As easy as M&M: Teach children about racism through play

14 month old mother, graduate school faculty, and trauma– An informed clinician, I understand how powerful you can play in shaping a child’s understanding of themselves and the world around them. It’s not just about raising it Creativity Problem-solving skills provide a safe environment for children to explore complex ideas such as bias. Racismand inclusion.

One of my favorite ways to teach my son Roman is currently 14 months old and about diversity (even at a younger age). I found that I could adapt these same concepts to older children, like my 5 year old nephew, Kobi, my 11 year old nie, Genevieve and her two sisters (7 and 5). Through play, we can help children process emotions, learn to express themselves, and most importantly, build them Resilience Facing adversity.

Why play

At its heart, Play offers children a way to safely handle it and understand the world around them. Children at different stages of development learn through interactive experiences, and play helps them explore emotions, develop social skills and practice problem solving. It allows them to express themselves, develop relationships and test their actions in a low-stake, supportive environment.

Play-based activities promote creativity and foster emotion bonding Between parents and children. Whether they pretend to be a superhero, build with blocks, or play games that model real-world experiences, children can practice useful skills throughout their lives.

Play-based activities to address bias and inclusion

One of the most enjoyable and influential activities I have used with my clinicians in my family and training sessions is this M&M activity. How does this work:

Step 1: View the M&M bowl. Don’t let the kids touch them yet. Ask what they are seeing. I would recommend explaining the colour, shape and size of M&M.

Step 2: Dive deeper into the conversation. Ask the following questions:

• “What can these M&Ms tell me just by looking at them?”
• “Are these M&Ms better than others?”

This helps children start thinking critically about differences. At this point, I will explain that while there may be a preference for M&M colours, just like in real life, one colour is not superior to another. I may have a favorite for my kids, but I ask them to admit that everything in M&MS is made with the same ingredients, made with chocolate, sugar and love.

Step 3: Have your kids have M&M. Have each child have one M&M. I often ask them to bite it and check the inside, then compare the inside. Despite all the different colors, the interior is the same: chocolate. This is an opportunity to talk about how no matter how you look at the outside, we are all made of the same thing as the inside.

Step 4: Dive deeper into the inclusion values. Ask the following questions:

• “What if we were all the same colours, sizes, or shapes? Would the world be interesting?”
• “What happens if M&M cracks? Does that mean it’s not good?”

This last question is something I particularly enjoy as it allows for a rich conversation about abilities. While some may believe that a broken M&M is not worth eating, I use the moment to explain how to be unfairly treated for things like obstacles and different abilities. Just like M&M, a person is still valuable and deserves love and respect, no matter what their body looks like.

Adapt the game to different ages

When playing this game with family, I notice how activities change based on their developmental stages. Roman is 14 months old and is in the sensory exploration stage. He focuses on experiencing and experiencing M&M rather than understanding deeper lessons. But by attracting him through vision and taste, I plant early seeds of connection and inclusion. At this age, the goal is to make the experience enjoyable and teach the fundamentals of diversity without the need for complex explanations.

For Kobi, 6, you can engage in a more meaningful discussion about what it means to be “different” or something or someone else. Kobi is beginning to understand social relationships and can grasp the notion that people have different preferences and abilities, but still deserve respect. This is a great time to reinforce the idea that you should never judge others based on superficial differences, such as skin tone, clothing you wear, or whether you can walk or speak like other people.

My 11-year-old nie Genevieve is an age where we can appreciate more complex ideas about fairness, bias and inclusion. At this stage we can dig deeper into the conversation about how unfairly people are treated because of these differences. Conversations go from play-based exploration to more thoughtful reflections on real issues, such as how bias affects people’s lives.

Parent-child engagement strategies

The way you play this game with your family is designed to model coping and problem-solving strategies to address bias, exclusion, and injustice. I recommend to my parents:

• Engages in culturally relevant play and storytelling. It uses stories that reflect a variety of cultural backgrounds, family structures, and experiences. When talking about characters facing challenges, children can better understand the struggles that real people experience.
• Use Play to model your coping and problem solving strategies. In my role as a clinician, I often encourage parents to use play to help them navigate difficult emotions. Modeling calmness, perseverance and resilience will help children learn to manage their emotions and respond empathically.
• Create a positive and inclusive home environment. Children surround themselves with diverse experiences such as books, toys, and media, and build an internal framework of inclusion, equality and empathy. This is especially important in a world where children are exposed to many messages.

Teaching resilience through play

Ultimately, the goal of using play to teach children about racism, bias and inclusion is to develop resilience. By making these conversations part of the play, we teach children that the difference is normal and beautiful. We give them the tools they need to understand the world, address challenges, and stand up to the right.

By incorporating these principles into your daily life with your children, whether they are 14 months, six or 11, you create a foundation for lifelong empathy, respect and justice. Just like those M&Ms, we may look different on the outside, but inside, we are all made of the same thing. And that’s what makes us really special.

We share photo resources we use with clinicians and caregivers, and can be saved on your mobile phone for easy reference. other Resources can be found here. We hope this approach will resonate with parents and caregivers as we navigate difficult but important conversations with our children. Remember: Playing isn’t just fun. It is also a powerful tool to build something more inclusive. empathyand a resilient future.