Top Books to Teach Our Kids About Diversity
Kids are so perceptive and start to recognize racial differences as young as six months old and by age three they can actually start commenting on those differences. It’s our job as parents and caregivers to talk about those differences and celebrate them so we can raise the next generation of children who not only understand their own ethnic background better, but understand and accept the differences that exist among us all.
Top Books to Teach Our Kids About Diversity
Written by: Jessica Diamond, MPH, RDN
“When I see you through my eyes, I think that we are different. When I see you through my heart, I know we are the same.” – Doe Zantamata
Kids are so perceptive and start to recognize racial differences as young as six months old and by age three they can actually start commenting on those differences per pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart. So it is our job as parents and caregivers to talk about those differences and celebrate them, so we can raise a generation of children who understand and accept different races, cultures, and types of families.
We are by no means diversity experts, nor are we experts at having these conversations with our kids, however we believe starting to have open dialogues with our children from an early age is a great starting place to change the future. We want our children to respect and learn from others, value our differences, and find connection through what we have in common.
We’ve rounded up our favorite books to help expose your kids to different cultures and races and help facilitate conversations to celebrate racial differences.
- I am Enough
- Dream Big, Little One
- Be Kind
- Malala’s Magic Pencil
- Who We Are! All about being the same and being different
- The Colors of Us
- Eyes that Kiss in the Corner
- Not Quite Snow White
