Rebekah Gienapp

One of the biggest mistakes I see caregivers and educators make when it comes to kids and social justice is taking the topic too seriously. (I know from personal experience about all the ways to make this mistake!) Play is how children learn. So if we want to faciliate kids’ learning about social justice, we need to find ways to make it lighter, more playful, and fun.

But how can we make such serious injustices “fun”, you might be wondering. Won’t this take away from kids understanding just how urgent these problems are?

Maybe you’ve planned out how to engage children’s thinking as they’re learning about social justice.

But have you thought about how to capture their imaginations and their hearts? In my experience working with kids in camps, in congregations, and in our homeschool life, this is an essential, and often overlooked, element.

Focusing on fun, curiosity, and play as kids are learning about social justice issues topics also helps us keep things age-appropriate. Children are not adults, so the way we explore racism, anti-gay bias, sexism, and other forms of oppression needs to be tailored to them.

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How to add in fun for kids as you’re learning about social justice

1. Adopt a playful mindset

When our younger son (named “Godzilla” for the purposes of this blog) was little, I often asked myself how I could make him learning about a justice issue I cared about.

Experience taught me that: a) you can’t make a child do anything, and b) this attitude turned some of our learning opportunities into frustrating power struggles.

As Godzilla got older and I became wiser, I saw that when I introduced a topic lightly and held my expectations loosely, he learned so much more. Having a more playful attitude took the pressure off of both us, which instantly made the potential for joy and fun higher.

2. Incorporate art, drama, music, and movement into your social justice learning

Arts and movement are excellent ways to add in play for several reasons. First, kids absorb more when their bodies and imaginations are engaged. Second, to tackle injustices, as kids and as adults, we need to be able to envision the world as we want it to be. The arts are a fantastic way to extend imagination.

So, put on a kid-friendly social justice playlist the next time you’re building Legos at home or when your students are working on a hands-on project. Better yet, make time for a dance party to the songs!

If you have a classroom full of kids or even just a group of 4 or 5 kids, explore systemic racism as you engage the body with this spiderweb building activity.

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3. Learn about activists who share your kids’ interests

Is your child a passionate athlete? Read a book about Colin Kaepernick and talk about his activism. (Try this book for young kids or this one for tweens and teens.)

Maybe your child loves to paint or make posters. Read this picture book about how Ben Shahn used his art for social justice, or check out this guide to art-ivism for older kids.

4. Listen to kids’ podcasts and watch age-appropriate social justice videos

If your family spend a lot of time in the car, podcasts are a great option! I created a list of my favorite diversity and justice themed podcasts for kids here.

It can take a bit more time and effort to sift through all the video content that’s out there. Look especially for videos that incorporate humor and empathy. Here are a couple of YouTube channels that often have good kid-friendly anti-bias and social justice content:

Sesame Workshop

A Kids Co (the folks behind the popular series A Kids Book About…)

5. Point to the ridiculousness of various forms of prejudice and injustice

As a sarcastic tween, my son Godzilla loves nothing more than mocking things he finds stupid. Often the targets of his witty observations are people selling useless objects online.

But I’ve also seen that when we’re reading engaging non-fiction about people who’ve challenged injustice, he enjoys putting himself in their shoes. He’ll go on mini-rants, talking about how unfair and ridiculous what they’re facing is.

The same thing happens when we’re reading novels or watching movies and a character faces prejudice. Sometimes the things Godzilla says he wants to do to stick up for the character are a bit violent, but I try to lean into his feelings about just how wrong the injustice is.

6. Relate learning about social justice to kids’ everyday lives

If the only examples of racism we give are ones that affect adults, kids are less likely engage with them. Spend some time thinking about how a particular justice issue affects them (or other children) directly. Now, how can you explore it with activities they find interesting?

For example, at a Peace Camp I led a few years back, the younger learners loved challenging gender stereotypes through a dress up activity. In a discussion about living wages, one of the older learners latched on to just how low pay was for janitorial workers at our local university because “I make more money mowing lawns, and I don’t even do that good a job.”

What if you check out some of the most commonly challenged/banned books? Ask your kids to choose one to read together that looks especially interesting.

7. Shine a light on kid activists, not just adults

Finding examples of all the many different ways kids can be activists no matter their personality types is one of the things we dive deep into in my Nurturing Antiracist White Kids course.

Kids are much more likely to find the activism of a fellow young person interesting than that of an adult. You can find profiles of young activists in this blog post.

To add even more interest, see what you can find out about a particular young activist beyond their stance for justice. Maybe they love to play Minecraft as much as your kiddo, or they take ballet lessons too!

8. Lean into your child’s favorite book genre

There are plenty of children’s books that directly teach about particular topics like racism, and I often recommend them.

But sometimes it’s more interesting – and effective – to look for stories from your child’s favorite genre that indirectly explore injustice, bias, and activism.

Here are just a few ideas:

Twice as Many Friends/El doble de amigos (for 3 – 7 year olds who love sing-along books)

Daddy Speaks Love (for 4 – 8 year olds who love books about families)

Thunder Rose (for 5 – 9 year olds who like tall tales)

Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen (for 7 – 10 year olds that like strong-willed girl stories)

Lost in the Tunnel of Time (for 7 – 10 year olds who like mysteries)

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (for 10 – 14 year olds who love fantasy)

Know a caregiver or educator who’s wants to explore social justice with kids? Share this post with them!