Sadly, our world is full of stories of conflict related to racism or stereotyping. Racism is like a socially transmitted disease \u2013 and one that we have the power to help prevent. As a parent, it can feel daunting to explain this to our children, but it\u2019s important to try.<\/p>\n
How can we as parents be \u2013 and help our kids become \u2013 part of the solution? Two of the best ways to start are by having conversations<\/a> and reading books with our kids.<\/p>\n Babies and children notice racial differences earlier than one might think. Young children ask great questions about the differences they see in people around them. They might say \u201cWhy is he in a wheelchair?\u201d or \u201cWhy is she wearing a scarf on her head?\u201d It\u2019s important to answer their questions<\/a>, have conversations whenever possible, and continue having them frequently. This lets your kids know it\u2019s OK to ask questions and that this topic isn\u2019t off-limits but welcomed. It can be helpful for us as adults to practice having these conversations too.<\/p>\n Kids learn well through stories by connecting with the characters. The narratives we\u2019re told shape how we see and treat each other. Through the power of stories, we can help counter stereotypes, encourage empathy, and challenge racism and xenophobia (a fear of or prejudice towards those from other countries). As an adult, you can set a good example by showing acceptance of people who are different from you and modeling curiosity and empathy for others.<\/p>\n I read books with my kids every day, and we spend a lot of time at our local library. We look for books about children from a variety of cultures, including those we\u2019re familiar with and those we\u2019re new to learning about. Over time, I\u2019ve found many books that have helped us learn, grow, and have more open and targeted discussions.<\/p>\n Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race<\/em> by Madison, Ralli et al<\/p>\n Think Big, Little One<\/em> by Vashti Harrison<\/p>\n Your Name Is a Song<\/em> by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow<\/p>\n May We Have Enough to Share<\/em> by Richard Van Camp<\/p>\n The Day You Begin<\/em> by Jaqueline Woodson<\/p>\n The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family<\/em> by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K Ali<\/p>\n Red and Green and Blue and White<\/em> by Lee Wind<\/p>\n Birdsong<\/em> by Julie Flett<\/p>\n We are the Water Protectors<\/em> by Carole Lindstrom<\/p>\n Eyes that Kiss in the Corners<\/em> by Joanna Ho<\/p>\n The Conscious Kid<\/a> Using Books to Talk With Kids About Race and Racism<\/a> How can we as parents be \u2013 and help our kids become \u2013 part of the solution to racism and stereotyping? Two of the best ways to start are by having conversations and reading books with our kids.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[262,689,432,593,264,411,595],"class_list":["post-4489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-life","tag-books","tag-diversity","tag-getting-ready-for-bed","tag-race","tag-reading","tag-summer-reading-for-kids","tag-talking-with-kids-about-race","ages-all-school-ages"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1732308199:6"],"_edit_last":["6"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"slide_template":["default"],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["60"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["293"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["90"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["4492"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["read books about diversity with kids"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["How can we help our kids appreciate diversity? Two of the best ways to start are by having conversations and reading books with our kids."],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["67"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1732308190"],"wpfp_favorites":["331"],"post_featured_author_bio":["Dr. Van Den Haak's biography reads: \n\nI was born and raised in the Bay Area. I worked for two years at Stanford doing cancer clinical trials before starting medical school. After finishing Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles in 2011, I was excited to move back to where I belong! Almost every job I've had since high school has involved children, so it was no surprise to my family that I ended up in Pediatrics. I completed my residency training at Children's Hospital and Research in Oakland.\n\nSome of my favorite parts of my job are getting to know families and watching children grow up. I love that pediatric medicine is very different from adult medicine, and I feel that it takes a special skill set to be a pediatrician. With new pediatric research coming out all the time, I work hard to stay up to date in a field that is changing rapidly.\n\nI chose to work at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara because I want to work in and with a diverse population. It is a special privilege for me to work with Spanish-speaking families as well as those who speak my native language of English.\n\nWhen I'm not at work, I love to go hiking or camping and see any of the beautiful places we're lucky enough to have here in California. I love to cook and travel, read and do arts and crafts. Read more: {{https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/providers\/ericavandenhaak}}"],"post_featured_author_bio_link":["https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/providers\/ericavandenhaak"],"post_featured_author_image":["https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Erica-Van-Den-haak-Print.png"],"post_featured_author_role":["YES"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"ase_mapbox_style":["openstreet"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4489"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4765,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4489\/revisions\/4765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Talk with your kids about diversity<\/h3>\n
Read books with your kids about diversity<\/h3>\n
Here are a few of my favorite books for reading together as a family:<\/h3>\n
Resources for Parents:<\/h3>\n
\nBook lists<\/a>
\nEmbrace Race<\/a>
\nEmbrace Race Podcast<\/a><\/p>\nAmerican Academy of Pediatrics<\/h3>\n
\nTalking to Children About Racial Bias<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"