Tell your students that the world is filled with people from various cultures and backgrounds. You should explain to them that people from different backgrounds may practice a different religion, listen to different music and eat different types of food than they do. Make it clear to them that it's important to treat everyone with kindness and respect, no matter how different they may appear.
Encourage students to share information about their backgrounds. Have them sit in a circle and give them a list of topics to share with the group. This list might include such things as their ethnic background and one custom their family practices. After everyone has had a turn to share, ask the students what they learned about each other.
Decorate the classroom with items that represent different cultures. In addition to hanging up an American flag, hang up flags from other countries as well. Put up pictures of people from different cultures and races on the walls.
Use books to teach your students about other cultures. Have them read about other cultures' people, music, food and clothes. Taking your class to the library and assigning each student a country to read about allows your students to gain a familiarity with other peoples. Give the students worksheets containing questions regarding the countries they read about. Asking them to share their answers in front of the class will help encourage discussion.