Raising a child to be socially aware is a top priority for any activist parent. After all, you want your kids to value the principles you hold close, too.
But parenting to foster a passion for social justice can seem like a daunting task. You can teach your kids why diversity, equality, acceptance and critical thinking matter, but these ideals don’t have teachable boundaries like the ABCs or 123s.
Beatrice Fennimore, an advocate specializing in promoting social justice for children, describes parents as the filter for social good information. They hold the keys children can use to unlock a social consciousness.
“The more children are attuned to fairness, justice and equality, the better the future community will be,” Fennimore tells Mashable.
Consider these nine tips to help your children become more socially aware, and come to a social consciousness on their own.
1. Address privilege — and do it early.
The concept of privilege may seem like an intimidating idea to talk about with your children, but they’re probably noticing social differences much earlier than you’d expect.
“Children recognize gender differences and skin color differences by age four or earlier — whether or not those differences exist in their own community,” Fennimore says. ”
Though privilege is complex, conversations around privilege don’t have to be intimidating. Talk to your child about how these differences often make things more difficult for certain groups of people, and continue to talk about privilege when real-life examples come up.
2. Make sure your child has diverse choices when it comes to toys, books and TV.
Look at every toy box and bookshelf with a critical eye. Make sure the things your child is playing with and learning from represent a spectrum of identities. A little diversity — even in something as simple as toys or books — can go a long way to promote understanding of all people and perspectives.
But even if your child engages with materials that don’t promote the values you stand behind, Fennimore suggests taking the opportunity to question, critique and reflect on what they represent.
by MindMake via MindMake Blog
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