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In light of recent protests for racial justice, it may be difficult to explain what’s happening to children, especially when you might not fully understand it yourself. One proactive approach to this call to action is to discuss race with children. 1/
@sarahegaither and May Ling Halim discuss how avoiding or ignoring conversations about the protests does not prevent them from seeing race. In fact, children can identify their own vs. other races by 3 months old. 2/
This “colorblind approach” only conditions future generations to remain silent when facing injustice, making them more likely to harbor racist attitudes and sustain institutional racism. 3/
While some parents believe discussing race is negative or unnecessary, or fear it will increase their children’s biases, @sylviapperry found that conversations about race can actually reduce bias for parents and children. 4/
In fact, White parent’s discomfort or tenseness during this discussion could provide their children with a model to disapprove of, and possibly address, anti-Black acts & attitudes. 5/
Both @sarahegaither and @sylviapperry provide simple and actionable recommendations for teaching children to recognize and confront racial discrimination or harmful stereotypes. 6/
We have provided resources for discussing race with kids in the past (see below), but here I cite some of our colleagues’ work on racial bias and equity in early development as it relates to our lab’s research on curiosity. 7/
Curiosity is a crucial aspect of learning & memory, combining the desire to explore what's unknown w/ motivation to seek new info. Prioritizing these convos could encourage your children to expand their knowledge about the world & positively impact their approach to learning. 8/
For more info about racial socialization, check out the researchers in this thread and the sources attached below!
Tune in tomorrow to discuss adversity and academic achievement! 9/
Tune in tomorrow to discuss adversity and academic achievement! 9/
@sarahegaither and May Ling Halim's Opinion Article
Raising egalitarian babies is challenging but possible. Here's how to start. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-raise-anti-racist-babies-according-psychology-ncna1232031
Raising egalitarian babies is challenging but possible. Here's how to start. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-raise-anti-racist-babies-according-psychology-ncna1232031
@sylviapperry & colleagues:
1. “Exploring how Parent-Child Conversations about Race influence Children's Implicit Biases” https://psyarxiv.com/3xdg8/
2. “Socialization of Racial Ideology by White Parents” https://psyarxiv.com/yr8aw/
1. “Exploring how Parent-Child Conversations about Race influence Children's Implicit Biases” https://psyarxiv.com/3xdg8/
2. “Socialization of Racial Ideology by White Parents” https://psyarxiv.com/yr8aw/
This guide by @consciouskidlib "to promote positive racial identity development in children, support conversations about race and racism, and move from conversation to action" https://www.theconsciouskid.org/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race
@LENA created this great thread of articles and recommendations for teaching children about race. https://twitter.com/LENAEarlyTalk/status/1268204550265036800
