What does it mean for children to feel different?

When do children notice that they are different from other children? Is it when they see someone wearing something they would like to wear? Is it when they see someone playing with a toy they would like to have? Is it when they see the educator being very attentive to a parent that is not theirs? Is it when they see someone eating something they would like to have? Is it when they learned colours and realised that their skin colour is different than the skin of other children?

Children learn to make judgments about who they are at a very young age. They have also developed ideas about others around them.

The Doll Test:

As an example, the “Doll Test” examined children’s attitudes towards race and found that most children are aware of racial stereotypes. The Doll Test is available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkpUyB2xgTM

The Adults’ Role:

Children need support as they are making sense of their social environment. Parents and educators are expected to initiate those discussions. So, when is the appropriate time for adults to discuss development including race and non-race-related social development with children?

One study examined the developmental readiness of children to understand behaviours and traits and compared the scientific findings with the estimates that adults thought were appropriate times to approach those topics with children.

Specifically, the study examined participants’ estimates of the age at which children develop race-related awareness, non-race related social development, and non-social development. The participants were also asked when they would start discussing race with children. Participants were from the USA and half of them were parents. The results were compared to the ages children were scientifically found to start developing those types of awareness.

Developmental Findings:

Developmentally speaking, children are able to:

1. Prefer people based on their race by three months of age.
2. Categorise faces based on race from 9 months.
3. Associate face colour (or race) with positive or negative traits based on the messages they receive from their environment by the third year of age.
4. Associate racial groups with wealth or power by the fourth year of age.   

The Educator’s Role:

What should the educator pay attention to in a classroom especially when it comes to children who are different or who are minority?

Educators should start by questioning their own values and beliefs about how children learn and their role in ensuring children’s future success.

Educators need to implement a curriculum that allows for equitable opportunities with no bias.

For additional information, please refer to the following article and related supplement:

Sullivan, J., Wilton, L., & Apfelbaum, E. P. (2020, August 6). Adults delay conversations about race because they underestimate children’s processing of race. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000851