Humans are incredibly diverse – in colour, size, likes, dislikes, beliefs, abilities, and so much more.
When we celebrate what makes us different, we send a strong and important message to children that whatever makes them different is not something to be ashamed of, but is something to celebrate.
We know that when we foster diversity in our schools we can dismantle the development of prejudice in children and help them instead to develop empathy, respect and kindness.
Interestingly, the Positive Futures research published last year by charity Just Like Us found that when children are taught about LGBT+ lives, there is also “a significant increase in non-LGBT+ students feeling positive about their future”.
Why celebrate Pride?
For LGBT+ people, Pride is a celebration – it is a time to be visible, to spend time with other LGBT+ people, to honour past achievements, to seek positive change, and to feel good about yourself.
We celebrate because for centuries LGBT+ lives were hidden away – and often illegal. It was very difficult for people to live as their authentic selves.
Many people, both LGBT+ and otherwise, felt this was wrong and spent decades fighting to change the law and society.
Now LGBT+ people are increasingly more able to be themselves and to live happy, fulfilled lives. This is a great message for children.
Pride in school is for everyone and can encompass many of the same values – pride in ourselves and our achievements, a celebration of what makes us special, and an opportunity to feel good about ourselves. We can use the values and history of LGBT+ Pride to spread joy among all young people.
How can I celebrate Pride in school?
Here follows some simple ideas, suggestions and tips for you to help your school or class to mark Pride 2024.
Visibility/display
- Encourage children to show Pride in their family through drawings or photographs. Explore a range of different families through pictures and stories.
- Display or make pictures of LGBT+ people, showing how they are so much more than “just” LGBT+. For example, British boxer Nicola Adams, American dancer and singer Jojo Siwa, Olympic diver Tom Daley, professional footballer Jake Daniels, and British actress Yasmin Finney.
- Create a Pride Wall with pictures and writing from children about how they are proud of themselves and/or their family and friends.
- Use chalks for children to leave positive, encouraging messages for each other around the playground.
- Show your support for LGBT+ people and rainbow families using Pride stickers on whiteboards or classroom doors, or rainbow lanyards. You could even fly a rainbow flag.
Story-telling
- Read books with LGBT+ characters and rainbow families. Some options might include Pride: The story of Harvey Milk and the rainbow flag by Rob Sanders; Maiden and Knight by Daniel Haack; The Family Book by Todd Parr; and Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton. There are a range of books from Pop’n’Olly, which all have drop-in LGBT+ characters.
- Older children could explore the diversity of the books in the classroom – are all the families and characters represented the same or do the books show a range of diverse characters?
Get creative
- Get creative making rainbows out of paper, fabric, wool, nature, pebbles, chalks, handprints, beads, etc.
- Go on a rainbow-themed scavenger hunt around the school and playground.
- Explore rainbows in science – add food colouring to soapy bubbles to experiment with mixing colours.
- Explore healthy rainbow snacks with rainbow-coloured fruit on skewers or rainbow-coloured vegetables on pizzas.
- Create Pride word clouds for each child using words to describe them suggested by the rest of the class.
Investigate
- Investigate LGBT+ people from history, such as mathematician Alan Turing, astronaut Sally Ride, diplomat and soldier Chevalier D’Eon, civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, and painter Frida Khalo.
- Investigate the history of the Pride flag. Children can then make flags that represent what they are proud of about themselves.
- Learn about the history of Pride in the US and UK. Talk about why it is so important to many LGBT+ people after centuries of it being illegal to be gay. Learn LGBT+ vocabulary and use it to play LGBT+ word bingo.
- Talk about why pronouns are important to some LGBT+ people.
Writing
- Children could write letters to themselves, detailing their achievements and why they are proud of themselves.
- Be inspired by Todd Parr’s Family Book to make a class book of different families and what families enjoy doing together.
- Use Olly Pike’s book Prince Henry to discuss how laws can change when people object and then write newspaper articles on the impact of speaking up.
School Pride
- Have a Pride Day where children come in Pride colours and share something they are proud of with their peers (this could be in small groups) such as looking after a pet, being able to do a magic trick, or doing tricks on a skateboard.
- Schools could even set-up a Rainbow Pride Club for children who are LGBT+ or those who want to find out more.
Assemblies
Use an assembly to tell the story of the first Pride and how people stood up and said “no” when they were stopped from being themselves.
In 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a popular bar for LGBT+ people in New York, was raided by the police. Although raids were not uncommon, this one proved to be the final straw and sparked a riot. A year later, people organised the first Pride march to celebrate LGBT+ people standing up against harassment and persecution. The UK’s first Pride march took place on July 1, 1972, in London.
In your assembly you might talk about this history and some of the heroes from that day – Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Storme deLaverie. Talk about how Pride has spread around the world.
You could also help children to research and deliver their own assembly showcasing LGBT+ people from history and modern day.
- Mel Lane was a primary school teacher and teacher trainer for more than 20 years. She is now head of education at Pop’n’Olly, a provider of LGBT+ inclusive education resources for primary-age children. Mel also works with Dorset-based LGBT+ charity, Space Youth Project, leading staff training and student sessions alongside a team of LGBT+ young volunteers. She is co-author of What Does LGBT+ Mean? (Pop’n’Olly, 2021). Visit www.popnolly.com and www.spaceyouthproject.co.uk
Further information & resources
Just Like Us: Positive Futures Report, 2023: www.justlikeus.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Positive-Futures-report-by-Just-Like-Us-compressed-for-mobile.pdf