The Building Blocks of Social Justice Teaching in The Dancing Primes (Toddlers)

We are working on teaching building blocks for social justice learning in the Dancing Primes. We are working on identifying and naming colors as well as observing the colors we see in each other and in books. We have been reading the book Be Who You Are by Todd Parr. Todd Parr uses simple, relatable images and comforting language to help children learn that who they are is perfect and should be celebrated. We are having discussions about skin color and hair color and noticing the subtle differences that some of us have. In order to talk about skin color, the students first need to be able to identify and choose colors, so we have been doing a lot of work around learning colors through the use of art materials like markers, paint, crayons, etc. When playing with toys or reading books, students are asked about colors and encouraged to think about the world of color around them.  

We have also begun discussing “families,” in our classroom and how every family is different, but have similarities such as, “all families love each other.”  We are teaching that some families have parents, Grandparents, cousins, aunts, pets, etc. in their home and some do not. We are helping students to identify who is in their own family, what they like to be called, and how they show love to each other. The Family Book, another Todd Parr book, is a board book that describes the ways in which families are different and the same. The book shows pictures of families that are all different colors and sizes, have differences in their food preferences, or have different ways they celebrate special days or holidays together. The book has cute and funny pictures of animals as well as people and has relatable content for all the students. As we talk about families, students are identifying who their families are and how they’re different from and similar to their friends’. When reading a page about different parents, students were asked, “Who are your parents?”

M:  “I have Mama and Mom!

C: “I have one Mommy and one Daddy and one sister”

P: “Mama and Daddy!”

N: “Damma Bop”

O: “Mama, Papa”

A: “I have a Mama and Papa too!”

O: “My Mama and Papa!”

A: “Mommy Daddy”

To be a socially conscious person, you must first know yourself. We are working on teaching the students to learn about who they are, which will eventually help them relate to others. Developmentally, toddlers are in the stage where they are very consumed by their own worlds. By gaining a deeper understanding of where they come from, who is in their lives, what they look like, and how they are the same or different from others, toddlers are gaining valuable skills to then be able to learn more deeply about the world around them. They are developing a strong sense of self and identity, which must happen before they are able to be socially conscious citizens. 

Social justice curriculum work in the toddler classroom begins with exposure. We are exposing the toddlers to books that have stories about people of color, non-traditional family structures, and how they identify their own selves and families. From here we can set the stage for deeper conversations about race, racism, gender, equality, etc. One book we introduced this week is called When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita. This book discusses the transition that a child Aidan goes through as they prepare to welcome their baby sibling to the world. We have a student who is expecting a baby at their house very soon so we wanted to help them prepare while also using the opportunity to introduce ideas around gender identity and gender expression. The book talks about how it feels to be asked if the baby is a “boy” or “girl” when you don’t identify with either of these, like Aidan experiences.  It is a story about love, acceptance, belonging (or feeling like you don’t), and how the love and support of those around us can protect us from feelings of loneliness. When reading to the Dancing Primes, every student was deeply engaged with the story. Even the youngest students were wide eyed and hanging on every word. Many students told me, “I like that book,” after we read it.  It was a reminder to me of just how important it is to expose children to different types of people, families, and ideas. Teaching a language of inclusivity and love for all is one of the most important things we can do as early educators.