{"id":607175,"date":"2026-04-16T03:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T03:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/607175\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T03:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T03:59:09","slug":"surrey-teacher-uses-books-dolls-to-boost-representation-during-sikh-heritage-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/607175\/","title":{"rendered":"Surrey teacher uses books, dolls to boost representation during Sikh Heritage Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Canada marks Sikh Heritage Month, a Surrey elementary school teacher is helping children see themselves reflected in both the stories they read and the toys they play with. She hopes that by fostering a sense of identity, pride, and belonging from an early age, representation is no longer just a concept, it\u2019s something students can see, hold, and connect with.<\/p>\n

\u201cSikh Heritage Month is a time to celebrate who we are, but for children, that sense of identity has to start early,\u201d said Sandip Sodhi, a local teacher, author, and creator of culturally reflective learning dolls.<\/p>\n

Sodhi says the idea stemmed from a gap she noticed in her own classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see my students in the stories we were reading,\u201d she explained. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized we need to create those stories ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her children\u2019s books, Proud to be a Kaur and Proud to be a Singh, aim to instill confidence, kindness, and a strong sense of belonging; values that resonate beyond just one community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are Sikh stories, yes, but they\u2019re also universal,\u201d Sodhi said. \u201cEvery child deserves to feel proud of who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking that representation beyond books, Sodhi also created Sikh boy and girl plush dolls, designed to make cultural learning like doing braids and tying patka on head more interactive.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Plush Sikh boy and girl dolls created by Sandip Sodhi)<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren learn through play,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen they see themselves in a doll, it validates their identity in a very natural way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The response, she says, has been overwhelmingly positive, not just from Sikh families, but from diverse classrooms embracing inclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been beautiful to see children from all backgrounds connecting with these dolls and asking questions,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Sandip Sodhi demonstrating tying patka as cultural learning aspect)<\/p>\n

In her own classroom, Sodhi has seen firsthand how representation can shape confidence, self identification, and participation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen students feel seen, they speak up more. They feel proud, and that changes everything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While Sikh Heritage Month shines a spotlight on culture and history every April, Sodhi believes the conversation should continue year-round.<\/p>\n

\u201cSikh history and identity should be part of learning all year, not just in one month,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As discussions around diversity and inclusion continue across Canada, Sodhi says both educators and parents play a crucial role.<\/p>\n

\u201cRepresentation isn\u2019t just about one group, it\u2019s about building understanding, respect, and empathy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

With plans to expand her collection of stories and cultural learning tools, Sodhi hopes to continue creating spaces where every child feels seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want every child to walk away feeling proud, proud of who they are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Canada marks Sikh Heritage Month, a Surrey elementary school teacher is helping children see themselves reflected in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":607176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,87674],"class_list":["post-607175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=607175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/607176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=607175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=607175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=607175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}