Explain racism to children in a way that is easy to understand

With the emergence of various backgrounds and characters of people, racism has also flourished. Without proper education, children who are not fully able to process information may commit acts of racism without realizing it. This is why it is important for parents to explain racism to their children from an early age.

Racism does not only take the form of violence. Even simple things like jokes can provide a platform for this behavior. Education about racism can help your little one recognize good and bad attitudes along with their social development.

How to explain racism to children

Racism is not a simple topic. It may take you several conversations with your children before they understand the meaning. To make it easier for you, here are the steps that can be taken according to their age group:

1. Age 2-5 years

Children are able to see the difference between themselves and others, but they cannot identify people by race, gender, or ethnicity. They also do not know discrimination against people who are different from them.

If your little one has never met someone different from him, he will perceive them as something foreign. So, take advantage of this moment by introducing as much diversity to the child as possible.

Teach your child to be friends with people of different skin colors and hair shapes. Invite him to eat food that your family never made. If possible, try to introduce the child to a second language.

You cannot clearly explain racism to children. However, you can work around this by:

Be honest and open. Let your child know that everyone is born different.
Don't ignore children's questions about people's differences.
Don't use stereotypes such as, "Your friend talks loudly because he is Batak," or "Boys shouldn't play cooking."
Show your child that your friends are diverse too.

2. Age 6-12 years

Explaining racism to children is easier at this point, but you shouldn't be too rigid. Ask what your child heard at school and what he watched on TV today. Establish communication with children by letting them tell as much as possible.

Children at this stage understand the feelings of hatred and feelings when they are being treated unfairly. He will be surprised every time he sees a friend who is there -bully or when not given the ball by a friend during sports lessons.

Your child will ask you more and more questions that you don't expect. At the same time, she also imitated the way her parents talked and interacted with other people around her.

Here are some tips that you can follow at this stage:

Be a role model for children by being kind to others regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, and so on.
Ask the child if he feels different from other people. If so, ask what makes him feel this way.
If your child says something racist, don't just shut up. Ask the reason, then explain that such an attitude is not good.
Invite children to watch TV or do activities that can provoke discussion.

3. Ages 13-17 years

This is the most important time to explain racism to children. The reason is, adolescents will collect various information about the people around them in order to find identity. He wanted to know where his position was in the social group.

Teenagers are also inundated with information from the use of social media. Without parental supervision, the use of social media can change the mindset of adolescents. These changes may have an impact until they are adults.

On the other hand, parents sometimes find it difficult to get close to their teenage children. This happens because teenagers tend to trust their friends more. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as you keep trying to instill positive values in it.

Here are some tips you can try:

Keep chatting with children often. Even though they seem indifferent, children actually still want to have discussions with their parents.
Invite him to chat about hot issues, such as bully , celebrities who are currently viral, and others.
Introduce children to volunteer activities, extracurricular activities, and so on so that their association becomes wider.
Make sure your behavior matches the words and advice you give.

Nobody is born with racism. Racism is behavior that is formed from feelings of insecurity, self-defense mechanisms, and environmental influences. Although the impression is hard to believe, it can go back to childhood.

This is the importance of explaining racism to children. That way, children will understand that everyone has differences and there is nothing wrong with them. The diversity that exists can actually unite him and others around him.