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Support young Black children in developing a positive racial identity.
I Like Myself uses the latest research into positive identity formation to provide practical solutions for educators. It links together lesson planning insights, academic activities, and children’s book recommendations that are designed to facilitate positive racial identity in Black children, covering topics including hair texture, skin tone, language, self-esteem, and media representation. Supplementing and complementing any curriculum, this critical resource provides information across social-emotional, academic, and fine arts domains that stay faithful to curricular goals while specifically targeting the racial identity needs of Black preschoolers. Targeting the Black identity specifically, the lessons are designed to be engaging, meaningful and effective for all students, so each child feels valued and accepted while also gaining the knowledge and skills that they need to be successful.Featuring recommendations for over 150 children’s books to support positive identity formation in Black children and 70+ activities and ideas to pair with children’s book read-alouds.
This poignant, well-crafted book offers solutions to anti-Black sentiments through lessons for preschool children. The author’s willingness to join this narrative exhibits an understanding of the role early intervention plays to support healthy self-awareness and self-love. She challenges readers to unpack the social hierarchy that perpetuates a belief system and urges us to use this knowledge to counter societal messaging about race in preschool classrooms. Truly a must-read for early educators!
--Kellee Tyrone, Child Development Specialist, Camp Fire First Texas
By showcasing actual effective practices, Sturdivant masterfully reveals how to plan authentic, engaging, and standards-based lessons for the positive racial identity needs of Black children. But she doesn’t stop there! She shows us how to develop practical play-based solutions that counter the negative social messages children regularly receive as we celebrate the richness of children’s racial and ethnic differences across the curriculum. This text should be a resource for all early childhood educators.
--Iliana Alanís, PhD, Professor of Early Childhood/Elementary Education, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1
The Need for This Work
CHAPTER 2
All about Afro Hair: Celebrating Tightly Textured Hair
CHAPTER 3
Comfortable in My Skin: Showcasing the Beauty of Dark Skin
CHAPTER 4
Talking Black: Supporting Multilingual Children
CHAPTER 5
Feeling Good, Feeling Great: Social-Emotional Considerations for Black Children
CHAPTER 6
Representation Matters: Centering Black Characters in Children’s Literature
CHAPTER 7
All Black Lives: Considering the Multiple Identities of Black Children
CHAPTER 8
The Power of Racially Affirming Practice: A Personal Story
Recommended Children’s Books
References