Children may ask questions about marriage and or a couple's relationship. The concept of weddings is a familiar part of fairytales, and children's own parents can be married.
Early childhood professionals can challenge children's incorrect beliefs about diversity, families and marriage equality. Since 2017, Australians have had the right to get married, regardless of the couple's sex or gender.
EYLF learning outcomes
The Early Years Learning Framework supports children in learning about marriage and relationships as it can help them connect to people (4.4), develop a sense of belonging (2.1), and an understanding of cooperation (4.1).
Learning experiences
Research weddings
Children with an interest in weddings may enjoy researching the diverse wedding celebrations throughout the world. This is an excellent way to promote culture and diversity.
Start by talking to the families attending your childcare centre. Ask them about their personal experiences with wedding traditions and write their responses on a large piece of paper. Use their stories as inspiration for further learning experiences.
Make paper wedding dresses
Many children show interest in wedding roleplay, including wearing wedding dresses. Early childhood educators can respond to this by supporting children to design and construct their own dresses.
Paper is an incredible material for this project. It is flexible, readily available, easy to cut, and easy to join with sticky tape or masking tape. Plain white paper can be used to create a white dress, but children can change its colour by painting or drawing on it.
Discussions
- Why do some people get married? What does it mean to be married?
- Can a woman marry a woman, or a man marry a man?
- How can people who are married help each other?
- Why do people have wedding ceremonies and celebrate with family and friends?
Resources
Picture books
The Scarecrows' Wedding by Julia Donaldson