Celebrating the diversity of family in diverse ways

As families and carers, coming together for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and other family days could be an opportunity to speak to your child about why we acknowledge these days together, and how families choose to celebrate in diverse ways.

These can be special days in the family calendar and are experienced in different ways across families and diverse caregiving structures. Acknowledging these days is just one of the ways that can support your child to feel a sense of belonging and identity. You can draw on your own family experience growing up, the experience of your extended family and/or friends, or even families from your child's favourite television shows to start conversations with your child.

Some ideas of activities or conversations you can have with your children include:

• Who are the people in your family that we are celebrating and why is it important to your child?
  
  
• Involve your child in choices about any potential gifts or special meal preparations if these are part of your day.
  
  
• Think about how you can encourage your child to be involved in making a gift for this person.
  
  
• Encourage your child to draw a picture of the person. If you do this every year, it will create a story of your child's developing skills and how they see this person/people as they grow up.
  
  
• Help your child write a letter or story for the person/people you are celebrating.
  
  
• Help your child make a list of things we know about this person/people.
  
  
• Talk to your child about all families and what they look like. You could play with dolls, cars or 'peg people’ with your child to role model what this looks and sounds like. 

The activities above are suggested as ways that you can connect with your child and start conversations about their world. We hope that all our families and carers enjoy their day together.