Teaching our children the value of diversity is immeasurable. After spending the last few weeks listening and learning about the Black Lives Matter Movement, I decided to put together this blog post of resources for parents. This post is meant to empower parents with resources that can assist us in raising anti-racist children.
Add Diversity to Your Children’s Toys + Activities
Indy & Pippa, created a free paper doll download, with 6 diverse dolls and 12 outfits, make sure to check it out here. I printed these for my girls for a road trip and now we keep them in the car. These dolls are so darling and my kids love them!
Another great activity to do with kids, is by Fatima, @livinlavitanova on Instagram. She made these “Exploring Race with Children” worksheets, that you can download for free.
Find Ways to Discuss Diversity Through Books + Other Media
I’ve rounded up so many great book lists to share, but Diverse Book Finder is an awesome generator. You can input specific criteria for the types of books you want to look up and it will generate book lists for you.
The Every Mom blog, put together two incredible book lists. And here is the link to 18 Kids’ Books to Help Start a Discussion About Race and the link to 33 Books Featuring Black Heroes and Characters That Every Kid Should Read
Emily, at Sandbox Academy, on Instagram, shared two incredible lists. The first Books with Black Characters, is linked here. The other post is Disney + Shows with Black Characters.
I’ve also linked two great book lists from Get Epic. The first one is Celebrate Black Culture and the other is Start a Conversation About Race.
And one more great resource for books Social Justice Books. These book lists about social justice are separated by those for children, YA, and educators.
Informative Parenting Resources
Click here for a class by Sheryl Ellsworth @skg_ellsworth on the 8-Minute Classes for Women Instagram page, all about raising inclusive children. She shares ideas for how to help the next generation create better unity and foster love throughout our communities.
Here’s an awesome post by Christian Bosse with ideas for how to raise children that celebrate other cultures.
Here’s a great radio recording: How To Talk To Your Kids About Race, Racism And Police Violence posted by Embrace Race. They also posted a really helpful article, 10 Tips for Reading Picture Books with Children through a Race-Conscious Lens.
Social Accounts to Follow with Ideas and Resources for Teaching Children Diversity
The Conscious Kid is a great resource for parents looking for information and resources for discussing racism. They post a lot of useful and high quality information. Here is a really good post about how to do more to talk with kids about racism.
The Every Mom, is the ultimate online resource for modern moms, and they have so many incredible posts up about the Black Lives Matter movement. I’ll share several of my favorites here: 10 TV Shows and Movies to Further Your Anti-Racist Education, 14 Books by Black Women You Need to Read, 14 Inspiring Black People You Need to Follow on Instagram, Where to Donate to Support the BLM Movement, and 12 Books We’re Adding to Our Anti-Racist Reading List.
Global Summer Learning Program for Families
Another great person to follow on Instagram is, Preethi, at Local Passport Family. She’s dedicated to global education and teaching children to develop a love for diversity. Preethi, has put together the most incredible summer program! On June 8th, she’s starting 26 days meaningful global learning for the whole family. It will include, 26 picture books that go along with 26 countries for 26 letters of the alphabet. Over half of the authors will be joining to read or share commentary, and she’ll be sharing simple activities and recipes.
Make sure to download her FREE Alphabet Printable Passport for Kids: 2020 Global Children’s Book Club. Also check out the details for the 2020 Global Children’s Book Club Schedule here.
I will continue to listen, learn, and share. I hope that others will be able to benefit from the things I’ve rounded up and put together. I’m amazed at the resources that are at our fingertips, as parents. I know if we focus on being an active voice for change, we can truly help our children to make the world a better place. Please share with me any of the resources you’ve found informative or helpful. There comes a time when we have to make important changes, and this is one of those times. I hope to use the small platform that I have to be a force for good.
Sincerely,
