Cultural Windows & Mirrors: Helping Children See Themselves and Beyond
Wednesday 06 May 2026
Last updated: Tuesday 05 May 2026
By Mutiba Shoukat
As spring unfolds and the world outside bursts into colour, we are reminded of how children blossom when their inner world is nurtured and recognised. For care-experienced children, culture forms a key part of this inner world, and they may be quietly trying to make sense of it. This may include them shaping their identity, belonging and how they should navigate new environments. For many, being welcomed into care can sometimes blur these familiar cultural anchors. This is where the idea of cultural ‘windows and mirrors’ becomes meaningful.
A mirror reflects a child’s sense of ‘’this is me’’, and helps them feel recognised in small but significant ways. This includes their language, food, traditions and practices, humour or ways of relating. Research shows that when carers acknowledge cultural elements, children feel more grounded, respected and visible.
A review of children’s voices highlighted how meaningful it was when carers made the effort to do so:
She always asked me what kind of food I eat, what kind of music I like… she sometimes takes me to cultural programmes from my country… I really liked that about them (Ezekwem-Obi et al., 2025).
These acts support emotional regulation and for children with traumatic histories, these cultural cues can help settle their nervous system and create a sense of safety. A window gently opens a child to new experiences without asking them to leave behind parts of themselves that matter. This includes routines, hobbies, celebrations or ways of living, without replacing cultural identity.
Studies show that children value opportunities to explore new experiences as long as their heritage is not dismissed. For example, predictable and nurturing routines are described as helping children integrate into new environments, reducing uncertainty and strengthening trust with carers. Windows work best when they are offered with sensitivity, rather than imposed.
Together, cultural windows and mirrors help protect a child’s sense of self at a time when much else may feel uncertain. Although, research has shown that it is not always straightforward – as a review analysing foster care policies across countries found that while culture is widely acknowledged, there is often limited guidance on how children’s cultural identities should be meaningfully supported in day-to-day care (Tonheim et al., 2024).
This gap is most strongly felt by children from migrant or minority backgrounds and places increased responsibility on carers and clinicians to actively hold cultural identity in mind. By intentionally offering both mirrors that reflect who a child is and windows that gently support who they are becoming, we can help ensure that identity is not lost in care, but supported, valued and allowed to grow.