For one thing, young children don't seem to care all that much; of course they notice obvious differences like black versus white skin color, but probably don't think about them in the same terms that we as adults do.
Over the years, I've come up with some techniques (or non-techniques) that really seem to smooth the wrinkles in this sometimes awkward subject.
First of all, keep it simple. Oftentimes, a simple, straightforward answer is all that is needed (sound familiar?!). For example, you can say something like "Lizzy, that is a very good question! People can have all sorts of different colors of skin, just like different colors of eyes and hair" if asked why another child has black (or white, or brown) skin. One of my favorite projects is to get as many colors of paints as possible, and have the children mix them as close as they can to their own skin color; this way, it is easy to see that even among white people, skin color can differ greatly. Of course, this should be done as just another project, without a 'multicultural' bias. Just like if you were doing footprints or handprints.
To back up a little further, I feel it is so important to start early; exposure is key. From infancy, make sure you have books, realistic pictures (you don't need headdresses on your Native Americans, or a harpoon in the hand of every Eskimo), and musical instruments from a variety of cultures at hand. There is no need to have lengthy discussions on how this culture does this and that culture does that; keep these things as part of the normal daily routine. this way, you will expose chilren to the 'sameness' of cultures rather than just the differences. Further to this, avoid making a big deal over holidays. Too often, cultural differences are brought up only at special occasions.
When it comes to religious or spiritual differences, my theory is similar. You don't want to hide it, but yet you don't want to say "Hey look how different Jenny's family is!!". Keep everything around all the time. A couple Christmas books, a couple Hannukah books, some Quanzaa, and everything you can come across. In our society, Christianity is pretty much the majority, but I would always say something like "Lots of people believe the story of Jesus" (or Mohammed, or Jonah, or Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny), and there are also lots of people who believe in other stories". It's a good idea to know a little bit about several cultures so you can be truthful. Also, I truly believe it is perfectly fine to read stories and have activities that tell the stories of the various beliefs, as long as you are not teaching a religion or preaching or instilling a certain philosophy. You can easily tell the story of how Jesus was born in a manger with nothing but animals and straw, and how he was a very special baby. You are just telling a story, just like if you were to tell the story of Peter and the Rabbit. Just don't overdo it!!
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