Talking to Young Children about Racial Injustice

Step One: Help children process their feelings in this moment

• Once I was very very scared by Piplo Productions is a free online book that helps kids talk about scary feelings , what they feel like in your body and things that help them feel better.

• Supporting Kids of Color in the Wake of Racialized Violence - an interview to help caregivers get an understanding on the impacts of racialized violence on young children and how they can help them.

• PBS has more information available on how to help children process what they are seeing and hearing about tragic events from the news and other sources.

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed a chart that can assist caregivers in their efforts to support their children as they deal with traumatic grief.

• Zero to Three's article takes a developmental approach to talking to children (2-5 years old) about racism and violence.

Step Two: Talk about Race and Racism Consistently and Ways to Take Action

• Wee the People is a Boston based social justice project for children age 4 to 12 launched by two black mothers and offers workshops that explore activism, resistance, and social action through the visual and performing arts for both kids and caregivers. You can also find them on Instagram!

• Embrace Race is another great organization that was created with the intent to support adults as they take on tough topics with kids. This link is to an article that contains 8 ways to speak to kids about racial injustice. Links to their website were also on the previous page.

• Healthy Children.org is another resource that provides a number of useful articles and suggestions for how to build resilience and fostering the mental wellness of children. Linked here is an article with specific tips on talking to kids about racial bias.