Pima County Public Library: Talking To Young Children About Race

Press release from the Pima County Public Library:

June 22, 2020

Talking to young children about race is imperative as a parent or caregiver. It can be uncomfortable, but it is vital for living in an equitable society. Children learn about the world in so many ways. As parents and caregivers, we want to support our children’s learning and not have them pick up bad habits from others.

As someone who grew up in a multiracial family, I am often surprised at how difficult I find it to talk about race with my own child. In light of that, I offer a few resources for others who may be similarly challenged.

The first is an article from Brightly about how to talk to children about race.opens a new window

The second is a list of PCPL picture books to help start conversations:

Don't be Color Blind

Talking about race with young children is vitally important if we want to live in an equitable society. It can also be really challenging. Here are some PCPL picture books to help start these difficult and important conversations.

View Full List

And finally, a guessing game called Who Am I?opens a new window It’s a free app designed by Interactive Diversity Solutions. It is designed specifically for parents to use with their young children to help promote talking about race and physical diversity in a way that fosters respect and understanding. It’s easy to play and offers tips for caregivers. Unfortunately, it’s only available in the Apple store for now.

This press release was produced by the Pima County Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.