20 Diverse and Multicultural Toys to Encourage Inclusivity

Introduce little kids to different cultures and incorporate the spectrum of skin tones into play with a simple and cute puzzle that depicts happy kids from diverse backgrounds. The smiling faces and varied clothes make for an inviting aesthetic and the toy itself will help develop your toddler’s visual reasoning and fine motor skills as their hands and brains work to reassemble each three-piece character.

This Parents’ Choice Award-winning interactive building set provides kids with endless possibilities for constructing a community of multi-racial characters with mix-and-match magnetic blocks. Little ones won’t tire of the toy since the blocks can be constantly combined into new arrangements. The opportunity for pretend play allows for a child-led exploration of diverse friendships, family dynamics and neighborhood roles, while ultimately opening the door to important, age-appropriate conversations about inclusivity.

Your child loves to play with dolls, but BFFs definitely don’t need to look the same. Get the message across with this multiracial pair of plush friends.

Puzzles are one of the best ways for children of all ages to hone valuable skills, including critical thinking, visual reasoning and hand-eye-coordination. Crocodile Creek jigsaws—with their durable, oversized pieces—are especially well-suited for younger kids. The Children of the World jigsaw is a sprawling floor puzzle featuring bold and beautifully colored artwork--an engaging challenge for three year-olds and preschoolers that ends with a powerful visual celebration of diversity.

Next family game night, have your kiddo try his hand at this fun, socially-conscious card game that aims to teach children about diversity in every form—touching on ethnic and cultural differences, as well as differently-abled people and gender-fluidity. The objective? Exposure, acceptance and of course, plenty of fun. This card game is a great way to bring kids to the table for big conversations and tons of entertainment.

If you’re eager to dive into hot topics like race relations and social justice and don’t know how, do your research at the library. Better yet, do the research alongside your child with a carefully curated selection of socially conscious books delivered to your door. Each piece of reading material is age-appropriate and provides a helpful guide for teaching pertinent lessons and raising a good human.

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When young children grow attached to and play with babies, they mimic the nurturing they receive at home from parents and it’s an invaluable exercise when it comes to empathy building. Add diversity to your mini’s selection of baby dolls with this four-piece set so he has an opportunity to demonstrate love and caring towards all people—those who look similar and those who don’t.

Scoop up this multicultural marker set from Crayola so your budding artist can draw self-portraits and pictures of friends that truly reflect the diversity. Okay, your babe may still just want to make you purple because that’s her favorite color—but it’s important to give kids the right materials so they can use art to represent the diversity they encounter in their own lives when they’re developmentally ready to do so.

Expand your jigsaw collection and have your kiddo put his critical thinking skill to work and complete all six of these super cool 12-piece wooden puzzles. The reward? A sprawling, photorealistic depiction of six families from various ethnic backgrounds doing what families do. Oh, and a tremendous sense of accomplishment too, of course.

Toddlers can get a multicultural education (because you can’t start too young) with this chunky nontraditional puzzle that allows growing minds to soak in a variety of figures from different ethnic backgrounds. Each piece features young people from diverse cultures, dressed in a style that represents their unique heritage...and they’re all ready to make new friends.

Same idea as the Crayola multicultural skin-tone markers, but friendlier for the tiniest tots. These crayons come in an extra-large size that helps young children grip ‘em without snapping them in two, so even the smallest artist-to-be can get creative with this supplement to the standard crayon box—one that delivers a diversified palette to boot.

Kindergarten kids and older can get in on the fun with this award-winning matching game which hones visual recognition and spatial memory skills. A diverse cast of faces make appearances throughout the game, promoting multicultural awareness while demanding your child’s full attention and concentration.

This dress-up doll is infinitely more interesting than the rest (sorry, Barbie) because each doll in the Queens of Africa collection represents an authentic slice of culture. The clothing (both modern and traditional) is all designed to resemble genuine African textiles and every character comes with a unique story to share. This particular bundle includes the Nneka doll—who hails from the Igbo people, ethnic to Nigeria—as well as a powerful book that encourages kids to love themselves, embrace new cultures and grow up to be a positive force in the global community.

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A multicultural representation of neighbors takes center stage in this social-emotional learning game that helps kids (age 3+) connect with their own feelings and empathize with those of their peers, all while instilling invaluable lessons about cooperation and caring. Fun to play with a group but also incredibly helpful as a one-on-one, parent-child activity to start conversations and spark compassion in young kids.

Forget about American Girl Dolls for a sec: Selma’s Dolls is a company that specializes in making plush friends that represent people with a variety of ethnic, religious and special-needs traits. Hand your child this Ameena doll, a sweet and loving muslim girl in hijab, and they’ll be fast friends. The book that comes along with it is also a useful tool when it comes to introducing concepts like cultural awareness, acceptance and the importance of friendships that transcend social constructs.

You might want to reserve this item for older kids (‘cause the younger ones will likely drop beats until you’re in migraine territory). That said, if your kid likes to make sweet music, you should absolutely give her the gift of global influences with this groovy Conga drum. This beautifully constructed piece of African percussion is outfitted with an ornate, multicultural-themed covering. The end result? An instrument that looks and sounds just right.

In case you missed it, “Little People, Big Dreams” is an award-winning series of children’s books that focuses on inspirational women who accomplished big things as writers, scientists, artists and activists. Definitely buy and read the books to your babe, but also check out the matching game based on the reading material. (Note: Kids don’t have to be acquainted with the books to play the game.) Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, Josephine Baker and Ella Fitzgerald are among the spectacular women that get the spotlight in this skill-sharpening activity, which celebrates diverse historical heroines of every stripe.

Crafting meets imaginative play in these exciting kits, which seek to introduce kids of all ages to the global community with enchanting stories from different cultures. Get your kiddo to help you with the art project while you both absorb the fascinating story of Diwali and Prince Rama, which is honored every year in India with the Festival of Lights. Kids will be captivated by the story and the exposure to foreign traditions, and the crafting aspect is both simple and fun.

Let your child lead his own exploration of inclusivity with this pretend play set that allows kids to work with characters with a range of different abilities. The possibility for imaginary play is open-ended and the representations of people communicate an important message of empowerment and open-mindedness.

Possibly the coolest instrument ever, the Kalimba (also known as a Mbira) is a traditional African thumb piano that turns out melodious tunes regardless of your child’s skill level. (In case you’ve grown tired of hearing high-pitched raspberries blown into a harmonica.) Best of all, this puppy is gorgeously crafted from mahogany and features engraved steel keys. The quality can’t be beat: This piece of African culture looks and sounds like a keepsake that will stick around through the college years.