by Scott Sundstrom, author of the forthcoming Creating Self and Welcoming Classrooms for LGBTQ+ Students.
The end of the school year is always a time for celebration—a chance to honor all the learning and growth that has happened over the last nine months. It also coincides with another celebration: Pride Month. Many teachers want to acknowledge Pride Month but wonder what this might look like in the elementary classroom.
First, hooray for wanting to create a safe and inclusive space for all your students! And beyond just inclusion, celebrating Pride Month also:
- Empowers children to promote respect and kindness for all people
- Helps children develop a deeper understanding of people from marginalized backgrounds
- Cultivates a more empathetic and justice-oriented worldview—one that celebrates the joy and humanity of every person
Here are some ideas to consider:
Begin with Read-Alouds
Books are one of the most powerful tools in an elementary teacher’s toolkit, and a fantastic way to celebrate Pride in the classroom. Here are some of my favorites:
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. Based on a true story from the Central Park Zoo, this picture book about two male penguins raising a chick together is a natural conversation starter for K-2 students.
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders. This biography traces the origin of the rainbow flag and the life of Harvey Milk. Ideal for grades 2-5, it can help facilitate conversations about courage, community, and the power of symbols.
This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman. This book centers on celebrating Pride at a parade and invites students into the spirit of the event. This text works for any elementary grade.
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer. When Stella’s class plans a Mother’s Day event, she wonders whom to invite, because she has two dads. This is a story about family diversity ideal for grades K-3.
Rainbow: A First Book of Pride by Michael Hall. This book introduces Pride concepts through the lens of the rainbow flag—it is ideal for K-1 classrooms.
Read and respond: After a Pride-themed read-aloud, invite students to respond through drawing or journaling:
- Draw a time you felt like you truly belonged.
- Draw a friend who is different from you and what you love about them.
- Draw or write about a moment when you saw someone being kind to a person. What happened? How did it make you feel?
These activities not only connect to Pride Month, but they also reinforce literacy, social-emotional learning, and the kind of creative risk-taking that makes classrooms come alive.
Celebrate Everyone’s Uniqueness Through Creative Expression
This is often the most accessible entry point for elementary teachers, and it goes straight to the heart of what Pride is about: the freedom to be yourself. When children learn to celebrate their own individuality, they naturally become more accepting of others’ and learn to respect those who are different from them.
Try a “What Makes Me, Me?” self-portrait activity, a classroom identity quilt, or a simple sharing circle where students celebrate something unique about themselves.
Art and writing give children a powerful language for exploring identity and belonging, often one that feels safer than spoken conversation. Here are a few ideas to try:
- Multicolored self-portraits: Have students draw or paint themselves surrounded by colors that represent something about who they are—their family, their culture, their favorite things. Display them together as a classroom gallery of belonging.
- “This is Me” writing: Invite students to write (or, for younger learners, draw) a few sentences about what makes them themselves—a tradition in their family, something they love, a word that describes them. Pair writing with illustration for a finished piece students can take home and share.
- Kindness flags: Inspired by the rainbow flag’s origins as a symbol of community and hope, have each student design a small flag that represents a value they believe in—kindness, fairness, joy, courage. Hang them together as a class banner.
Draw on Community
Some of your most powerful resources are already within your school community. Invite LGBTQ+ family members to participate in classroom celebrations or share their stories. Connect with your school counselor about developmentally appropriate ways to support all students. Check whether your district has resources or guidelines that can provide confidence and backing as you plan.
Grounding your celebration in real people and real relationships makes it more meaningful, especially when students already know and love the person in the room. Representation matters, and chances are that there are already LGBTQ+ people who are part of the community you’re learning alongside and celebrating.
Bottom Line
Celebrating Pride in your classroom doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. One book, one conversation, one drawing, one moment of genuine affirmation can make a lasting difference for your students.
If you want to continue learning and build confidence in this work year-round, Creating Safe and Welcoming Classrooms for LGBTQ+ Students offers that next step. Written for K–5 educators, this book offers practical strategies, reflective questions, and real classroom examples drawn from teachers doing this work every day—giving you the tools and confidence to make inclusion an everyday practice, not just a month.
Scott Sundstrom (he/him/his) is a school district curriculum specialist and adjunct professor. He has been an elementary classroom teacher, college instructor, university supervisor, and national literacy consultant. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Minnesota. His work centers on supporting classroom teachers in creating safer and more inclusive classrooms for all students.
