As you probably know, I’ve been working to commit to allyship to people of color during this time {check out my recent post about how to be an ally here!}, and I think one of the best things we can do to help is really to educate ourselves and the people around us, especially our kids. Instilling these ideas of diversity and differences in society to our kids is such a fundamental lesson and can really help them develop good and strong values. There are actually so many amazing kids books about diversity that introduce these ideas to your kids in an easy to understand, engaging, and light-hearted way. Keep reading to see my list of 10 books about diversity to introduce to your kids!
10 Books About Diversity to Introduce to Your Kids
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I have been on the hunt for some children’s books that really promote diversity because I want to educate my kids at a young age about different races, backgrounds, and disabilities. Now, more than ever, it is so important to educate our children about being open-minded and kind to everyone, so I found a couple of picture books that are perfect to read with kids! These are some books about recognizing and overcoming physical or learning disabilities; Thank you, Mr. Falker, Emmanuel’s Dream, Six Dots, and Just Ask! I love the way differences are described in Just Ask! – the book says that just as gardens with different types of plants and flowers are more beautiful, the world is also more beautiful and vibrant with all of the different kinds of people. There are so many wonderful differences within cultures, and I think that recognizing and learning about these differences makes you so much more open-minded and aware of the world around you! A lot of books do a really great job at highlighting these differences, and the ones I found are From Far Away, Round is a Mooncake, I am Perfectly Designed, and Abuela.
I also want my kids to feel comfortable with who they are and want to find books about being happy, kind, and always being inclusive with everyone they meet, and I think reading these books at an early age is a great start for gaining that mentality. Books like The Big Umbrella {we got this one last year from my Godmother}, Skin Like Mine, and Happy in Our Skin are so cute and have such wonderful storylines. Happy in Our Skin really emphasizes the beauty of each and every skin color and how it makes each child one of a kind. They are also perfect for promoting those ideas of acceptance and loving yourself and other people no matter the differences!
I’m really excited to read these books with Augustine and Corinna and continue to teach them about diversity, inclusion, open-mindedness, and acceptance. It’s so crazy to think about how the things we learn and pick up as kids really stay with us and define who we become. Education and environment really are contributing factors to the ideals one grows up to have, and I am really thankful to be able to share these important lessons about diversity with my kids, especially now during such a pivotal time in history.
What other ways have you introduced the topic of diversity to your kids? Are there any other books I should add to our reading list?
xox
