06/01/2026
Sharing a memory from “On This Day” via Community Early Learning Australia ♥️
Many children are fascinated by the visible differences in other children’s skin colour and may ask sensitive or confronting questions. How can we best respond?
In a recent article for our Amplify! blog, Meni Tsambouniaris from Diversity Kids offers advice and tips on approaching this topic, including how to respond when children unexpectedly bring up skin colour.
1. Don’t be embarrassed, and don’t avoid or ignore such comments. It’s better to have this uncomfortable conversation than not to have it at all.
2. Act immediately because immediate action gives the child a better understanding of your response.
3. Once you start this important conversation, keep the conversation going!
4. Use simple, age-appropriate language. Normalise the concept that people come in all skin colour shades and appearances. Just like we have different hair and eye colours, we also have different skin colours, but we’re all the same inside. Extend on this by looking at the similarities and differences in skin colour among family members and friends.
5. Choose and use materials, including books, posters, puzzles, films and dolls representing people with diverse skin colours. Also, incorporate art/craft material in different skin-toned colours (e.g. play dough, paints, crayons, paper).
6. Openly discuss, clarify, and further extend on activities that embrace important concepts such as race, culture, diversity, anti-bias, empathy, belonging, inclusion and community.
7. Be the best role model that you can be. Children learn through observing adult behaviours
Read more via: https://www.cela.org.au/publications/amplify!-blog/feb-2023/should-we-be-talking-about-skin-colour-children
