Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism

We know that young children are curious about their racial, ethnic, and cultural identity or identities. As social beings, we want to build connections with others. We all want to have a sense of belonging. Young children benefit in many ways when they can feel positively about their identity group. For some children, one challenge is developing positive feelings about themselves and being able to effectively manage and heal when treated unfairly. "See Us Coming Together" celebrates each child’s unique identity and sense of belonging to a caring community and diverse world!

The half-hour program, “PBS KIDS Talk About: Race & Racism,” features authentic conversations between real children and their parents, and includes content from PBS KIDS series Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Arthur and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. The show features kids and their parents talking about race and racial justice-related topics in an age-appropriate way, such as noticing differences in race, understanding what racism can look like, and embracing the role we all have to play in standing up for ourselves and each other — offering viewers ideas to build on as they continue these important conversations at home.

Reading picture books is often a helpful tool for asking your child questions. It can help you learn what your child knows, doesn't know, and what they might already think about race. Use these booklists as guides to expand your child's bookshelf with diverse books and characters.

Arthur, Buster, and Mrs. MacGrady have a conversation about racism and what you can do to fight it: talk, listen, and act.

Author and Illustrator Christian Robinson reads his new book, You Matter — a brightly illustrated book that shows how everyone is connected and that everyone matters.

PBS' "The Talk: Race in America"

"The Talk: Race in America" is a two-hour documentary about the increasingly necessary conversation taking place in homes and communities across the country between parents of color and their children, especially sons, about how to behave if they are ever stopped by the police.

• It's Never Too Early to Talk to You Kids About Race (CLIP)
• How One Parent Talks to His Biracial Kids About Race (CLIP)

PBS' "Frontline: A Class Divided"

The day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, Jane Elliott, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring lesson in discrimination. This is the story of that lesson, its lasting impact on the children, and its enduring power 30 years later.

As Dr. Wilson-Simmons reminds us in the PBS KIDS for Parents panel, "Talking to Children Authentically About Race and Racism," this is a great tool for learning, but the activity should not be replicated.

Watch the full episode here.

Resources for talking about race and racism:

• Talking About Race (From the National Museum of African American History and Culture)
• Talking Race With Young Children (From NPR)
• Racism and Violence: Using Your Power as a Parent to Support Children Aged Two to Five (From ZERO TO THREE)
• 10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids About Race (From EmbraceRace)
  
• Talking to Children About Racial Bias (From HealthyChildren.org)

Resources for recommended children's books:

• Where to Find Diverse Children's Books (From EmbraceRace)
• These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids (From The New York Times)
• Books That Support Kids to Think Critically About Racial Inequity (From EmbraceRace)