Are Your Kids Represented In The Books They Read?
Are Your Kids Represented In The Books They Read?
I want to raise my children in a world full of diversity and a love for anyone different than them.
Growing up, I was always a book lover. I couldn't wait for my teachers to pass out the scholastic book fair catalogs because I would race home and beg my mom for as many books as she could afford. Then I would eagerly wait to bring the books home and hole up in my room and read them all!
My favorite part was seeing myself in the stories. I would open a book like Ramona and see a little girl just like me. It was a comforting feeling.
My husband is just as big of a reader as I am. The first thing we had to buy when we got married were five book cases. Yes, you read that right... Five large bookcases. We even had to get rid of a box or two of books because we had a lot of doubles!
Reading was a passion we definitely wanted our children to share. I started buying books as soon as the pregnancy test turned up positive.
I quickly realized how difficult it was to find books that would represent our multiracial family and our biracial children. I wanted my children to share the same feelings I did when reading their books.After talking about it with my husband, we quickly made the decision to hunt down books with multiracial families and children of color. We wanted to fill their rooms with stories of little boys just like them.
When kids read books, they want to identify with the characters. Most of the books they read are an inspiration to them. It may inspire them to be adventurous, to stand up against the bad guys in the world, or even to be who they are.
By seeing kids that look like them, they start to let go of the limits they've put on themselves. They start to believe that they can do anything they set their minds to. I want my kids to dream as big as their little minds let them.
Are you looking for books with multiracial families? Here are some of our favorites.
Mixed Me by Taye Diggs
Mixed Me is all about Max, a biracial little boy. He is constantly answering questions about being mixed race. He loves that he's a perfect mix of mommy and daddy.
I Am Mixed by Garcelle Beauvais
I Am Mixed is all about twins Jay and Nia discovering how great it is to be a blend of multiple cultures.
Mixed Blessing: A Children's Book About a Multi-Racial Family by Marsha Cosman
Young kids don't realize they're biracial right away. It takes them time to understand that they're different. This book walks with a child as he discovers he's different than mommy and daddy in a fun and creative way.
What I Like About Me by Allia Zobel Nolan
This book celebrates the diversity in our world. Instead of feeling bad about looking different than your friends, this book tells you how special we all are!
I Am Flippish by Leslie V Ryan
This book is all about Sean and his experience when his friends start to ask him why he doesn't look like his daddy.
Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown
Marisol is beautiful and doesn't match. She is proud of being biracial and won't let anyone put her in a box.-----
Fill your house with books that will remind your children how special they are to be different. Do you have a favorite book about interracial families?
*I get a small commission when you purchase these books off Amazon. Whether you're looking into the books to support me or find your children some amazing books.. you can't lose!*
How To Simplify Your Children's Bedtime Routine
Simplify your children's bedtime routine with a few simple steps! Then you can spice up your evenings with a free Game Story printable!
Our bedtime routine.
6:30 Turn off any shows the kids may be watching and send them upstairs to get ready for bed. While the big kids are brushing teeth and getting on their jammies I start getting my youngest ready. After he's cozy and ready I lather him up in lavender and coconut oil. I just started doing this with all of my kids before bed and it's been a game changer. It helps them all to calm down and has been helping my oldest with his bad dreams.
7:00 My youngest gets smothered in kisses, we pray, and then he goes to bed. He's the easiest to put down to sleep because he loves bed time. I kid you not, he actually loves it. All you have to do is tell him it's bed time, he gets his blankey, and starts to climb upstairs.
Then I go to my big kids room only to find my older kids not ready for bed yet. It doesn't matter that I asked them to get ready. They tend to be playing hide and seek or jumping on their beds (trying to stay away from the lava.) I remind them, for the countless time to get ready for bed. After a bit of help, they get ready and race into their room.
7:30 This is my kids favorite part of the night. Game story. We all pile into one of our kids beds and get our creative juices flowing. Everyone starts to jump in saying who gets to start the story. It usually ends up being my husband or myself.
Game story rules: Each person gets to tell a small portion of the story. After someone takes their turn, the next person will start off where they stopped.
Game story has become a family tradition in our house. We even include any houseguests we may have.
8:00 We tuck the kids in bed, give them kisses, turn on their clock night light, and close their door.
8:02 The kids ask for a drink of water.
8:03 The kids ask for another drink of water.
Our Bedtime Routine Essentials
Blanket / Coconut Oil / Kid's Clock / Game Story Printable
What does your bed time routine look like?
Multicultural Corner: Raising Global Citizens
My husband and I made the decision to homeschool our kids for so many different reasons. We both loved the idea of having flexibility to fit around my husband work schedule, the ability we would have to teach them the way they learned best, and the fact that we could choose their curriculum.Since we've started we've been able to do studies on butterflies, nature, and the ocean. I love seeing how excited my kids get when we start a new study. They want to soak everything in and they always have so many questions. My favorite part about homeschooling has been our discussions!We cozy up on the couch and talk about our study for the month. Often times it goes off on tangents where we daydream actually experiencing what we're learning about. Which of course leads to giggles and silly kids.I will always cherish these conversations with my kids. I do everything I can to teach my children that I'm there for them. I want them to know they can talk to me about anything. This is why there are no silly questions in our house. I'll be teaching the kids about butterflies and my three year old will ask me if he'll ever become a butterfly himself...I love it. I love their little questions.As a mother, it's my privilege to be able to teach them about the world and everything inside of it.[tweetthis display_mode="button_link"]As a mother it's my privilege to be able to teach them about the world and everything inside of it. #aiwtribe[/tweetthis]
Our Very Own Multicultural Corner
Last month, I sat down and tried to brainstorm different ideas on how I could get my kids excited about our diverse world. I want them not only to be raised as biracial children loving two cultures, but as global citizens who love the whole world.Then it came to me. Multicultural corner. Every month we're going to focus on a new multicultural resource. The goal of this is to get our kids excited about the world and to learn more about different cultures.Along with our multicultural resource we're going to do hands on activities, prepare delicious food, and share what we learn together.
Mixed Me
This book has been an amazing addition to our little library. It does a wonderful job of teaching kids the beauty in their biracial identity. There aren't many books out there that discuss multicultural families and Tay Diggs has taken his own experiences in teaching his son and has given us a great resource.Mixed Me walks us through the life of Mike. He is a little boy trying to figure out his biracial identity. Throughout the book he asks questions about his parents and himself. He wants to understand how he can be a blend of both of them when he looks so different.While my kids and I read this book I could see the excitement in their faces. My oldest son instantly felt a connection between the Mike and himself."Momma, he's like me!"
How You Can Join Multicultural Corner With Your Kids
Whether you're homeschooling your kids or you just want to create opportunities to encourage them to learn about the world around them, join us each month for multicultural corner! We will post new activities and ways for your family to join us!This month, we're starting off by talking about biracial identities. Pick up your own copy of Mixed Me from the library or get your own. We can't wait to hear the conversations it gets going with your family.
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Share Your Own Multicultural Corner Resources, Activities, and Recipes!
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Teaching My Multicultural Kids What's "Normal"
My Little Explorers
One of my favorites part of homeschool has been watching my kids explore. My little boys are curious about everything around them! If you look into their eyes, you can see they're always pondering something.Momma, why can't I marry you?Why can't we spend your grocery money on our toys? Aren't toys more important?Why doesn't everyone speak Telugu like daddy and me?I love hearing the questions their little minds come up with. While I may be assuming they're only thinking about the toy in their hand, they're actually processing life going on around them. They want to figure it all out.Sometimes, these questions are centered around what they want in the moment, like going toy shopping rather than grocery shopping. Other times, they're thinking about something much deeper. I'm always surprised to hear how deep their questions can become.Lately, my oldest son, Liam has been pondering the differences between him and those around him. As a biracial child, he's not new to the idea of being different than some of his friends, but he's starting to identify how they're different.
I Speak Normal
This week, we went to the store to pick up a few supplies. While we there, Liam overheard a few employees speaking in Spanish. He's fascinated with other languages because this is the first year he's had a personal desire to pick up more Telugu.He immediately started talking to me and asked if they were speaking Spanish. I said yes and he started to go off in his own version to show off for them, throwing in a few real Spanish words.He was so proud of himself. Then I became the mom that reminded him most of what he said was made up. Luckily, he just laughed and he started listing off all the Telugu words he knows.I love that he wants to explore languages, but I don't ever want him to come off as mocking someone else. I want him to know the difference between a made up language and a real language. Then he brought up one of his cousins who grew up in India.Momma, why doesn't he speak normal like me?Hun, there's not really a normal language. People across the world grow up speaking different languages and he grew up speaking Telugu. It's normal to him. Mom... Listen to me. See.. I'm speaking normal. It took some time to explain to him that normal is relative, but it got me thinking. I don't want to raise kids that think they're way is the only "normal" way. Right now, he's young and he's trying to process the world around him. I love that he's able to talk to me about everything he sees and wants to know more about.
Diversity Is Normal
I want my kids to grow up knowing diversity is what's normal. I want them to be able to look around and see the beauty in the differences between cultures.The more I can talk to my kids about the differences they see, the more normal it becomes. "Normal" is relative. It changes for everyone. However, one thing that should always be normal is a love for different cultures around the world.As my kids continue to question and figure out the world, I'm going to be right next to them. I want to help them as they figure it out.It's our role as parents to teach our kids the beauty of diversity. How can you do that? You do it by pointing out racial inequality, talking to your kids about what's going on the world, encouraging them to ask questions, and teaching them that all lives matter.Sometimes, I look at the news and for a moment, I wish I could hide it all from my kids. I don't want them to see how terrible people can be. I don't want them to know that some people are so hateful that they see their race as better than another.It's my job as their parent to talk to them about the hard things. I'd rather be the one to tell them, so I can also be the one to remind them all lives are important and diversity is what makes our world so beautiful.
Back To School Tips For Multicultural Families
Back To School Tips For Multicultural Families
Homeschool
Gather Multicultural Resources
While collecting your supplies for the year, be sure to keep an eye out for multicultural resources. Homeschooling provides a great opportunity to focus your curriculum on what you want to teach your kids. Look around online and at local stores for multicultural pretend play items or books featuring characters from different countries.
Teach Your Children About The World
It's easy for families to center their curriculum around the cultures they're blending in their family. However, it's important to remind your kids they're global citizens. This means they should be learning about cultures around the world. Take them to different countries throughout every lesson throughout the year.
Attend Multicultural Events In Your Community
Most towns have a number of multicultural events throughout the year. Go online and find out which ones your town offers and put them on your family calendar. These events are a great way to not only learn about different cultures but experience them. Our town just through a huge celebration for India's Independence Day.
Public Schools
Meet With Your Child's Teacher
Scheduling a time to meet with your child's teacher provides an opportunity to help them get to know your family. This is the opportunity to let them know if your child speaks another language, cultures your blending at home, and answer any questions they may have. It's a good idea to be on the same page with your child's teacher. They might even incorporate different activities or have fun ideas on how to bring in your child's culture to the classroom.
Propose A Multicultural Event
Integrate your child's culture into their classroom by volunteering to help through a special event or teach them about a tradition practiced in your home. Teachers love parent volunteers! Tell them a few ideas you have on how to teach the class about a different culture.
Dual Immersion Schools
Make Sure You Value Both Languages
Your children need to know their family values both languages they're learning. Be careful not to make one seem more important. This will encourage them to figure out why they value the languages they're learning. They need to value what they're learning to be willing to put in the hard work.
Don't Make Your Child Show Off Constantly
What is your first thought when you see how much your child is learning? You want to show them off to all your friends and family! Look what she can say! Don't turn your kids into a parrot. It can embarrass them and make them less willing to learn a new language.
Be Aware Of The Challenges
Being fully immersed into a new language can hard. Your kids may deal with struggles, but it's ok. It's a normal part of the process. If you're worried, ask for a meeting with your teacher. They can let you know how your child is doing and what you can do to encourage and help them through the challenges.
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Whether you're homeschooling, putting your kids in public school, or doing a dual immersion program remember you can always put a multicultural spin on their education. You are raising a global citizen. This means it's your responsibility to excited them about other cultures and blend your culture into daily lives.
Multicultural Round Up #2: Top Posts For Multicultural Families
This week's Multicultural Round Up is full of great posts from moms around the blogosphere. They're all sharing about their multicultural families and I know you'll love them as much as I do!
Top Posts For Multicultural Families
Image Credit: Vanessa from De Su Mama
6 Myths Of Interracial Marriages According To A Latina Wife
Vanessa from De Su Mama does an amazing job at identifying some of the common things people think about interracial marriages. One of the myths that stood out to me the most was #6 All Interracial Relationships Are The Same. Every relationship is different because we as couples are different. It's important to understand how different our relationships are so we don't start comparing them to each other.
Image Credit: Stacy-Ann from Weather Anchor Mama
What You Should Know About Raising Biracial Children
I love this post by Stacy-Ann from Weather Anchor Mama. She talks about some of the key things multicultural families need to know, want to know, or are asking. She even has a great video at the end on some secret tips from her and her husband!
Image Credit: Mari from We Are That Familia
Parenting Biracial Children: 6 Tips From Moms Who Have Been There
This post is seriously amazing! It's a list of tips from moms with multicultural families. They all share advice and wisdom they've gained from years of raising multicultural children and being in intercultural relationships.
Image Credit: Ellie From Musing Momma
Dealing with Questions & Curiosity as Parent in a Mixed Race Family
Ellie from Musing Momma has been one of my favorites for a while now. She is a psychologist and a mom with a multicultural family. The advice she gives is amazing and practical. This post is all about questions parents of multicultural children get and how to respond.
Image Credit: David Martinez, Renee Loiz
16 Easy Ways To Raise A Bilingual Child
Pam does a great job over at Parents in giving us advice on how to raise bilingual children. Many multicultural families struggle to teach their children multiple languages because it can seem overwhelming. This post is full of fun and simple ideas!