We want you to become more accepting and tolerant of people who are different than you, so here are 40 terrific ideas you can use.
It would be impossible for you to do all of these things at once, but doing any of them when you can would be great. You can also ask your teacher if your class can do some of these tips, and you could ask your parents if your family could do some as well. That way, even more people would be learning how to be more tolerant and respectful toward others!

1. Follow the "Golden Rule:" Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
2. Get to know someone who is from a different cultural background than you.
3. Don't play with violent toys or video games.
4. Go to an ethnic restaurant and learn about the heritage of that culture.
5. Start a pen-pal program with kids from other countries.
6. Use good sportsmanship in physical education classes and other games.
7. Have a dinner at home where you eat different dishes from other cultures.
8. Learn how to do a dance from a culture other than yours.
9. Read our "Tolerance Superhero" webpages.
10. Learn about other "Tolerance Superheroes" (peacemakers) and share the information you learned from our webpages and other sources with your school or class.
11. Learn about stereotypes and have your class do a "stereotype watch." This is where each student looks for stereotypes at home, in the community, and in the media. Discuss your findings with your class.
12. If you do find any type of media that shows a negative stereotype, write a letter to that company and ask them to use more positive ideas.
13. Have your teachers invite people from other countries to talk to your class or school.
14. Learn about holidays and customs from other religions or countries.
15. See if your class or school can partner with a local nursing home or senior citizen's center. Every so often, your class could do activities with them in order to learn about different generations.
16. Have a class discussion about men and women in different careers. Do some kids have stereotypes about what jobs are for women and what jobs are for men? If so, challenge these ideas with examples of men and women in non-traditional careers.
17. Make a Venn diagram showing differences and similarities between you and people from other countries. You will see that you have many, many things in common with people from other cultures.
18. In October, participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. You will be raising money to provide food, shelter, medicine and education for children in underprivileged countries.
19. Have a garage sale, kool-aid stand, or lemonade stand and donate your profits to UNICEF or other organizations that help those in need.
20. Have you and your family volunteer at a soup kitchen in your community.
21. Learn about your family tree.
22. Make friends with new students who move into your neighborhood.
23. Have a "Mix It Up at Lunch Day."
24. Have a poster contest about promoting tolerance, respecting people from other places, and accepting differences.
25. Play with someone you have never played with before.
26. Create a "Friendship Club."
27. Keep in mind that people have different opinions or points of view. A great book that shows there are two sides to every story is The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka.
28. Use Peace Tables in your school. A peace table is a place where kids discuss their conflicts. Simple guidelines and props help them work out their disagreements peacefully.
29. Choose books to read about tolerance, diversity, and different cultures.
30. Make a mural for your school in art class about tolerance and diversity.
31. We thought that this tip was so important that we put it in again. Always use the Golden Rule: "Treat others the way you want to be treated."
32. Hold a contest where students write "I Have a Dream" reports. These are reports about what the world would be like without prejudice and stereotypes.
33. Have a "Cultural Fair" in your school.
34. Read some of our "Tips for Promoting Tolerance" ideas during your morning announcements.
35. Have students read some of our "Tips for Promoting Tolerance" in other languages.
36. Learn some phrases about tolerance in other languages.
37. Donate books about tolerance and diversity to your school library.
38. Ask your school librarian to order books about peacemaking, tolerance, diversity, and "Tolerance Superheroes" for your school library.
39. Think about whether or not you believe any stereotypes about others. If you do, try to change them as soon as possible.
40. Learn some sign language.

"101 Tools for Tolerance." Tolerance.Org. 3 March 2008 <http://www.tolerance.org/101_tools/yourself.html>.

Kids Helping Kids Increase the Peace! New York, New York: U.S. Committee for UNICEF: 5-15.

Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. New York, New York: Penguin Books U.S.A., 1989.

Starnes, Mary. Personal interview. 28 March 2008.

Images

Copyrighted clipart images of student with teacher and books are from Clipart.com. <http://www.clipart.com>. Images are not in the public domain and are available only to current members. Copyrighted images belong to Jupiterimages Corporation (March, 2008).