Should I be talking to my young children about race? What is a good age to start?

The short answer? YES! and perhaps earlier than you might think.

Many parents and caregivers worry that drawing their child's attention to racial differences and identities may create an awareness or a divide that wasn't there in the first place. With the best of intentions, it would be easy to assume that providing we do our best to raise a good and kind young person, we can approach any observations or questions surrounding differences with a "we are all equal, no matter what we look like" kind of mantra. This would be ok in an ideal world, but unfortunately we haven't created one of those just yet.

It's problematic to adopt this approach to race with our children, where we don't intentionally acknowledge and teach about racial identities and differences as not only does this deny a person's full identity, it also fails to grasp and nurture the wonder and curiosity of children.

Children see colour. Studies have now proven this, we know that they are seeing differences, categorising and trying to make sense of the world around them from very young.

Studies suggest that from as young as 6-9 months old, babies are beginning to notice differences in skin and hair texture. They also show signs of beginning to favour learning information from faces that match the race of their primary care givers.

Now, whilst it's unlikely you'll be having conversations about race with your 9 month old, it's not too early to start exposing and normalising interaction with people, books, toys, stories, pictures and dolls representing diverse racial backgrounds. Certainly between the ages of two and five, children begin to form their identities and understanding of the world, which is a crucial time to have introduced these things into our homes, and have begun having age appropriate conversations about skin colour and racial differences.

As children grow, statistics show that children exposed to diverse perspectives are more likely to show empathy and act against injustice. This stage is key for instilling a sense of justice and responsibility toward advocating for fairness, shaping their moral compass regarding race. These are the kind of young people we need as future leaders and light makers.

If we consciously and intentionally teach our children to recognise and celebrate the existence of differences, I believe they will be better prepared to recognise and challenge less inclusive environments and spaces. They need to understand that society does not hold equal space for white and non-white, therefore when they spot injustice they may be more likely to speak up or strive for change.

So start young, start now. By having these conversations early and continuing them throughout their development, we can positively influence a child's understanding and appreciation of diversity.