Episode 1 · Ages 3–4 · Nursery
My Skin
- Confidence
Coming soonEpisode 1: My Skin
Esiri sings, claps and paints his way to loving his skin, and learns brave words for when someone is unkind.
What happens
- Esiri says hello. His skin is brown, and it’s brilliant!
- Everyone sings “Brilliant Me”, then it’s your turn to sing.
- Why is skin brown? Melanin! Clap it with Esiri: mel-a-nin. Melanin is his sunshine shield.
- Esiri says hello to himself in the mirror: “I love my skin!”
- He mixes red, yellow and a little blue to find his own shade, then paints a picture of himself.
- His friends arrive. We all have melanin, and some bodies just make more.
- Esiri learns his brave words, and the song comes back one more time.
Talk about it
- What colour is your skin? Let’s give your shade a name, like deep brown or light brown.
- Can you clap “melanin” like Esiri? Mel-a-nin!
- What could you say if someone was unkind about your skin? Who could you tell?
Sing along: “Brilliant Me”
My skin is brown, my skin is bright,
my skin is mine, and it’s just right!
I’m brilliant, brilliant, head to toe,
brilliant me, wherever I go!
Try at home
Mix your shade
Mix red, yellow and a little blue paint to make brown. Add a little more of any colour, or some white, until it matches your hand. Give your shade a name, then paint yourself.
Mirror time
Look in a mirror together. Take turns finishing the sentence “I love my…”: skin, hair, smile, anything.
Brave words for ages 3–4
“Stop! That’s not kind. My skin is brilliant!”
Then tell a grown-up you love. If they don’t help, tell another one.
RememberEveryone’s skin is brilliant.
For nurseries and schools: curriculum links
Development Matters, 3 and 4-year-olds
- Understanding the World“Continue developing positive attitudes about the differences between people.”
- Communication and Language“Sing a large repertoire of songs.”
- LiteracyDevelop phonological awareness so they can “count or clap syllables in a word”.
- Expressive Arts and Design“Explore colour and colour-mixing.”
- Expressive Arts and Design“Draw with increasing complexity and detail, such as representing a face with a circle and including details.”