As a parent, you are hugely responsible for teaching your children about the world around them. From the self-care acts like teaching kids how to tie their shoes to instilling values like honesty and kindness, you play a crucial role in shaping their life.
Unfortunately, some parents fail to teach their children about specific world issues, particularly Black history, profoundly impacting their children. From reinforcing negative stereotypes to hindering social development, the impacts are saddening.
However, hands-on and interactive activities are all you need to ensure that your preschooler kid receives well-rounded teaching that includes diverse contributions and experiences of Black Americans.
In this article, you’ll learn about six fun and empowering Black history activities for preschoolers and important historical figures and events to inspire them to become change-makers.
Table of Contents
What Is Black History For Kids?
It is helpful to begin by understanding what Black history is. So you may want to ask, what is Black history for preschoolers? According to National Geographic Kids, Black History commemorates the contributions of African Americans to the United States. The day honors all Black people throughout the ages of U.S. history, from the slaves first brought over from Africa in the early 1600s to the present African Americans living in the United States.
This aspect is so special in American history that we should not leave out children as young as 4. But parents need to approach the issue with caution to ensure it brings good results.
How to Introduce Black History Activities to Preschoolers
Before you start activities to teach your preschoolers anything about Black History, it will be good to appreciate everyone around you.
The content and activities you go with should be fact-based from various times in American history. Reading biography and autobiographies, factual stories, encyclopedias, and documentaries are vital content materials. In all these, the content and language used should be age-appropriate.
Teach children that the importance of Black History is to remember and celebrate.Your child needs to acknowledge the achievements that African Americans accomplished. To help introduce this topic, bring up a story about how you celebrate a member of your family’s birthday. Yes, explain to the kid that you’re learning about important things that happened before birth and not just the injustices.
You, however, need to ensure certain things when teaching your 4 year old and preschoolers in general this matter.
First, Focus on the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion
- Make them understand that Black History is American History. Ensure they understand diversity and inclusion are important everywhere. Teach your kids that people from different backgrounds and cultures make contribution so they should respect and be kind to everyone.
Second, Celebrate Important Cultural Events like Black History Month
- Show the child the relationship between past and current eventsso that the topic becomes relevant to the child’s life and ensures learning happens. When celebrating cultural events like Black History Month, teach your child about these important events and Black historical figures.
Finally, Identify Your Child’s Interest
- Identify what interests your kid and relate this interest to black history. Never focus on shallow cultural traits based on stereotypes, but if your child loves African American music, you can celebrate together.
Once you introduce the preschooler to Black history, teaching kids about the same requires interactivity. Parents should embrace hands-on activities that make learning more engaging and interactive for preschoolers.
In the following sections, you will learn practical activities to engage your kid.
List of Black History Activities for Preschoolers You Can Do With Your Kid
Read Age-Appropriate Books
The first activity would be to read books with your child. Reading books to preschoolers presents an effective way to teach them about anything you want children to learn.
Read age-appropriate books about Black history and culture and discuss with them what they learned. Music-inspired board books and books featuring Black children and families are those you may want to consider. Books like ‘‘A is for Activist’’ by Innosanto Nagara or “Henry’s Freedom Box” by Ellen Levine may be more impactful.
Bo for books that are not too wordy and do not focus only on oppression, slavery, and misfortunes. The content should easily sink in for children between 3 and 5 years.
Read out loud at home when you are teaching your kid. And do not limit the reading to only February, Black History Month. Commit to regularly read other books about people from different races to your preschooler kid.
What you choose to read to the child should help them find heroes, role models, and special contributions they made.
Books about black men in history contributing to various spheres of life should be on your bookshelf. Civil rights leaders, dancers, athletes, authors and other men/women who made massive contributions are some of the options you can consider.
To celebrate diversity, there are books you can consider. Specifically, books that use simple poetic language and beautiful photos of different skin tones and hair textures can instill a sense of pride in your child’s heritage.
TIP: The book you choose should allow your preschooler to reflect and look forward to what they can do to make generational changes.
Introduce Children to Black Musical Genres
It helps to teach your child about Black history through music.
For example, listening to jazz or gospel music from different eras can give your kid more information about the experiences of Black folks in America in the past periods.
You can also teach them about Black musicians like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald and their significant contributions to the music industry.
Furthermore, you can access a fun collection of animated Shopify and Youtube videos with beautiful tunes, stories, and facts about black history. Such songs not only present children with a learning opportunity about the contributions of African-Americans. Songs also allow them to appreciate important figures in the society.
Animated music videos will make it easier to teach your preschooler about important people in US history. When a child hears their favorite rap songs and remixed classic nursery rhymes, they will find it enticing and engaging. In the process, what they about the accomplishments of Black people sinks in because of the fun interactive way of music.
It is a great feeling for children to see people that look like them achieving amazing things. This representation can be a huge motivator for your young kid. Animated videos can motivate your kid when they see what others have achieved without conspicuously labeling characters with racial terms.
Create Art Activities That Celebrate Black Culture
You can illustrate to your child stories using folk art and paint portraits.
You can have your child use art materials of all colors and shades to create self-portraits or portraits of significant figures in Black history.
Besides, making collages with your preschooler will be a fun and educational activity you may want to try. Find pictures of Black figures online, print them, and ask your child to cut out images. They can then stick the photos side by side to make a collage. As they do this, teach them about each person’s contribution to Black history.
Visit Black History Landmarks or Museums
If possible, tour the National Museum of African American History with the child in person or online if you cannot physically access the museum. For online access, visit the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. website, the early childhood section with the little one, and explore their collection.
The section has a collection of materials and objects for preschoolers to learn about history. Should you take the child in person, allow the child to engage in fun, age-appropriate experiences, and resources for children. One such activity includes lessons inspired by Maya Angelou’s”Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” and Useni Eugene Perkin’s ”Hey Black Child.”
Similarly, you can virtually tour the Black Heritage Trail in Boston and learn more about black history. Your child can learn about the life of free Black Massachusetts residents in the 18th and 19th centuries before the founding of the US.
Apart from museums, you can regularly visit important sites representing important Black people and events in U.S. history. You can teach your children about Black history and culture while having a memorable family vacation. For instance, by visiting Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City, your child can see some of the rare artifacts of Black history in the United States. They will see the original book of poetry written by Phillis Wheatley in the 18th century, and works by Malcolm X and Booker T. Washington, helping your preschooler connect with their culture.
Teach Children about Black Leaders and Activists
Explore with your preschool child, the contributions and accomplishments of Black people in US history. Encourage the child to be curious about the blacks’ contribution to science, politics, activism, and art.
You may want to revisit people like Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks, and how they contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.
Watch a video of either of them. Once done, ask the child to brainstorm thetraits of the heroyou just watched. Ask the child to draw a picture of what they can do to help and protect the rights and freedoms ofpeople in your community. They can also write something about what they learned.
Lastly. to achieve a lasting impact, consider role-playing activities to help your child understand what it means to stand up for what is right.
Fun-Facts as You Carry Out Black History Activities for Preschoolers with Your Child.
| Name | Contribution | Place of Birth | Population (Census 2020) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Washington | First Black NFL player. | Los Angeles, California | 3,898,747 |
| Shirley A. Chisholm | First Black woman elected to theUnited States Congress | Brooklyn, New York | 2,736,074 |
| Benjamin O. Davis Sr | First African American generalin the U.S. Army | Washington, D.C | 689,545 |
| Norbert Rillieux | Most noted for inventing anenergy-efficient means of evaporating water | New Orleans, Louisiana | 383,997 |
Cooking Traditional Black Culture Foods
Food is a powerful strategy to let your kid learn about Black history. Use your cooking prowess to teach your preschooler.
African American foods like gumbo and soul food hugely influenced American culture. The recipes have a strong connection with Black history’s culinary.
Adrian Miller, a scholar on Soul food supports why you should use recipes to teach kids about Black history effectively. According to parents.com, African American recipes should motivate parents to pass on the knowledge to their children. Through this, your preschooler will understand that just like other aspects of society, the history of food is as important.
TIP: As you cook food with your child, explain to them how different cooks, chefs, and all of the creative people in this food space have helped shape American cuisine and American history.
As we conclude our exploration of Black history activities for preschoolers, we hope you feel inspired to continue teaching your little ones about the important contributions and experiences of the African Americans. It will help make the learning interactive to equip the preschoolers with the knowledge and empathy that positively impacts the world. Continue to celebrate and honor Black history whenever you get a chance throughout the year, not just during Black History Month. More importantly, ensure your child knows that Black history is part of American history. Help them understand and appreciate the contribution that diverse communities make in society. I will keep sharing to enable you to learn and grow with your preschooler for a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
Now, I’d like to hear from you:
What are some of your favorite Black history activities for preschoolers? How do you make the topic engaging and accessible for young preschoolers? Write your thoughts and ideas in the comments box down here:
