![]() Since your child isn't asking about race, it's okay to give an answer like "tan," "brown," or "mahogany." Some parents use ice cream flavors to talk about skin color with their child.Įxpect that your child might wrongly identify their own skin shade and that of others, or that the shade they pick might change over time. "What color am I?" Use a nice big crayon box to explore colors and find the shade that most closely matches your child's skin tone. Let's Talk About Race, by Julius Lester and Karen Barbour (ages 3 and up).IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All, by Carolyn Choi, Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council, and Ashley Seil Smith (ages 6 and up).Separate is Never Equal, by Duncan Tonatiuh (ages 6 and up).Some books you can read with your child to spark conversations about race and diversity include: Kids pick up on subtle messages about race and culture, so step in to challenge any racial stereotypes you see. Introduce them to shows and movies that feature diverse actors and inclusive themes. Media often perpetuates stereotypes and distortions regarding race, so be mindful or what your child watches. Instead, teach your child that everyone is different, but no one skin color is better than another.įilter the media, and talk about what your child sees. Find other ways to describe people, besides their skin color, and teach your child to do likewise.Īim for "color fairness," not "color blindness." If you don't acknowledge differences, you fail to prepare your child to live in a multiracial society. "To reduce people to their race diminishes them," says Wright. When a child makes a negative racial comment, it usually reflects something they've heard at home or in school. Do you or other adults in your child's life tend to refer to people in terms of their race – "that Black lady" or "that white man"? If so, your child will pick up on the habit. "Addison's skin is brown, and yours is lighter." When children ask questions about differences in skin color, keep your answers to the point. Your little one is learning a lot about the world, all the time, and they might just be making a comment about what they see. What made you think about that?" Whatever the context, don't read too much into it. If you don't live in a racially diverse area, surround your child with books, media, and artwork featuring people of various races.Īnd when your child makes an observation that is clearly about skin color ("Eve's mom is white"), don't freak out. Before your child even utters the words "black" or "white" in reference to skin color, be sure they see plenty of people of different ethnicities. How to talk about race with your childĮxpose your child to racial diversity. Children look to their parents for moral cues, and they'll learn from your actions as well as your words. How you respond to their curiosity will lay the groundwork for more sophisticated conversations as they get older.īeing silent gives your child the impression that the topic is off-limits or that an insensitive remark is accurate and acceptable to you. They'll probably have a lot of questions. Conversations they hear both inside and outside the home, as well as what they see in the media, will begin to shape their notion of race – especially how people of different racial backgrounds are seen and treated differently in society.Īs with other complicated topics, it helps to talk to your child often about racial diversity. As they get older, children are also increasingly curious about what groups they and others belong to. Studies also show Opens a new window that children can show racial bias as early as preschool.
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