( ENSPIRE Business ) Child Psychiatrist Zabina Bhasin Encourages Kids to Love All Cultures and Celebrate Diversity with Educational Kits
ENSPIRE Contributor: Abby Ladner
With their educational toolkits, lifestyle brand In KidZ xx, with Love is aiming to eliminate bullying and teach children to celebrate diverse cultures. Founded by child psychiatrist Zabina Bhasin, In KidZ is a subscription box company that helps children learn about countries, cultures, and traditions from all around the world with their culture boxes. With In KidZ, children and parents alike can encourage the understanding and acceptance of cultures worldwide.
Inside each culture box, children can find games, activities, flags, informational flashcards, and more related to one specific culture. Culture Boxes also include educational material and interactive projects meant to let children and parents explore the world together. Read our interview below with In KidZ founder Zabina Bhasin to learn more about the In KidZ mission and the importance of celebrating diversity.
What inspired you to start In KidZ xx, with Love?
Growing up in a diverse city, I was bullied, and after my mom decided to compare our cultures to our school, I felt I needed to do the same for my kids. But I took it one step further. Why not help parents worldwide understand new cultures and traditions and then help their children learn them as well?
How do you hope In KidZ will help children and their parents?
The toys, products, and culture boxes are meant to start a conversation for parents and children, to help children learn that even if we physically look different, we are more similar than we are different. Our differences make us unique but do not separate us.
Why is it so important for children to be exposed to diverse voices and learn about different cultures or have others know about their own culture?
It is essential to teach children diversity to prepare them to become better citizens in their communities and the world. Teaching them culture will help them be empathetic and bring in new ideas and experiences they can learn from their peers. Diversity leads children to respect and celebrate the differences in all people. Learning about different cultures offers unique experiences for children. The importance of children learning about their own culture is to teach others about their culture and compare their cultural clothing, tools, music, arts, traditions and see how similar we are.
Could you tell me how you curate your Culture Boxes? What goes into making each box?
Our boxes are very carefully curated because we appreciate every culture, country, and tradition we create. First, we start looking for a parent ambassador born or raised in a specific culture. Most of them come from an educational, entrepreneurial background. But most of them are parents. After we learn about the country and culture, we then work with them to curate all the box items. Sometimes we can source from the country we are teaching to help the country’s economic growth. Each item is handpicked and decided by everyone on the team. We make sure we stay true to the culture, country, and tradition we are teaching.
Do you have any advice for parents of children who experience bullying or discrimination? Or for parents who want to teach their kids about bullying or discrimination?
I know our boxes help, that you have understood by reading them diverse books and understanding first what bullying is and how to recognize. And then, most important, how to defend those getting bullied and tearing it down. Some children can’t identify it and are too scared to speak about it. This is when we as parents have to step in if we are to leave a better world for our global citizens and young ambassadors.
To learn more about the In KidZ mission and their work in teaching children to celebrate diversity, you can visit their website. You can also find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
