The Benefits Of Developing Cultural Awareness In Children ( text taken from Open

Minds, Open Opportunities-web page)

Growing up in today’s world presents a unique set of demands for children. The
need for cultural awareness is steadily increasing as a means of fostering
harmonious coexistence between people. You can be sure that as they grow
up, children will be exposed to people of diverse cultures and traditions. One of
the skills that will be most beneficial to kids as they prepare themselves to live
in the present world is cultural awareness. Let’s take a closer look at the
advantages a child will have when they understand and value cultural
differences.

Cohesion

Cohesion comes as a result of people developing a good understanding of each

other. The U.S. is home to individuals from a wide range of cultures. If children
are going to have harmonious relations with people who aren’t just like them,
they need to learn about and appreciate the diversity in the world. Exposing a
child to other customs, religions and lifestyles will help to normalize these
differences. It will also guard against ethnocentrism since the child will value
other cultures.

Adaptability

Children with cultural awareness will perform better in situations where cultural

diversity is a factor. In fact, this will apply even if they are among people from
cultures with which they have never interacted before. By virtue of
having exposure to cultural learning, they will have a social advantage
compared to people who have never had such exposure.

Marketability

People who are bilingual or multilingual have more work opportunities than

those who are not. Therefore, giving your child this early advantage will gain
them benefits that will last for a lifetime. The best time to get them started
learning a second language is when they are preschool age, since children in
this phase of development have the greatest facility for language learning.

Enhanced communication

The ability to communicate effectively depends on one’s understanding of the

culture they are in. For instance, knowledge of the English language is just the
first step in communicating in America. However, when you understand the
American culture, you will know how to use the language effectively. This goes
for other languages and cultures as well.