In this episode of Zubaani, we talked about the tools and resources for parents to encourage kids to tell their stories. With educator and children’s book author, Natasha Padhiar, we shared tips on building creative imagination in kids. We also discussed the role of diverse stories for South-Asian diaspora families. This often includes stories from a host culture along with stories from their heritage culture to learn from.

Natasha questioned the tokenism that may be centered in diverse storytelling initiatives. She encouraged parents to focus on everyday experiences that are equally important for children. She shared how children imitate their family members and how family storytelling can develop a love of stories and reading. Toward the end, we talked about the meaningful intentions. It is important to know the intentions behind cultural learning to avoid making it all about mere performative teaching. In order for kids to tell their stories, we need to make it more meaningful.

Peerbagh’s late founder, Vatsala Kakroo chose the name Zubaani. Upasna Kakroo made the episode art. Krista Rodrigues⁠ supported the episode research. The background soundtrack features Slim Finger Pickings by artist Heston Mimms (2021), sourced from Imuno. 

The Elevate grant from the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department and Texas Humanities supported this program. The grant support enables us to create the program so that we encourage parents and kids from underepresented backgrounds to tell their stories.

Details and further reading is available on the episode page here. If you’re ready to show your child that they can tell their stories, you can go through the whole series and get some wonderful tips!

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