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Did you know children as young as toddlers notice stereotypes? And by elementary school, children can believe that they are less good at , , and other subjects because of their innate characteristics?

Chances are in our conversations with kids, we鈥檝e heard stereotypes. 鈥淏oys don鈥檛 wear pink,鈥� 鈥済irls are bad at math,鈥� 鈥淏lack people don鈥檛 like baseball,鈥� and so on. Many of us would probably react with some degree of alarm if we heard a child say these statements. We might even have a quick moment of panic as we consider how we should respond. Luckily, we have the opportunity to turn moments like these into teachable conversations about important topics.听

It is critical to address and work towards dismantling stereotypes when they arise, especially when you hear them come from a child. Stereotypes are dangerous because they encourage people to believe sweeping generalizations about entire groups of people, and ignore individuality among us.听

What is stereotype threat?

Stereotypes also limit potential. This feeds into a phenomenon called . Stereotype threat is when people underperform when they become self-conscious about negative stereotypes pertaining to one or more characteristics that they possess (such as race, sex, body type, etc.). This phenomenon is clear in these examples:听

• A showed that when Black students were asked to indicate their race before taking a standardized test, they underperformed on the test. (Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. 1995).
• A found that when female students were asked their gender before an AP Calculus test, they underperformed on the test. However, if girls were asked their gender after the test, about 4,700 more girls would receive AP Calculus credit every year. (Danaher and Crandall 2008)

How to fight stereotypes

Stereotypes have far-reaching impacts on children, but as an informed adult, it鈥檚 important to know that there are many things you can do to . Here are just a few:

1. Avoid making sweeping statements about groups of people.听
2. Use inclusive terms.
   • For example, don鈥檛 say 鈥済irls鈥� or 鈥渂oys鈥� when referring to a group of kids. Instead, when gender isn鈥檛 important in what you鈥檙e saying, call them 鈥渟tudents鈥� or 鈥渃hildren.鈥�
3. When your child is exposed to stereotypes, point out exceptions!听
   • For example, when you hear a child say that they are too big to be a ballerina or that Black people don鈥檛 like baseball, show your child examples of ballerinas who have all kinds of body types and Black baseball players and fans. Also, remind them what a stereotype is and that broad generalizations don鈥檛 represent every individual in a group.听

Fighting stereotypes through storytelling

Reading books with children can be an effective tool to fight stereotypes. It鈥檚 really important to make sure children aren鈥檛 reading books that further reinforce negative stereotypes. One great resource to use as you decide what books to share with your kids comes from the Worlds of Words: Center of Global Literacies and Literatures at the University of Arizona College of Education. The includes many excellent suggestions, such as the following:听

• 鈥淟ook for active doers. Do the illustrations depict characters of color in subservient or passive roles or in leadership and action roles?鈥�
• 鈥淩ole of Women. Are the achievements of girls and women based on their own initiative and intelligence? Or are they due to their good looks or to their relationship with boys?鈥�
• Consider the effect on a child鈥檚 self image: 鈥淲ill all children of color from a range of backgrounds find one or more characters with whom they can readily positively identify?鈥�

Another important resource is the , which provides additional considerations to think about when selecting stories for a child. The Guide also makes the excellent point to 鈥渒eep in mind the power of books鈥攖heir words and their images鈥攖o nurture or, conversely, to undermine a child鈥檚 sense of self, positive attitude toward others, and motivation to act for fairness.鈥�

Books can be an amazing tool to help have important conversations with children. Remember to always to questions and comments that children have when reading. Children have a wealth of knowledge and experience about many important topics and can have excellent insight. So keep an open mind and remember that you can learn from your child, just as they learn from you. By picking the right book and facilitating a meaningful conversation about complex topics, you and your child are doing incredible work to combat harmful stereotypes.听

Check out these read alouds of stories that fight stereotypes:

Race and Athletics

听by Misty Copeland

Wheelchairs/Ableism

by Robert Munsch