TweetSharePinShare0 SharesAs caregivers, we have a responsibility to ensure each child, family, and caregiver is safe from racism and discrimination and has equitable opportunities to thrive. In addition to utilizing books and activities, it is important that parents and caregivers have open and honest conversations about race. According to the American Psychological Association, there are a number of reasons why parents should engage children in open and honest discussions about race: Children’s ideas about their own race and others’ races begin forming in early childhood. Children learn about racial and ethnic identity from their environments. For young children, parents and family members are the primary sources for learning about race and ethnicity. Children learn about race and ethnicity through direct messages, such as conversations about race, and through indirect messages, such as the images they see around them. Children are learning about race and ethnicity whether they talk about them or not. Even choosing not to directly discuss race communicates your values and beliefs. Below is a compilation of resource lists on raising anti-racist children. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and anti-racism work is something that has to be attended to in an ongoing way. Resources How to raise anti-racist kids: 20 resources for parents, Motherly A Parent’s Guide To Addressing Race And Racism With Kids, Huffpost Race and Equity Resource List, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Talking to Kids About Racism and Justice: a list for parents, caregivers & educators, Oakland Library How to Talk to Your Children About Race, Huffpost Talking to Children Authentically about Race and Racism, PBS Kids How to talk to your child about race (ages 5 to 8), BabyCenter Raising Race Conscious Children Teaching Young Children about Race: A Guide for Parents and Teachers, Teaching for Change 4 Easy, Everyday Ways To Teach Your Kids About Representation, Huffpost Additional Activities Coming Together is Sesame Workshop’s commitment to racial justice. It combines developmentally appropriate videos and activities to teach young children how to be an upstander to racism. View a video from Child Mind Institute on talking to children about racism. TweetSharePinShare0 Shares
