Teaching Our Kids To Celebrate The Differences In Us All

I am a ‘ShineBright’ Ambassador and have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.

I remember when I was a little girl I would look forward to watching Christmas movies during the holiday season. One of my favorite movies was the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It has also become one of my kids favorite holiday movies and we look forward to watching it every year.

One of our favorite holiday traditions is to watch movies after baking a batch of delicious cookies. This year will be no different and we plan on watching Rudolph on TV this Tuesday, December 9th at 8pm ET/PT which will air on CBS. This holiday season will mark the 50th anniversary of Rudolph and our family is taking this opportunity to discuss celebrating the differences in us all.

If you remember the movie, Rudolph is different from the other reindeers because of his unique red nose. This causes the other reindeers to make fun of him and tease him for being different. Unfortunately, this is something that happens in real life everyday. Rudolph’s red nose helped him shine bright and be unique. A great reminder that we all have special qualities that makes us different from each other. My goal is to teach my kids that our differences is what makes the world a better and brighter place.

My plan is to bake yummy sugar cookies and make some delicious hot chocolate to enjoy while we watch Rudolph tomorrow night. With the help of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center I’ll be discussing what it means to respect and accept diversity. I find that watching a movie and being in a relaxed setting is a great way to spark important conversation with my kids.

I already printed some excellent resources that will help during our discussion which includes a coloring book and a Kid Against Bullying pledge for my kids to sign. I also printed a guide that includes themes to explore and questions to help guide conversation such as:

• How do you think Rudolph felt when he was teased by the other reindeer?
• How do you think Rudolph felt when he was excluded from the Reindeer Games?
• How did Rudolph feel when he was accepted for his differences?

PACER also has a variety of tools including the guide I mentioned above that include discussion questions and activities you can print out at home. You can access all of these free tools by visiting PACER.org/ShineBright.

This classic story can also be enjoyed as an eBook -“The Legend of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. One dollar from each eBook purchase will be donated to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.

You may also purchase a “ShineBright” t-shirt which will also donate a portion of the sale to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. For more information or to purchase the eBook or t-shirt, visit PACER.org/ShineBright.

I encourage you to check out all of the resources mentioned, gather your family tomorrow for a fun family movie night and watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer together. Take the opportunity to discuss a very important issue that is affecting our children and help teach your kids to celebrate the difference in us all.