Now that school is back in session, it gives us the perfect opportunity to teach children about diversity. Diversity and representation play a huge role in each of us since we all come from different backgrounds. We must teach our children about embracing their differences and their uniqueness!
Why Does Representation Matter?
Representation matters because kids will want to be like someone else. Whether it’s because someone made fun of them or not feeling that they aren’t enough as themselves, it is important to teach them that they hold so much value for just being them. Every feature or difference that we carry can somehow be a positive thing. For example, maybe someone who is super tall and insecure about it forgets that they can help others reach for something on a shelf! Or perhaps someone super short forgets that they can fit into smaller spaces when moving around! No matter what the case is, your own features and skills have a positive side to it! And it’s something very important to teach this to children!
Representation in Children’s Literature
A book that perfectly captures the beauty of representation is “What If We Were All The Same!” by C.M. Harris, her bestseller! The book talks about how the world would be less fun if we were all the same. The book contains very fantastic imagery of kids with different features! It also contains a rhyme scheme, making the reading even more fun for the kids and a perfect way to help them understand the message!
Getting our children into literature at a young age would help them grow and learn about the world they will be living in. It will teach them how to address issues and educate them about society. Talking about representation in a children’s book can help them understand themselves and others. They learn that being different from everyone else is something they should own and not run away from!
Diversity
It is essential to teach kids to recognize diversity! Diversity is a range of differences in people. Sometimes, the world tends to put limits on people with these differences and automatically assumes they cannot do the needed work. It immediately eliminates their skills and ability to do things. We want to teach our kids that they can accomplish anything they put their mind to!
There is another children’s book that talks about diversity, specifically about children with disabilities. It is called “Erin, Roderick, and the Diffability Bunch” by Fliss Goldsmith. The book talks about children with different disabilities participating in a race. Each has a moment in the book highlighting their disability while competing in the race. It shows that disabled or not, they were given the opportunity to compete in the race! Reading kids this incredible story will teach them that they have no limits to doing whatever they want if they are disabled or to not put limits on people who are disabled.
When teaching kids to be diverse, we want them to never depend on their or someone else's background and let those factors determine whether or not they can do something. Instead, these differences should be celebrated and highlighted in whatever they choose to do in the future.
It’s Never Too Late
Whether your child is two or even entering pre-teens, it’s never too late to share these books with them and teach them about representation/diversity. It is the most important message a child could receive as they grow up!
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