Antiracism Education and Meaningful Learning Activities: Resources To Root Your Early Childhood Classroom In Liberation
Updated: Feb 23
So often, we think that our early childhood students (Preschool-2nd Grade) can't handle complex topics, or that meaningful antiracism education lessons about diversity, equity, inclusion, or justice aren't appropriate for their age. However, if we take a few moments to be honest with ourselves, the truth is likely that we, as adults, just don't feel equipped to facilitate discussions or lessons that promote this kind of critical thinking or touch on something the adult world deems controversial.
As teachers, we are called to be lifelong learners. Antiracism education calls upon us to also be lifelong "un-learners." Sometimes, unlearning from within the harmful paradigms within which we have been raised is the hardest part. I know for myself, reflecting on the harm I caused when I didn't know how to do better is always a painful reminder of how far I still have to go, but also pushes me to keep growing and doing this work.
These systems and structures inform the way we process everything we learn. It is no easy task to simultaneously build a vision of society based on liberation and strip away old habits and falsehoods that were often the cornerstone of our mindsets, all while integrating new information into a still-forming context.
Add on top of all that the charge to impart this essential wisdom to our youngest learners, and it's easy for educators to become so overwhelmed that they just return to business as usual.
If you're reading this, though, I'm guessing you don't want to return to business as usual, because you know that the "usual" path is not the path toward liberation. So, what comes next?
Well, we can't teach what we don't know. So, the first step is always learning and unlearning. We must continually reflect on our own biases, educational experiences, paradigms, and areas for growth. In doing this, it will become easier for us to see the ways in which we can root our pedagogy more deeply in liberation, the ways in which we can strip ourselves of habits ingrained in us by white supremacy culture, and the ways in which we can empower and love our children in ways that foster community as we uplift and affirm them each day.
Life-Long Learning Antiracism Education Resources For Educators
Our own knowledge is always a solid place to focus. The more we educate and re-educate ourselves, the more comfortable we will become with teaching and discussing these topics with our children. Once your knowledge base is solid, integrating antiracism education activities into all facets of the curriculum becomes a more organic and natural part of your planning process.
The list of powerful resources for antiracism education is endless. Here are just some of my favorite antiracism education resources for educators and caregivers who are seeking to unlearn and/or continue learning about a liberation-based pedagogy.
This book by Paulo Freire is foundational to our knowledge of liberation-based pedagogy. Often-quoted and continually relevant!
Britt Hawthorne's website and book are both treasure troves of tangible action steps we can take to integrate antiracism into all of our interactions with our students and children. Her work is super accessible, honest, and straightforward, making parents and educators recognize the power for change that we each possess!
Whether you're checking out the website, his in-person PD offerings, or listening to his phenomenal podcast, Bobby Morgan will inspire you to action. He truly has a gift for facilitating deep conversations about liberation and what he calls "disruptive" education, and educators everywhere would do well to check out his work!
Have a great resource that should be added to this list? Let me know!
Antiracism Education: Resources For Early Childhood Education (And Beyond)
Once you've bolstered your own learning, facilitating this kind of work with young children seems less daunting. Now, it's time to find or create resources that will represent and affirm all of your children, while also giving them to the tools to think critically and work toward liberation. (If you're specifically looking to create a high-quality preschool curriculum and need framework ideas, feel free to check out this article).
If that sounds too overwhelming for early learners, I encourage you to remember that ideas that are complex or controversial to adults are often simple and straightforward for young children. Early learners have an innate sense of joy, hope, justice, and compassion. They have often not yet been jaded by the atrocities of the world, so learning to seek out a liberation-based path comes naturally to them.
If you're looking for antiracism education resources to use directly with your students, whether as DIY inspiration or as ready-made plans to put into action, check out some of these invaluable antiracism education lessons, activities, and resource collections!
This grassroots nonprofit organization continues to grow its impact by creating teacher-curated and fact-checked resource collections for a wide range of social studies topics, all of which are free to access. I have had the privilege of working alongside many amazing and knowledgeable educators to gather and share materials for this project, and I can't recommend these collections enough!
I would love for you to check out the antiracism education and inclusive resources on my website! From culturally responsive SEL to play-to-learn resources focusing explicitly on antiracism, I am proud to offer a variety of educational materials that will help you integrate antiracist practices into all facets of your early childhood instruction.
Ready to grab some easy-to-implement ideas and lessons to jumpstart your antiracism education instruction in the early grades? Snag my free guide to antiracist and inclusive activities for kids, packed with vibrant example images, book recommendations, sensory play ideas, and hands-on learning that is culturally responsive and justice-oriented!
This website is a huge collection of lesson plans, curricular materials, videos, and more. It offers teachers a wealth of time-tested and reliable information, sorted by time period, theme, or type of resource, that can be used in your liberation-oriented classroom!
Formerly known as Teaching Tolerance, Learning for Justice has so much to offer teachers and parents who want to provide their children with a liberation-focused education! Workshops, archives, articles, videos, and more are available to explore and use with students on a wide range of justice-based topics. I used this resource all the time as a classroom teacher, and cannot say enough positive things about the benefits available to everyone who checks it out!
Woke Kindergarten offers workshops, read aloud videos, lesson ideas, and most importantly, super thought-provoking content that will challenge all educators to imagine bigger, better, and brighter futures for our world.
Have a great resource that should be added to this list? Let me know!
Remember, rooting our classrooms and homes in liberation is a long-term journey. Building a new vision takes time, careful planning, and intentional delivery. Committing to antiracism education means that we all must keep reflecting, working, and pushing forward. With purposeful actions we can make impactful changes, and I truly hope the resources and information above will inspire you and your kids! If you are inspired, I would love to hear how these resources are impacting you and your children, so please keep in touch with me!
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