Resources for Talking to Your Kids About Race and Racism

It’s never too early to start talking to your kids about race and racism. An easy way to do this is through books, ones that directly address our differences and others that feature diverse heroes and heroines. Choose some from The Conscious Kid’s children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance and books by Black authors.

Looks at your children’s bookshelves, are all the lead characters white? Representation matters. It builds empathy and encourages perspective-taking, and in the long run will increase your child’s social-emotional intelligence. Check out these recommendations for children’s books featuring kids of color.

For even more good ideas, check out The New York Times Books to Help Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids.

Here are some general tips about talking about race in a storytime setting, as well as a white families’ guide for talking about racism.

While you are building your library, get the discussion started now with this animated reading of Something Happened In Our Town.