Educating Young Children Volume 2 - Summer 2026 July 1, 2026 | 5X. Honoring Body Diversity in Early Childhood Settings

By Anne Valauri

Supporting Experiences and Conversations About Different Body Types

Children start developing their self-image at a young age. As children grow, adults can help them form positive views or perceptions of themselves, including about their physical characteristics and behaviors. Having a positive self-image contributes to a child’s overall sense of well-being.

In preschool programs, educators can foster children’s self-image through planned and spontaneous interactions. They can do so by both supporting body diversity and addressing anti-fatness. Body diversity encompasses the idea that bodies may all look different, but they all have value and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Anti-fatness (or anti-fat bias) relates to discrimination that can occur against individuals with larger bodies. Such messages and experiences can lead to lifelong consequences, including unhealthy or even disordered eating practices.

Educators may feel uncertain or nervous about talking with children about body diversity. They often do not have the training, resources, or materials about planning activities and having discussions on this topic. Before diving in, it is important to clear up a common misunderstanding that can make these discussions feel more complicated or daunting than they need to be: Understanding and honoring body diversity does not mean encouraging unhealthy behaviors. Instead, it means helping children understand that there are many different types of bodies and that one type should not be labeled “good” or “ideal.”

As an early childhood educator and later professor of early childhood and elementary education, I come to this topic as someone who has had a varying body size throughout my life. My own experience and classroom observations have led me toward research and educational resources on body diversity and how to engage with children on this topic.

Educators can consider the following practical strategies as they plan experiences and talk about physical characteristics and behaviors. These strategies aim to challenge anti-fat bias and encourage the expression of self-confidence and joy, which are important parts of advancing equity.

1. Model positive self-talk

How educators talk about themselves can be a model for children’s own thinking and words. While teachers might not all have positive relationships with their own bodies and sizes, they can take steps to model positive self-talk for young children.

Practicing positive self-talk involves

·      Focusing on what bodies can do instead of what they look like. An educator can say something like, “It’s nice that our bodies allow us to play and enjoy time with our friends today.” 

·      Emphasizing how a positive relationship with one’s body can be grounding. At circle time, an educator could say, “I love how my body feels after I take a deep breath. I feel calm and ready for the story.”

2. Find books that show body diversity

Early childhood educators can look for books in their programs’ collections or public libraries that focus on different body types and qualities. In recent years, some children’s book authors have created books with characters who explore their relationships to their bodies. Some examples include Beautifully Me, by Nabela Noor and illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, Her Body Can, by Katie Crenshaw and Ady Meschke and illustrated by Li Liu, BIG, by Vashti Harrison, and Bodies Are Cool, by Tyler Feder. Educators can ask themselves:

·      Does the story portray characters of various sizes experiencing happiness and achieving their hopes or goals?

·      Does the book feature joy and mutual respect among characters of all sizes?

·      Does the text feature characters with larger bodies as the protagonists?

Stories can positively capture people of different sizes from a range of backgrounds and

experiences, including characters of diverse racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.

3. Find teachable moments to talk about body diversity in positive, accurate ways

Young children are often surrounded by messages about larger bodies. I recall a time when the children I taught laughed at a drawing of an animal of a larger size. While I didn’t want them to feel bad or ashamed, I wish I had done more in the moment to help them unpack why they were laughing at a character for having a larger body. Instead of staying silent, I could have asked the children why they were laughing at the drawing and then followed up with information about how and why bodies differ. In this way, I could have intentionally cultivated more positive thinking and messages about and toward bodies. 

4. Partner with families

Educators can offer consistent support and messaging to families on this topic. This can help encourage positive self-talk and support a healthy body image across home and school settings. For instance, educators can invite families to suggest book titles that portray body positivity or ask them how they talk about healthy physical characteristics with their children. The book Beautifully Me even models a conversation between family members and children about body size: The adults recognize how their own negative self-talk has impacted Zubi, the protagonist, and apologize. Teachers could share a book like Beautifully Me with families and outline how the book models conversations on positive self-talk about body diversity.

5. Work with peers and leadership to provide and champion positive messages

Though educators may feel uncertain or lack specific training on body diversity, they don’t have to do this work in isolation. By collaborating with peers and leadership, educators can ensure that children receive consistent, affirming messages as they grow and move from one setting to the next. To do so, educators can

·      Establish positive language to use about body diversity across groups or classrooms

·      Collaborate with colleagues to review books and materials, ensuring that every classroom or group has access to stories that feature diverse body types in joyful roles

·      Ask program or school leaders to integrate resources and training centered on body diversity

·      Share book lists and effective conversation starters with other educators

As children grow, they take in messages and opinions about their and others’ bodies from myriad sources. Educators can consider the following questions as they plan experiences and interact with young children:

·      How do you currently talk to yourself about your body and the bodies of those around you? What are ways you can talk about the things bodies can do rather than what they look like?

·      Think about the books you currently read to children. How do they depict physical traits and behaviors of characters?

·      What are ways you can work with colleagues and leadership to develop consistent messaging around body diversity?

·      How can you work with families to support their efforts at fostering a body-positive environment at home?

About the Author

Anne Valauri, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Elementary and Special Education and the program coordinator for the Birth–Kindergarten Teacher Education program at Georgia Southern University. Prior, she spent several years as a teacher/researcher at an early childhood center in the Midwest.

Photograph: © Getty Images. Copyright © 2026 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.