Engaging Children:
A Look at Race, Gender, & Class
and
The Hope for Tomorrow
By: Tracy D. Lamb
Org 506-M4
A Child’s View on Gender, Race, and Class:
A Little Mind Full of Questions
• Some common questions
children ask or things they
say:
• “Girls aren’t strong.” “Boys can’t
play house.”
• “Why is Jamal’s skin so dark?”
• “Why does Miyoko speak so
funny?”
• “Why is that person sleeping on
the street?”
(BabyCenter, 2009).(Derman-Sparks, 2009, p. 5-6).
• “Research tells us that
between the ages of two and
five, children become aware
of gender, race, ethnicity, and
…[t]hey also become
sensitive to both positive and
negative biases…Young
children develop “preprejudice”, misconceptions,
discomfort, fear, and
rejection of differences that
may develop into real
prejudices if parents and
teachers do not intervene”
(Derman-Sparks, 2009, p.1).
Gender: It’s about girls and boys
• Studies explain this discovery
actually occurs in four stages:
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-scientificfundamentalist/200804/why-boys-have-cooties-brothers-don-t.
From the moment a child is born we
label them “male” or “female”
according to their genitalia, but at what
age do they know that this is a
“defining attribute”?
– Labeling-identifying self and others
correctly by gender identity (89%
by approx. 36 months).
– Stability-understanding that
identity continues over time; boys
become men and girls become
woman. (Beyond age 3, labeling
“overwhelmingly” correct).
– Motive- identity is not changed by
wishes , not changed by cultural
gender cues.
– Constancy-recognizing the
permanence of identity regardless
of dress or hairstyle (Typically, by
age 5 most children become
gender consistent).(Frable, 1997,
p.141) (Katz, 1997, p. 57-58).
BUT …Should children be taught
traditional gender roles?
• Should a child be defined by their
social gender roles?
• Do the toys that they play with or
the peers they play with matter?
• NO! Little girls wear pink and play
with dolls because they are
female and little boys wear blue
and play with action figures
because they are male;
biologically neither have a
disposition to do so it is
something they are taught (Allen,
2004, p. 41).
• No! Let the girl play with the
action figure if she wants and let
the boy play with the barbies;
“…children’s development and
gender related cognitions and
behaviors do not always go
together” (Frable, 1997,p.141).
“Gender constancy is unrelated
to sex-typed toy choice”(p.141).
Children and Racial Identity
• Studies of black and white
children explain:
– By 24 months old, 16% of
children can identify their “race”.
– At 30 months old, 41% of children
can identify themselves by race;
the majority demonstrate samerace preference in playmates.
– At 36 months, 56% accurately
label their race; 82% of white
children exhibit same-race
preference, while 32% of black
children decrease in same-race
preference.
– “ By 36 months, the majority of
both black and white children
chose white playmates. Black
children may be more willing to
choose an other-race playmate
because of their greater exposure
to different races” (Katz, 1997, p.
59-60).
www.fistfuloftalent.com/2009/09/the-great-diversity-scam-evenbabies-discriminate.html.
Click link to read another study from 2006.
www.newsweek.com/id/214989/
Ideas on how racial attitudes
develop
• Some reasons for attitudes and
behaviors:
– Parents unwillingness to talk about
issues of race with their children.
– For white children(Euro-American)less likely to have interracial contact
with others. Less exposure of other
races in the media.
http://pro.corbis.com/Enlargement/Enlargement.aspx?id=PE-039-0292&ext=1
“Ignorance of the “other” is a
luxury that minority group
members cannot afford”
(Katz, 1997, p.67).
– “Abundant and affirming
information” about people who are
in the majority group; children in the
majority group experience a “fit”
between their home and other
environments; whereas minority
members need to become bicultural
in their “home” culture and the
“majority culture” (p.66-67).
Social Class: Poor Kid, Rich Kid
Do preschoolers really see “social class”?
“Children’s relatively early cognitive development
makes it difficult for them to discern between
accurate depictions and stereotypes about gender
and social class prevalent in the media and in their
communities” (Lee, 2008, p.1).
www.poor-kids.blogspot.com/2008/03/poor-kids.html
Some studies contend that by the age of 4 or 5
children begin to develop the notion of “rich” and
“poor”. They begin to “associate concrete items as
certain types of clothing, homes, and possessions
with each group” (p.1).
Most children have no real concept of social class
during the preschool years because their “classes” are
already divided; it is “likely that poorer children go to
poorer preschool centers”(Schaffer, 1998, p.198).
http://dvice.com/archives/2008/10/rideable-train.php
If you teach children…..
Bigotry and discrimination, then they will
become discriminators and bigots.
They will learn by what they see and
hear…they will follow your lead.
Graphic and quote from:
www.care2.com/c2c/people/profile.html?view=professional&pid=447987757
But, if you show them and tell them,
www.proudatheists.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/religious
-fun-groups-for-the-kids/
“Choose your friends by their character
and your socks by their color. Choosing
your socks by their character makes no
sense and choosing your friends by their
color is unthinkable”.
They will learn.
Children are who they…“are”
•
Though the focus has been on primarily
on preschoolers, the importance of a
study done in 1968 by a 3rd grade Iowa
school teacher named Jane Elliot is
important because it is a live view of how
children behave when their status is
ascribed -“assigned to individuals at birth
without reference to any innate abilities”
(ascribed status, 2009).
•
Elliot’s study introduced children to the
idea and emotion of discrimination by
segregating them into “blue eye” or
“brown eye” children.
•
The film offers a good example of how
introducing children to ideas and helping
them with important issues can affect
their future behavior.
Please click on the link below to view:
“Frontline: Blue eyes, Brown eyes”.
•
news + public affairs player: video
Changing the World through Talk
and Play…
• Trying to teach social justice ideas to a child using “the “tourist
approach” (simply exposing children to materials that represent
different groups (such as diverse dolls, food, clothing and pictures)does not stimulate substantive conversations or challenge children’s
attitudes” (Lee, 2008, p.2).
• Studies show that when engaging children in “meaningful activities
and questions, children often do express, compare, and challenge
their views” and are more willing to discuss them (p.2).
• These activities should include, but are not limited to, reading,
playing music, creating art, watching appropriate television shows,
and various types of play (p.2).
By reading….
• By reading age appropriate
books about gender, race,
and class a child will feel
more comfortable asking
questions (Lee, 2008,p.4-5).
• Books that convey
differences are often the
best way to begin because
they convey biases in a way
children can grasp (p.5).
**All book titles and graphics can be found at www.amazon.com
“Amazing You”…
Offers children
explanations for
children about
their “sex”.
“We’re Different,
We’re the Same” is
a book that
explains diversity
of people.
“The Skin You Live
In” focuses on
diversity through
skin color.
“Monsters are Red,
Monsters are Blue”
focus on differences.
By rhythm ….
• Songs that are incorporated
into a larger diversity theme
offer children a way of
celebrating different
languages, cultures, and
ideas (Lee, 2008, p.4).
• Songs, such as “Different”
offer children another
avenue to discuss
differences.
• The following link provides
a list of “multicultural”
songs:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/booksa/2373319507/
www.songsforteaching.com/diversitymulti
culturalism.htm
Through art created...
•
“Art activities can familiarize children
with skin tones and help them begin
to differentiate subtle distinctions in
tone and hue” (Lee, 2008, p.2).
•
Using skin-tone crayons, markers, and
paints, along with “contemporary and
realistic images of children and adults
from a range of racial groups” help
children create the following:
–
–
–
–
childrensbook.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/how-to-illustrate-a-childrens-book/
Portraits of self
Handprints
Family collages
Books covers about differences (p.2).
www.ehow.com/how_2170119_crafts-using-childrenshandprints.html
Through television…
“Exploring the world and
appreciating different kinds of
people has always made Sesame
Street a favorite among children and
parents confronting issues of
differences (Sesame, 2008).
www.thecutekid.com/parent-center/parenting/10-parent-friendly-tv-shows-for-your-toddlersand-preschoolers/
“Dragon Tales” is centered around a
multicultural landscape with
multicultural characters working
through challenges together.
It offers examples of cooperation and
diversity in an age appropriate
setting (Jackson, 2001).
www.impawards.com/2006/posters/world_according_to_sesame_street.jpg
Through play…….
• Using multicultural dolls is one
way to introduce children to the
idea of race and gender. Around
four or five, introduction of
various housing units for dolls
and action figures can also begin
a conversation about class and
poverty (Lee,2008,p.6).
• Puzzles, games, and role play are
play activities which offer
avenues for learning about
gender, race, and class (p.3).
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/qrc_two/pres_papers/enhancing_school/en
hancing_school_p1.html
“Children do not need to be told
how to play; they do it intuitively.
When children play they have no
awareness of self, only an
awareness of the activity in which
they are engaged…” (Wagner,
2009).
It’s All About Change and Hope
• Through conversations,
activities, and play we can
teach our children about
the world and all of those
in it.
• We can teach them to
understand differences.
• Better yet, we can teach
them to accept those
differences happily.
• It just takes a little time,
patience, and imagination.
We Can Change the World
…ONE CHILD AT A TIME.
www.avancehouston.org/CULTURAL%20DIVERSITY%20Main.htm
Some Additional Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
Additional “Blues Eyes, Brown Eyes” Information:
– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/
Diversity materials:
– http://www.kaplanco.com/diversity.asp
Preschool multicultural themes:
– http://www.first-school.ws/THEME/places.htm
Preschool picture books:
– http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/book-themes.htm
Milly, Molly Diversity toys:
– http://www.millymolly.com/friends/
Talking to children about racism and diversity:
– http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/talking_to_our_children/
– http://www.ehow.com/how_5110350_teach-diversity-preschoolers.html
– http://www.edc.org/newsroom/articles/diversity_preschool
References and Works Cited
•
Allen, Brenda J. (2004). Difference matters: Communicating social identity. Long Grove, IL:
Waveland Press.
•
Ascribed status. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 18, 2009, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/762644/ascribed-status
•
BabyCenter. (2009). How to talk to your child about poverty and homelessness. Retrieved October 17,2009, from:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-talk-to-your-child-about-poverty-and- homelessness_3657091.bc?page=2
•
Derman-Sparks, L., Gutierrez, M., & Phillips, C. (1999). Teaching young children to resist bias: what parents can do. Retrieved October
5, 2009 from: http://archive.uua.org/re/reach/parenting/children_resist_bias.html
•
Frable, Deborah E. (1997). Gender, racial, ethnic, sexual, and class identities. Annual Review of
Psychology, 48, 139-162.
•
Jackson, Terry. (2001). Children’s tv shows air diversity with ethnic characters. Retrieved October 17,
2009 from: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-5833889_ITM
•
Katz, P.A., & Kofkin, J. (1997). Race, gender, and young children. In S.S. Luthar (Ed.), Developmental
psychopathology: perspectives on adjustment, risk, and disorder (51-74). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
•
Lee, R., Ramsey, P., & Sweeney, B. (2008). Engaging young children in activities and conversations
about race and social class. Retrieved October 6, 2009 from:
http://www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200811/pdf/BTJRaceClassConversations.pdf
•
Schaffer, H. R. (1998). Making decisions about children (2nd. Ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
•
Sesame Street. (2009). Celebrate diversity with grover. Retrieved October 19, 2009 from:
http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/diversity
•
Wagner, Andres. (2009, October 18). Children-the importance of play. Message posted to
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Importance-of-Play