Resource List for Mamas

Guest Post by Allison Stair

We know times have been tough with everything going on and now your little one’s going back to school- nothing really makes sense right now. Even making the decision if your kids should go back to school or learn virtually feels wrought with landmines. 

It seems like every day there’s just a new story and a new cause we should be supporting and learning about, and it can be a little exhausting. In a technology-driven world, we are forced to soak up every little bit of information because there’s no escaping it on social media or television. It is important to care but sometimes we are just left feeling burnt out. 

We know it might be a little overwhelming and you might not know what to do with every bit of information but, we believe it is important to try our best and see how we can teach our little ones about what is going on today. 

Here at Joybees, we believe that representation can make a huge impact on the way our little one’s view the world and their peers around them. Proper representation can challenge unintentional views that kids may develop and provides opportunities to teach compassion about our differences.  The good news is now more than ever, there are shows, books, and even toys that we can introduce to our children to show them the importance of acceptance and difference. 

With Black Business Month coming to an end, we wanted to showcase the importance of representation and keep the conversation going beyond today.  

We created a resource list for all you busy moms out there that want to keep the conversation going and teach their children about the world around them, but might not know where to start. 

We got you covered, mamas! Below is a shortlist, composed of children shows, toys, and books, that highlights the importance of difference and representation. These resources are intended to give your little one a better sense of the world around them, how to communicate with their friends at school, and just different ways to be more inclusive. Bonus: most of these are family-friendly! 

Variety has a list of 8 different children shows that highlight different cultures and diversity.  This is a family-friendly list, you are bound to find something the whole family will love!

Todd Parr is an award-winning author and illustrator who has created a variety of children’s books talking about important topics like self-expression, communicating feelings, and different ways people show love. 

• It's Okay to be Different is a book about acceptance and confidence, teaching children to embrace things that might be seen as different.
• Be Who You Are teaches children to not be afraid to express themselves and to be uniquely-you. 
• The Family Book covers the topic of how each family is special in its own way. It highlights different types of families in hopes that children will be proud and share stories of their own family. 

Latifah Miles created a list of 20 children’s toys that embrace diversity and multiculturalism. There is a wide variety of products like dolls with vitiligo and card games to introduce your children to some of the most influential women of all time!

PBS shared a great list of 13 children’s books about race and diversity. They are a great way to show children the importance of representation and encourage conversations moving forward. 

It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, there’s a lot of things to care about. We are just here to help make caring a little easier. This list is only a small set of examples and resources out there that we think can be a great addition to your daily routine. 

We are here to support you, in more ways than just comfy footwear. Let us know your favorite books or shows that are all about inclusion and diversity, we’d love to share it.