • Map
  • Calendar
  • Crayons
  • Paper

Instructions

    • 1

      Teach your preschool the song "Everybody Has a Family" by Mar. Harman. The lyrics, available at Songs for Teaching online (songsforteaching.com), teach children that not every family is the same. It shows them how some families don't have fathers or mothers, and some children live with grandparents or uncles and aunts, and how family lives in your heart. J.W. Snyder wrote another Songs for Teaching song called "Family" that says, "Now who's in your Family? Your Momma and Your Poppa, Sometimes Just a Momma, sometimes just a Poppa, But we love them each and every one."

    • 2

      Teach your child to understand that diversity and differences exist, and that this is good because it would be a very uninteresting world without dissimilarities. Tell your child that some kids have two mothers, and some have two fathers, and some children have a parent who has a different skin color from their own. Explain that this is all right.

    • 3

      Ask your preschoolers what they think a family is and tell them what you think one is.

      Encourage your preschoolers to draw pictures of a family and discuss the pictures. You can learn a lot from children by what they draw. Always answer any questions that the

      children might have. If you don't know the answer, tell them you will find out and get back to them.

    • 4

      Discuss additions, like newborn children, with your preschoolers. Stress how much fun this will be and how preschoolers can teach everything they know to the new baby. Explain sharing and how families grow, and that the bigger they get the more love there is. Emphasize that there is more than enough love to go around.

    • 5

      Tell your preschoolers about ancestors and show pictures of them. Talk about family origins and what countries the children's family came from. Show him a map and point to the countries and states where relatives have lived and are living, as the Just Mommies website recommends. Talk about your childhood and your parents and siblings and your pets, which are family, too. Talk about family customs and traditions and religions. If a preschooler is a Christian and his friend is Jewish, talk about this. If some friends speak with an accent or another language altogether, discuss this, too.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • The Influence of Role Models
      Children are bound to have all sorts of role models in their lifetimes: superheroes, celebrities, their favorite teachers, the nice lady down the street -- anyone whose behavior, talents and demeanor seem cool enough to imitate. Even still, as a pare
    • How to Find Nits & What They Look Like
      Some time after your child starts school or engages with other children on a regular basis you may experience a head lice outbreak. Even if your kid isnt directly affected, its likely that youll get a letter home advising that a case has been identif
    • When Is Your Child Ready for Contact Lenses?
      When your child needs glasses, she needs to adjust to wearing the specs at home and school and must avoid damaging or losing them, while keeping lenses clean and scratch-free. Some kids dislike glasses and look forward to the time when they can trade