For many multicultural communities, the strength of diversity, culture, and connection is already deeply understood and lived every day.
The Allies and Friends online toolkit, developed by Jenae Tien and the Expand Your Library team for ABC Kids Early Education, builds on this foundation, supporting children to explore identity, belonging, and respect in ways that are engaging, age-appropriate, and meaningful. The toolkit is now available online alongside a series of episodes on ABC iview.
Together, these resources offer a practical and accessible way for families, educators, and communities to continue and deepen important conversations with children in ways that honour culture, lived experience, and intergenerational knowledge.
Explore the resources:
Full Toolkit and episodes: https://www.abc.net.au/abckids/early-education/allies-and-friends-toolkit
iView: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/allies-and-friends
Expand Your Library: expandyourlibrary.com.au | Instagram: @expand_yl
Grounded in key themes of community, communication, diversity, allyship, and love (including self-love and a dedicated episode on melanin), the toolkit supports children to understand themselves and others, while celebrating the richness of different cultures and experiences.
The resource is designed to be used together with children. You can:
- Co-watch the episodes to spark curiosity and shared understanding
- Explore supporting articles for deeper insight and guidance
- Watch reflection videos together using prompts and questions
- Extend learning through activities, songs, and games
Children begin to notice and make sense of difference from an early age. By creating space for open, positive, and culturally grounded conversations, we can support children to grow with empathy, confidence, and a strong sense of belonging.
The Allies and Friends toolkit offers a gentle and practical way to continue these conversations — helping families and educators build on what is already strong, and support more inclusive, connected communities for the next generation.
