Practitioner Considerations

At the Early Level, it is unlikely that children can articulate what diversity is or means to them, it is therefore important to be careful not to try and manufacture discussions but instead be ready with clear and helpful answers to any questions asked by children. The normalisation of diversity in books or resources and their availability to allow learners to explore is the important factor to help embed these values in our young children.

Children should not be discouraged from noticing and discussing differences in skin colours. Psychologist Beverly Tatum’s research shows that children not only recognise race from a very young age, but also develop racial biases by ages 3 to 5 that do not necessarily resemble the racial attitudes of the adults in their lives. Not talking about race and racism sends a message to children that it is a taboo topic, no matter what age. Affirming children’s questions and comments about race is a powerful tool to avoid making them feel that conversations about anti-racism are negative. Open conversations about race at a young can also help reduce the internalisation of racial stereotypes.

• Tatum, B. D. (2017) Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
• How to talk to kids about racism: An age-by-age guide 
• The Foundation Stage Forum (FSF) – Home of Early Years Foundation Stage
• Post-Workshop Cheat Sheet: Reflections on Difficult Conversations about Race 
•  Raising Race Conscious Children
• 100 race-conscious things you can say to your child to advance racial justice – Raising Race Conscious Children

When modelling lessons, practitioners should aim to use a variety of character names, again representing different faiths and cultures.  This is important for all classrooms, not just those that include minority members.