From 0-5 yrs: 6 Steps Towards Diversity Inclusion

From 0-5 yrs old: 6 Steps Towards Diversity Inclusion
Written by the Elf on 6/10/2020
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First off- let’s acknowledge that anti-racism and diversity inclusion are not the same things. They are part of each other, but what are they individually? And how on earth are we supposed to work on either of them with kids under 6?!

What do you mean?: (Definitions)

Anti-Racism Definition: Actively opposing racism and advocating for change. Racism being defined as discriminatory powers and systems that benefit from racial superiority. (Help from Miriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, and racialequitytools.org.)

Diversity Inclusion: Diversity meaning to recognize differences and unique qualities. Including but not limited to culture, personalities, abilities, and religions. Inclusion being the act of welcoming and encouraging diversity. In schools when people mention this, it’s usually referencing including students with special needs in all the main classroom environments.

So anti-racism is being inclusive of diversity. But the steps we’re talking about here are to increase the diversity in our households with young children, not just six steps to being anti-racist. Kiddos need to see themselves reflected in their world in a positive light, they also need to see others and differences in a positive light. So we’re talking about all sorts of differences here, not just racial. Here are our first six steps to diversity inclusion with young kids.

Step 1: Educating yourself

Kids pick up on the language we use and our body postures before they are even a year old. They are also extremely intuitive aka they know when we’re lying to them or beating around the bush. The more informed we are ourselves, the easier it is to discuss something with our kids.

I think the most obvious example here are physical differences. Let’s say limb differences. If I’ve educated myself on disabilities and differently abled people I’m then able to bring it up in conversations or during reading time with my kids. When my kiddo then sees someone at the grocery store with a limb difference, however they respond, I can encourage them to wave, say hello, and remind them of that conversation or book we read. Shuffling by in embarrassment and shushing the child doesn’t help anyone and makes the child and other person feel undervalued.

The most important part of educating ourselves is sharing our stories and listening to the stories of others. Which leads nicely into our next point…

Step 2: Inclusive mom groups turn into inclusive friend groups

I’ve seen a lot of reminders about keeping our kiddos friend groups diverse- but to do that we also need to keep our own friend groups diverse and OPEN. They see how we treat people, who we allow to be our friends and that deeply impacts them. This is probably the hardest step for me. I love movies, books, and toys that are diverse. I love learning. BUT I am an introvert with some socially awkward tendencies. Asking me to look up and join a new mom group is the equivalent of asking me if I would like a voluntary root canal. I’m learning to put myself out there more and try to hang out with more moms though because I know it’s important for my kiddos. (& hey- bonus of being a foster mom, there are a lot of built in groups!)

It’s also healthy for our own mental health to have a diverse group of friends. We all want to feel included. Even if I can’t make it, I still appreciate being invited. Also, momming is not easy work. The bigger your village, the better for everyone.

Step 3: Inclusive TV shows for young children

The networks are starting to make this easier for you. This is by far the easiest step with minimal investigating or digging involved. Of course, we still need more and requesting them is helpful! But by watching and favoriting these shows, we are telling the networks what we are looking for.

Here are 5 shows with diversity inclusion to check out now:
1) Like Tom and Jerry? Check out Mighty Bheem on Netflix. A super strong baby living in an Indian village gets into all sorts of trouble when mom’s back is turned. [cultural inclusion]

2) Sofia the First [blended family inclusion] and Doc McStuffins [adoption/ racial/ STEM for girls inclusion] are two shows on Disney Junior for younger kids that are great! Sofia’s mom marries the king and they become a blended family. Doc wants to be just like her Dr. mom, only she’s here to fix up her toys! Her dad works part time and stays home with them and their newly adopted baby sister.

3) Llama, llama is a new Netflix show that includes a main character (in the second season) with a limb difference. And Llama is raised by his mom and grandparents. [family and limb difference inclusion]

4) If you haven’t checked out the Magic School Bus Rides Again, it is a fun and educational show where the main characters are both male and female. They also represent different races. [racial and female inclusion]

5) There was recently a Sesame Street town hall meeting (You can watch it here) and while it might have bored my little one it was encouraging for me. Kind of like Mr. Rogers telling you everything is going to be ok. Sesame Street has a character that is in foster care, a character with autism, and through the years they have addressed a whole lot of diversity.

Step 4: Inclusive books for young kids

There are probably hundreds of diverse book lists out there for just about every age group now- which is wonderful! So we won’t go too in depth there. But there are a few things to consider when diversifying your kiddos bookshelf.

1) How many books do you have written by people who are different from you (written by a person of color, written by someone who is differently abled?)
2) How many books do you have featuring people that don’t look just like your children?
3) Are both genders represented?
4) Are differences represented & done so respectfully?
5) Do you have any books that you need to let go of because they aren’t accurate or are offensive? (E.G. I sold/recycled some color and shape books from my classroom this summer that only depicted the color brown as dirty. I also let go of 3 boxes of Christian books that were totally white with no diversity or demeaning diversity eg: the people who weren’t white were the sinners that needed saving.))
6) MAKE IT FUN! Not every diversity inclusive books needs to be an informational or history book. The whole point of inclusivity is that it blends right in and normalizes differences.

5 of our favorite books featuring diversity inclusion for younger kids:
1) Ordinary People Change the World Book Series
2) We’re All Wonders picture book version
3) Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and Illustrated by David Roberts
4) Little Leaders: Dream Big and Think Big (I’m linking the 2 board books but there are picture books for boy leaders and girl leaders that are wonderful for 5+ too) by Vashti Harrison
5) Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o and Illustrated by Vashti Harrison

Step 5: Diverse toys

Kids need to see themselves represented in the things that they play with. They also learn how to see others and how others experience the world around them through their toys. According to the APA (American Psychological Academy), young children see thousands of ads a week, maybe even per day. From TV and games, driving around town, all the way down to how things are laid out in a grocery store. So they are inundated constantly with what our consumerist society is telling them they need and what is cool. What we choose to buy for them hammers that point home- this is a major lens that they see the world through. It’s much cheaper to buy generic stuff, but it’s not hard or terribly expensive to buy diverse toys either. Plus, the more the demand for them increases, the more generic they will become. Personally, I’ve found some great stuff at garage and consignment sales.

Step 6: HAVE FUN and SPREAD the diversity inclusion LOVE

Don’t forget to make diversity inclusion FUN and normal. Spread it out, set a goal to buy a different book or toy every month. And while there are a ton of great educational books and toys- make sure you also having fun with them.

Now that you’ve started diversifying- take note of where you can spread the love. Teachers love getting new supplies, books or toys for their classrooms! What about in a Sunday School or MDO class? Sharing diverse toys that your kiddo has outgrown? Maybe grab a couple of your favorite new books and give them with birthday gifts. Share online about your new favorite finds. Even doing something as simple as leaving a positive review online can make an impact. How can you spread the love?

What Next?:

Thanks for checking out our our post about increasing diversity inclusion in your home with young children!

You might also be interested in:
–25 Engaging Art Activities with Only 5 Supplies
-3 Movies to Use to Discuss Racism with kids 5-10yrs Old
-Our parent review and discussion guide for Wonder
-Our parent review and discussion guide for Spies in Disguise
-Our parent review and discussion guide for Descendants 3
-Our parent review and discussion guide for CoCo

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