teaching children about race and ethnicity?

Question

Little ones are so observant and I was wondering how you explained different races and ethnicity to your toddler when they asked or started to notice different skin tones? What terms did you use, or would you prefer used when explaining it to them. I have often times found that the term "brown" to describe African American skin tones just seems wrong, but then toddlers also have a limited learning ability for terms and understanding.

Answer 1

What is so funny is that it is easy to explain when the child is older, but how do you explain it when the child is different. I too was faced with this question when my daughter was in kindergarden. They had to do self portraits, and the teacher gave her a black piece of paper, and she wouldn't take it then a brown and she wouldn't take it, and then a white piece of paper and she wouldn't take it. So finally the teacher told her to pick out a piece of paper that she thought most looked like her. So she picked a vanilla colored piece of paper. The teacher had a hard time with this, because my daughter is half black and half white.

My husband and I decided to use the rainbow to reflect different colors and shades for people. Saying that God created people like the colors of the rainbow.

Answer 2

First - be honest, and don't make your child feel ashamed for asking. If you act embarrassed that he asked you'll make him feel like the issue is much more important that it actually is and it may cause him to feel that something is wrong with his skin tone or the skin tone of someone who looks different.

Second - don't go into too much detail. A 2 year old is not asking about ethnic history. He just wants to know why that person at the mall looks brown and he looks white (actually, probably closer to peach).

The easy (and probably most useful) answer is to say, "your skin looks like mommy and daddy's and his looks like his mommy and daddy's.

If your child asks why, say, "because his great-great-great grandma and granddad come from a different part of the world than your great grandparents do, but now we all live here."

Answer 3

The explanation is much less important that the attitude and example.
Many people want to teach their children to not be prejudice, but they only have cookie cutter friends, themselves.
I, personally, don't like the word, "Race," so I will tell you that I am totally blind and so is my children's father.
My children are bi-cultural.
We teach them that God, Yes, I said, GOD, creates everyone different. Even you and your sister are different. Some differences are shown on the outside and some on the inside.
But, we celebrate each one's difference.
We don't ignore it and act as if we are all the same and thet there is not difference.
That is silly!
There is a diference.
A good difference.
I don't want people to act as if I am not blind.
That would be ignoring my blindness.
I get enough of that.
I want people to recognize my difference and be comfortable with it.
People act as if we should live in this colorless society.
1. That won't happen
2. WHy? I am quite proud of my children's darker skin color and tell them often. Just as I am proud of mine.
And, before anyone asks, no I don't tan, even though I am white.
God has made me who I am a I am proud of his work!
Just as I ccelebrate my children's qualities.
We are wonderfully made!
ANd, if you believe what I say and agree with it, yet still have no friends (not just acquaintances) who look different than you, then your actions are not lining up with your words.
I live in quite a small town, but I have friends with various skin tones, various language abilities, who come from different places in the world and who have varying degrees of physical and intelectual abilities.
We respect and appreciate each for who they are.
And, I don't say it, I live it!
THen, it is easier to teach your child about ethnicity because you actually live it.

Answer 4

Toddlers, up to about 6 do not see ethnicity... they see color. And it is perfectly normal for them to ask why kids are brown. Some may not even notice any difference in the color and that is awesome. Being the mother of two children who have a white parent and black parent, my daughter always colored her face brown in the photos and my son never did; he made his face flesh like everyone else. My daughter is aware of the differences, but my son is not. To each their own. With the same upbringing they are completely opposite. But as long as they know that everyone is important and special it does not matter the color.

Answer 5

Children understand so much more than they are given credit for. We have five children (brady bunch style) and we are always open and honest with our children about anything they ask from skin color to sex. I've explained everything from people of irish decent being really pale to those of African decent being much darker. The main thing I teach my children about race is that we may look different, but we bleed the same. My children range in age from 6 to eleven so I do have a close-knit bunch. With kids in ages like that I get some doozies for questions.

Answer 6

One approach is to demonstrate how animals come in different colors. Then make a paralellel to humans. Using the term brown to refer to African Americans is not "wrong," but is certainly far less important than making sure that your toddler understands that we are all the same inside.

Answer 7

I teach my kids that we are all Americans. It doesn't matter about skin color.

I was made fun of during school because I looked different. People used to call me their Korean friend. It drove me nuts because I have never been to Korea, the only word I know in Korean is the word for fart, and I probably couldn't even find Korea on a map.

I like the M&M answer. Different on the outside but the same on the inside.

Answer 8

My historic past is really chop up with French and Italian. so some distance as meals, i'm Italian by and for the time of. i might want to in no way stay without my pastas! :) I make comments about my Italian nostril and my stereotypical Italian body of recommendations- yet all in sturdy nature. My sister were given the French looks in the relations yet she's nonetheless truthfully extra Italian, too. So yea, so some distance as that is going my youthful babies do become responsive to with being Italian better than some thing else. My husband is 0.5 Scottish, slightly bit English, a pinch of german, a contact of Irish. He doesn't quite become responsive to with any of them.

Answer 9

I have two daughters: 6 and 10
they have never ask us about those "differences"

I think for children, the difference of color in the skin is as normal as the difference in ears shapes, or nose shapes, or body types, etc, etc. that is until some adult put in their little heads the idea that people is better or worse, depending in how they look

Answer 10

Pull out a world map. Teach them about geography. Say that some ancestors are from a different place than others, and use the map to guide and learn about different cultures.

I wouldn't start using colors and labels. I would go for a cultural integration and geographic history approach that doesn't focus on racism.