I remember seeing the quote “inclusion elevates all”, when reading a recent article about Gucci highlighting a beautiful woman for their makeup campaign. The woman had Down syndrome and she was simply radiating. The increase in representation of people with different abilities is so moving to me and honestly long overdue. Today I will share some inclusive toys and books. As I write this, I think about my youngest sister Marina.
My Why
Marina is kind, independent, spicy, and explodes with strong positive energy. She is no stranger to the eye roll and hand on her hip. There’s an 11-year age gap between us and I can honestly say, that Marina changed my life since the day she was born. She has taught me and continues to teach me, more on how to approach my life than I can ever hope to teach her. Marina has a medical diagnosis of Down syndrome, but that has never defined her. Marina has consented to the pictures posted below.
My Sister Marina
Marina takes life by storm. When her high school put up posters for tryouts for the play, Marina was the first in line to sing/dance her heart out on the stage. She doesn’t hesitate to bust a move at the school dances and she was right behind the other students for the annual polar bear plunge.
One of my biggest fears is that because of Marina’s diagnosis, doors will be shut for her and that people will say mean things behind her back and or to her face. I remember this one time Marina and I went to the grocery store and an older woman approached us and in a hushed voice, patted my arm and said “I am so sorry” while looking at Marina. The same day, however, a little girl from Marina’s class ran up to her and gave her a hug and then ran back to their parent saying “that’s my friend Marina.”
That day is why I strive to educate not only my students but also adults. When we use inclusive language, it affects overall attitudes, and attitudes affect action. Inclusion and the idea that everyone brings something so special and unique to the world starts when children are young and in my opinion can be achieved by increasing overall exposure through play opportunities and exploration
Inclusive Books for Young Children
I compare reading to children with feeding your body healthy food and exercising. When we read to children, we are investing in their success and growth!
Mendelsohn et al. (2018) research found that reading strengthens a child’s social, emotional, and character development. I love incorporating books into my occupational therapy sessions and I always enjoy seeing how excited students are for books during circle time or library centers.
When taking a step back, I wanted to find books that I could reinforce positive messages about inclusivity. I wanted to address important messages to my students in not only a teaching manner but also engaging and developmentally appropriate.
((This blog post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You don’t pay any more by clicking my link (and I actually find the best prices for you!) but I make a small commission off of sales. This helps me to test out more materials and bring you more quality content. Thanks for supporting my little blog!))
Helix Rolls Into a Sleepover
One of my favorite inclusive books, that I am excited to incorporate into my OT sessions is Helix Rolls Into a Sleepover, by Betz and Shrader, illustrated by Icusza. (Affiliate link)
The story is about two tortoises, Helix and Edward. Helix is invited to his first sleepover but is disappointed when he realizes Edward’s house isn’t wheelchair accessible. Helix’s mom suggests that Edward come to their home! Edward learns what Helix’s day to day life looks like. He also learns about a wheelchair accessible van and bedroom/bathroom lift and the story also highlights all the similarities both tortoises share!
I love this book because it highlights inclusion and friendship with fun characters and engaging pictures. I think my students will also find it really cool that the main character, Helix, is based on a marginated tortoise in Arizona, who was born with a congenital spinal disorder. Helix was fitted with small, custom, skateboard wheels to increase his overall accessibility in his tortoise environment!
Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship
The next book you need to add to your student library is, Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, illustrated by Scott Magoon. (Affiliate link)
This New York Times Bestseller is based on a true story. When author Jessica was injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, she became a double amputee and received a black lab named Rescue! The book highlights how the pair overcomes challenges together and learns how to navigate their new life. I love this book not only for the beautiful pictures and highlighting the importance of service dogs/animals but also how friendship can take all forms. Have some tissues ready, the happy tears will flow!
Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach
I recently discovered Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach, written by Elizabeth Gerlach. (affiliate link)
It is one of my daughter’s favorite books! The story is based on a woman’s son, Ben, who was a young boy with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
Elizabeth Gerlach states, “This book is dedicated to Benjamin with great hope that it shows that everyone deserves to have an adventure. And despite physical or medical differences, all kids can play and dream!”
The book is about a little boy, Ben, and his amazing imagination, where he takes a trip to the beach! He travels with the bright red crabs, builds towering sandcastles, flies a kite with his dad, and reflects on happy moments with his family. I love this book because it opens conversations with students about cerebral palsy and despite medical diagnosis’ we all can explore the beauties of life!
Strictly No Elephants
If you can only get one new book for your library, look into Strictly No Elephants, written by Lisa Mantchev, and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo. (affiliate link)
This book highlights the importance of being inclusive and the hurt that can come when you exclude someone. The book radiates positivity.
The story is about a little boy and his pet elephant, who is more than a pet but his buddy! They are on their way to the pet club. When they arrive, there is a sign on the door stating ‘Strictly No Elephants’. Although being excluded hurts the boy and the elephant, they start their own club, where everyone is invited: “because that’s what friends do: never leave anyone behind”.
This book makes me tear up because I think of my sister Marina. I hope that she is always welcomed with inclusive ‘signs’ and that if she is met with meanness and exclusion, that not only others will help open doors for her, but she herself will create and open doors. Strictly No Elephants highlights important messages weaved with the power of friendship all tied together with beautiful paint-like pictures.
Check out this blog post for more inclusive books about children with different abilities.
“Being there for a child is the most noble thing a toy can do.” Woody, Toy Story 4
Inclusive Toys for Young Children
Inclusive toys are so important to kids. When I was little, I had an American Girl doll that looked similar to me with blond hair and blue eyes. She was my favorite. Research states that children gravitate towards toys/dolls that they identify with. I believe it is our job as adults and educators to make all students feel represented in the toys/activities in their environment.
My sister Marina has bilateral hearing aids. She has worn them for about ten years. I remember this one occasion after we went to a track meet, they were bothering her and she put them in a food wrapper. Well, I bet you can guess what happened. The hearing aids went into the large trashcan and I spent the evening with a plastic bag on my hand in search of the hearing aids.
I wish when Marina was younger, I would have had inclusive toys for her. I wish I would have had dolls with bilateral hearing aids so she felt represented or at least could have a toy item to identify with. I want to do better by my students, so I opened up Google and started the search.
When searching through Etsy, there were amazing sellers who had created realistic hearing aids and cochlear implants for baby dolls of all ethnicities. However, if your school budget reflects mine, it is hard to justify expensive dolls when you do not have craft supplies and/or basic hygiene supplies.
So, I began to think of a way around this situation and came up with this solution. Stuffed animals are relatively cheap and can be found at any store or thrift shop. A lot of my students like the tactile feel of stuffed animals and I have also weighed a few of them, to help address sensory needs, so I wanted to figure out how I could make one of the many stuffed animals inclusive!
Let’s DIY Hearing Aids
Matthew the Monkey is in need of bilateral hearing aids! For this DIY project, I used a foam ball, a pipe cleaner, and a piece of foam. I chose foam because I could cut it more to the shape I wanted. You could also use fabric and some batting. I cut the foam ball to the diameter of Matthew the Monkey’s inner ear. This would represent the ear mold.
I used a pipe cleaner for the earpiece/tubing but if you were worried about the wire, you could use a piece of tubing. I measured the pipe cleaner around Matthew the Monkey’s ear and then inserted it into the foam ball by piercing a small hole to insert the pipe cleaner. For the hearing aid, I cut out and shaped the foam and glued the sides together. This is where you could cut fabric and stuff a bit of batting. I slipped the hearing aid foam piece to the pipe cleaner and used some hot glue to reinforce it. To get the hearing aid to stick to Matthew the Monkey, I just did a few rough stitches around the pipe cleaner to the side of his face. For me, this was a cost-effective and easy DIY to make a common item inclusive.
An Inclusive Barbie
The Barbie Company has been a household name for decades, with its iconic hot pink box. In a Times article by Eliana Dockterman, Barbie’s Got a New Body, she stated, “The brand (Barbie) does $1 billion in sales across more than 150 countries annually, and 92% of American girls ages 3 to 12 have owned a Barbie”.
The brand has tried to evolve and release some inclusive versions of their toys. They recently launched a diverse line highlighting a Barbie in a wheelchair; the wheelchair has rolling wheels and a working brake, a ramp is also included. (affiliate link)
Though Barbie isn’t a go-to option for many young learners, it is a budget-friendly option to add representation to your centers. I also think it is great that a large company, whose dolls are owned by many young girls and boys, is trying to add inclusive practices to their toys and overall business model.
Braille Bricks by Lego
I have worked with multiple students who are blind or have a visual impairment and have found that there aren’t a lot of inclusive toys that are developmentally and age-appropriate in everyday preschools. This is where LEGO has stepped in! Lego launched Braille Bricks and I think this product is so amazing! The concept of the product stems from the importance of play and using play to help integrate learning.
LEGO states, “The Braille Bricks toolkit retains its iconic form, but unlike a regular LEGO brick, the studs are arranged to correspond to numbers and letters in the Braille alphabet. Each brick shows the printed version of the symbol or letter, allowing sighted and blind children to play and learn together on equal terms.” Here is a video LEGO released highlighting the product and how it can be utilized with not only young children but incorporated into lessons for older students too!
Even if you do not have a student who utilizes Braille, I think this toy is a great option to open up conversations with young students, increase exposure to Braille and toys that are made so everyone can play/utilize them, and different learning opportunities; what does it mean to be blind or have a visual impairment!
Light Stax
Another great toy for children who are blind or have a visual impairment is light up blocks called Light Stax! An amazing OT I work with showed me these recently. These blocks help increase a child’s success while working on foundational fine motor skills such as hand manipulation, bilateral coordination, and overall hand and eye coordination. The Light Stax is an amazing toy because the blocks illuminate when they are connected to a powerbase or another Light Stax block. I am really excited to add these blocks to my OT Toolbox!
Many classrooms have Do-A-Dot Markers (affiliate link)! Did you know they are a great option for children with a visual impairment? The marker’s color is identified in Braille, making it inclusive and easily distinguishable. Not only are the markers easy to grasp but they increase exposure to Braille, differentiating among colors, and another outlet for creativity. You could point out the Braille to your young learners as another way to incorporate inclusive teaching practices and conversations!
“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It’s the key to growth” Jesse Jackson
What Being Inclusive Means to Me
To me being inclusive is so much more than buying products and having simple conversations but a way you live your life. Toys and books drastically help young learners but I find that children and adults learn best from modeling others. Let us model love. Let us model respect and acceptance. Let us model willingness to learn and understand before we judge and make assumptions. Let’s help create a better, more inclusive world for EVERYONE!
I hope you enjoyed this list of inclusive books and toys!
((This blog post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You don’t pay any more by clicking my link (and I actually find the best prices for you!) but I make a small commission off of sales. This helps me to test out more materials and bring you more quality content. Thanks for supporting my little blog!))
Source: Mendelsohn, A. L., Cates, C. B., Weisleder, A, Johnson, S. B, Seery, A. M., Canfield, C. F., Huberman, H. S., & Dreyer, B. P. (2018) “Reading aloud, play, and social-emotional development” Pediatrics, 141(5). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3393