Would you like to have an open and honest conversation with your children or students about race and racism?
From as early as 6 months of age, babies are able to recognise differences in skin colour. By grade school age, children begin to figure out that skin colour has an associated meaning (as a result of questions from other children, information in mainstream media, or other daily interactions). Combined, these interactions begin to shape their notion of race, influencing how they see, understand, and treat others.
Having early, honest, and age-appropriate conversations about race (and other types of differences) are essentials to how children make sense of the world around them.
The Let’s Talk About Race (LTAR) Toolkit resource includes a sample of diverse picture books, Recommended booklist, guided activities and games or toys that can serve as a starting point for encouraging questions about race, and for helping foster open discussions about racial differences. Diverse books are a powerful tool for starting and continuing the conversation about race because they:
- Show children diversity early
- Feature diverse children and families in everyday life
- Help instill pride and confidence in children of colour
- Address fairness and discrimination
- Discuss and address racial bullying
- Help children become allies
- Inspire children to change the world
As parents, caregivers, and educators, the Let’s Talk About Race (LTAR) Toolkit can help you accurately guide these conversations by:
- Facilitating discussions about race/racism
- Providing relevant answers to questions
- Exploring ways to counteract racism and racial discrimination together.
- Increasing children’s exposure to racially (and ethnically) diverse stories and characters
- Promoting positive and accurate learning experiences about human differences and similarities
This picture book-based kit is designed to facilitate age appropriate conversations on race and racism for caregivers and educators in our community. Through books, manipulatives and other resources, this kit will provide discussion prompts, key terms and supplementary activity suggestions to assist with furthering these important conversations. Separate kits are available to support a range of ages:
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0-2 years
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3-5 years
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6-8 years
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9+ years