Celebrating Pride Through Play: Books and Sensory Tools for Meaningful Learning
June is Pride Month🌈—a vibrant celebration of love, identity, and the beautifully diverse families and communities that make up our world. For those of us who work with young children, it’s also an important opportunity to help nurture empathy, understanding, and inclusion in age-appropriate, joyful ways.
At Autumn Fraser, our sensory collections are designed with open-ended play in mind—play that allows children to explore big ideas at their own pace. For educators and caregivers of children ages 3–10, books can be powerful anchors during play sessions. When a story captures a child’s imagination, it creates space for curiosity, compassion, and meaningful connection.
In our own home, we’ve found that stories like:
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Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton
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Knight and the Dragon by Daniel Errico (sometimes called Knight and Prince, depending on edition)
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My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart
…open up big, beautiful conversations about identity, kindness, and being true to yourself. These stories aren’t just inclusive—they’re joyful, imaginative, and deeply affirming for children of all identities.
Books you will find on the curated lists below gently introduce themes of identity, self-expression, and family in a way that resonates with young children and offers rich opportunities for sensory storytelling and dramatic play.
A wonderful resource for finding other great curated PRIDE book lists is Maistory
If you want to support Canadian authors and illustrators published children's picture books that feature or center LGBT2Q kids and families, check out🦩Flamingo Rampant
These books are thoughtfully curated for children ages Pre-K to Grade 3, and they’re a perfect match for our handmade, durable sensory tools.
If you’re short on time (and what educator isn’t?), one of my favourite go-to Pride Month sensory setups is incredibly simple: lay out a rainbow flag, a Grimms wooden stacker, or any colourful arc or cloth you have on hand. Then, invite children to find and sort objects onto the matching colour—pinecones and petals if you’re outside, or blocks, crayons, and toys if you’re indoors. It’s a fast and engaging way to bring intention and rainbow magic into your space, with zero prep and a lot of play-based learning.
When I have a bit more time, I love making a rainbow rice sensory base with the original seven colours. To colour the rice, I simply mix:
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1 cup of dry white rice
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½ tsp of white vinegar
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A few drops of food colouring
Shake it all in a jar or baggie, lay it out on parchment to dry (about 1–2 hours), and repeat for each colour. Once the rice is dry and combined, I add in sensory tools and themed items for scooping, pouring, matching, and storytelling—yes, the colours blend, and yes, the kids love it!
To support you during Pride Month—and all year long—I’ve curated a collection of bio-based, Canadian-made sensory tools and classroom materials that are durable, handmade, and designed with early learning in mind. These open-ended pieces are built for busy preschool classrooms, early years programs, and playful homes across Canada. You can explore the full Pride-Inspired Sensory Collection here, and I hope they bring as much joy to your learning spaces as they have to mine.
Whether you’re creating a play tray inspired by a storybook character or using rainbow-themed stampers in your sensory bin, we invite you to make space for every child to feel seen, valued, and celebrated.
Looking for something special for your classroom or home learning environment? I’d love to help! Send me a message—I'd be honoured to be your local go-to for thoughtfully curated learning kits and sensory play tools.
Happy Pride!
Jen