Building a brighter, fairer future for all

The early years are vital for shaping children’s views and attitudes. You can make a difference to how your child sees the world.

It is important for you to think about your own views and be open to exploring your thinking.

Boys and girls can do everything! But they are often treated differently, from an early age. Limitations can start early and hold children back.

Parents of all races, ethnicities and cultures need to work together to understand how harmful racism is to everyone. Talking about race is the first step in challenging racism.

Helping your child to develop anti-racist attitudes is so important: every child and family should have a sense of belonging irrespective of their race, ethnicity or culture.

From three months, babies are aware of other races. Children are inquisitive. Your child might notice differences in skin colour or ask questions that make you feel uncomfortable. It is important that your response is calm, positive and well-informed.

How you can help your child to talk about race

Between the ages of birth to three, children are naturally curious about the world around them. Giving your child books and toys that show people from a range of ethnicities positively is so important.

From the age of three, children start to notice if things aren’t shared fairly. They start to show us they don’t like this.

Further research includes When Getting Something Good is Bad: Even Three-year-olds React to Inequality on the Wiley Online Library.

From around the age of five children can talk about unfairness. You can start to have conversations about how unfair things can happen because of the colour of somebody’s skin.

Children of this age love to engage in role play and pretend play. This will help your child to learn about other peoples' ideas, feelings and actions.