Intercultural Education and Multilingualism in the Kita

Living and celebrating diversity

Cultural diversity should be made visible and lived in everyday life in the day-care centre (Kita): through languages, festivals, books, music, food and the involvement of families. In this way diversity is valued, enriching for everyone and taken for granted.

Making diversity visible

Cultural and linguistic diversity should be made visible and a matter of course in everyday Kita life – not hidden or reduced to a "Leitkultur" (literally "guiding culture" – a politically debated idea of one prescribed majority culture), but lived as an enriching, natural part of everyday life. This can happen in many ways: making different languages visible and audible (greetings, songs, number words, books, notices in different languages; letting the children bring in their language); getting to know and celebrating different festivals and customs (festivals of different cultures and religions, where appropriate and by agreement); including books, stories, music and games from different cultures; getting to know and appreciating different food and food cultures; including the diversity of families and ways of life visibly and appreciatively; and designing the environment, materials and activities so that they reflect and honour diversity. Making diversity visible and living it in this way turns the Kita into a place where cultural and linguistic diversity is valued, can be experienced by everyone and is taken for granted – and where every child finds their origin and culture reflected and feels accepted.

Figure (Module 6): Six ways of making diversity visible in everyday Kita life. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).

Involving families

A particularly valuable way of living diversity is the involvement of families as experts in their culture and language. Families can contribute a great deal: their language (e.g. teaching songs, stories, greetings), their festivals and customs (talking about them, helping to shape them), their food (bringing dishes, talking about them), their stories, music and culture. When the Kita invites families and encourages them to bring in their culture and language, several things happen: the families are valued and taken seriously as experts and partners (Module 10); diversity is brought authentically and vividly into everyday life (by the families themselves); all children are enriched by the varied contributions; and the children from the families involved experience that their culture and language are valued and welcome (which strengthens their identity, self-worth and sense of belonging). Involving families is therefore a valuable way of living diversity authentically, vividly and appreciatively, while at the same time valuing and involving the families. It makes intercultural education a shared, enriching concern of the Kita and the families. Contributions from families are voluntary. Photos, recordings or personal details of children and families (e.g. for notices, documentation or the website) are only used with consent – for children, the consent of the persons with parental responsibility; for adults, their own consent; consent can be withdrawn at any time; for food brought in, the Kita's hygiene and allergy rules apply.

Figure (Module 6): Involving families as experts in their culture and language. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).

Going deeper: Between appreciation and avoiding folklorisation

When making cultural diversity visible and celebrating it, an important balance must be struck: between genuine appreciation and involvement of diversity and avoiding superficial "folklorisation" or stereotyping. On the one hand, it is valuable and important to make cultural diversity visible, to honour it and to celebrate it (through languages, festivals, food, music, books). On the other hand, there is a risk of lapsing into superficial "folklorisation" – reducing cultures to a few outward, clichéd features (typical food, traditional costumes, festivals, dances) and stereotyping them, instead of honouring the genuine, varied, living culture and the individual people. Such superficial folklorisation ("Today we are having a day about country X with typical food and traditional costumes") can reduce cultures to clichés, stereotype them and put individual children and families into a box (reducing them to "their culture", Module 8) – which does justice neither to genuine appreciation nor to the diversity and individuality of people. Genuine appreciation goes deeper: it honours diversity as a natural, living part of everyday life (not as an "exotic" special topic); it sees individual children and families in their individuality (not as "representatives of their culture"); it involves families authentically (they bring in their own lived culture, not clichés); it avoids stereotypes and clichés; and it honours the diversity and changeability of cultures (cultures are not rigid and uniform, but varied, changeable and lived individually, Module 8). In concrete terms, this means integrating diversity into everyday life as a matter of course and in a lively way (instead of reducing it to "culture days" full of clichés), valuing individual children and families in their individuality (instead of stereotyping them), involving families authentically (their lived culture, not clichés), and avoiding stereotypes and clichés. The balance between genuine appreciation and avoiding folklorisation is demanding but important: it ensures that diversity is honoured genuinely (not reduced to clichés) and that individual children and families are valued in their individuality (not stereotyped). It combines the valuable work of making diversity visible and honouring it with respect for the individuality and diversity of people and the avoidance of stereotypes. For the Kita this means living and honouring diversity authentically, vividly, as a matter of course and in an individualised way – and not lapsing into superficial folklorisation and stereotyping. In this way intercultural education does justice to genuine diversity and to individual people and honours them in their individuality and vitality. This balance – genuine appreciation and involvement of diversity, but avoiding folklorisation and stereotyping – is an important, reflective aspect of good practice in dealing with cultural diversity in everyday life.

Figure (Module 6): Folklorisation versus genuine appreciation. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).