Parenting
How to Talk to Children About Racism, Prejudice, and Protests – An Age-by-Age Guide
The world has again been shaken by trauma. Many children will be distressed and confused by what they are seeing, hearing, or experiencing. This is the time to have the conversations that can build a more compassionate, kinder humanity, starting with the children close to you. If we want to raise children who celebrate diversity, and who feel empowered to call out injustice and prejudice in all its forms, we have to talk about what’s happening. First though, we have to help them feel safe.31 Children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance
Research from Harvard University suggests that children as young as three years old, when exposed to racism and prejudice, tend to embrace and accept it, even though they might not understand the feelings. By age 5, white children are strongly biased towards whiteness. To counter this bias, experts recommend acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and as often as possible. Children’s books are one of the most effective and practical tools for initiating critical conversations about racism; and they can also be used to model what it means to resist and dismantle oppression.Words That Help With Worries
Our words can hurt or our words can help. When kids worry, give them language to change their situations and outlooks, and to help keep worries at bay. Here's a list of words that can help children get past their worries.
Podcast: Avoiding Challenging Behaviour Through Movement and Play
In this Preschool and Beyond podcast Rae Pica discusses why children need to move and play, and the positive effects they have on learning and behavior.The Ultimate List of Fun Picture Books
This article is written for parents, but it includes a fun list of 48 engaging picture books that are always a hit at storytime!Free Webinars for Parents/Caregivers
To support you and your family’s mental health during COVID-19, clinical psychologists from Peel Children’s Centre are offering free webinars for parents/caregivers on a variety of topics, such as: making and maintaining routines during school closure; coping with COVID-19 anxiety; understanding and supporting stress in kids; caregiver self-care and more!
Multilingual video series: Parenting Through COVID-19
These are challenging times, for children, for parents, for teachers. For all of us. Roots of Empathy has developed a series of mental health and well-being videos designed for parents of elementary school children. The videos are available in 18 languages, including six Indigenous languages.
New WHO Story Book Helps Explain COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic to Children
The World Health Organization has partnered with over 50 humanitarian organizations to release a children’s storybook to help them understand and cope with all the changes and fears they’re enduring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The free book, available in downloadable and audio forms, is called My Hero is You, How kids can fight COVID-19!
COVID-19: Self-Care for Parents and Caregivers
COVID-19 has impacted our world and families in so many ways, and most have experienced a significant increase in stress. When parents and caregivers take time daily to recharge, they feel better and can pass along a sense of calm and wellbeing to the children. In light of recent events, here are some self-care practices and questions for parents and caregivers that might help them find balance between stress and coping.
24/7 parenting resources in 70 languages
Looking for helpful tips for parents in different languages? Parenting for Lifelong Health has worked with leading organizations like WHO, Unicef and Centers for Disease Control to develop free online parenting resources during COVID-19.