# data[].attributes.body
This sweet book is about a little girl talking about why she is here and what she is doing and how we are all different but we are all here for a reason and we are all enough.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A #1 New York Times bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards picture book winner! This is the perfect gift for mothers and daughters, baby showers, and graduation.

This gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another comes from Empire actor and activist Grace Byers and talented newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo.

We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it.

Plus don't miss I Believe I Can -the next beautiful picture celebrating self-esteem from Grace Byers and Keturah A. Bobo!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I Am Enough [Byers, Grace, Bobo, Keturah A.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I Am Enough

# data[].attributes.body
This book about bullying and discrimination is a great book to help encourage children to speak up when they see something that is not ok. We are all different but that doesn't mean it is ok to treat people that we are not all the same.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I Choose to Speak Up: A Colorful Picture Book About Bullying, Discrimination, or Harassment (Teacher and Therapist Toolbox: I Choose)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Amazon.com: I Choose to Speak Up: A Colorful Picture Book About Bullying, Discrimination, or Harassment (Teacher and Therapist Toolbox: I Choose): 9798506610182: Estrada, Elizabeth: Books

# data[].attributes.body
Upbeat lyrical book about being the same and different as well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Same Difference is a charming book for young readers (4-8 year olds) that addresses the sensitive and sometime divisive issues of beauty and identity. It has a lyrical, upbeat air that begs to be read aloud and offers an engaging rhyme pattern for young children. Vivid illustrations capture the s...

# data[].attributes.body
Persona dolls are different from the dolls you normally keep. These dolls take on a life of their own, with names and birthdates and stories about their lives. They are a great way to teach children about bias and being nice to one another.

# data[].attributes.body
This article explains how children who are exposed to multiple languages are more empathetic, more likely to see things from someone else's point of view.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A new study (paywall) suggests that children who speak multiple languages are better at understanding other people. And not only those who are fluent but those who are simply exposed to another language in their daily lives.

Samantha Fan, Zoe Liberman, Boaz Keysar, and Katherine Kinzler, from the University of Chicago, tested this theory by getting an adult to ask bilingual, monolingual, and "exposed" children aged 4 to 6 to move objects blocked from the adult's point of view. The children could see a range of differently sized toy cars, including a small one that the adult couldn't see.

When the adult said, "I see a small car," and asked the child to move it, the bilingual and exposed children moved the medium car - that is, the smallest car that the adult could see - 75 percent of the time. Children without language skills or exposure only did so 50 percent of the time. The kids who had been exposed to other languages were able to understand a different perspective better, the research suggests.

"Early language exposure is essential to developing a formal language system but may not be sufficient for communicating effectively," the researchers said. "To understand a speaker's intention, one must take the speaker's perspective. Multilingual exposure may promote effective communication by enhancing perspective-taking."

They also noted what they call the exposure advantage, which is the fact that kids who couldn't speak other languages but who were exposed to them performed as well as the kids who were bilingual. "Thus, the communicative advantages demonstrated by the bilinguals may be social in origin," they said. "For millennia, multilingual exposure has been the norm. Our study shows that such an environment may facilitate the development of perspective-taking tools that are critical for effective communication."

This study is just the latest to suggest that speakers of multiple languages have advantages in work and in life.
Reprinted with permission of Quartz. The original story can be found here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
partner                 national journal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Foreign Languages Foster Greater Empathy in Children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new study (paywall) suggests that children who speak multiple languages are better at understanding other people. And not only those who are fluent but those who are simply exposed to another language in their daily lives.

# data[].attributes.body
Katie Can is a story about Katie who has Down Syndrome and even though she is different she can still do anything she wants to.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Katie Can: A Story About Special Needs―Children's Book About Down Syndrome and Different Abilities, K-2 (24 pgs) (Changes and Challenges In My Life)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Amazon.com: Katie Can: A Story About Special Needs―Children's Book About Down Syndrome and Different Abilities, K-2 (24 pgs) (Changes and Challenges In My Life): 9781641566247: Palmer, Erin, Joseph, John: Books

# data[].attributes.body
This article talks about teaching children about diverse families. A family unit is no longer mom and dad and the children, it can be mom and mom and a child, or dad and dad and a few children, adoptive families, blended families, single moms, single dads, children with no siblings, children with lots of siblings, There is no longer a norm.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our world is incredibly diverse and families are no different, with varying configurations, beliefs, cultural norms, and personal practices. One of the most important gifts we can give our children is to help them feel good about the uniqueness of their family and help them learn to accept, respect, and include people whom they may identify and experience as "different."

Answering Questions about Diverse Family Structures

Families come in many different structures and sizes. Young children often have questions when they notice families that seem different from their own. This is a great opportunity to share your values about families, diversity, and inclusion with your child. Here are a few ideas to guide the conversation.

Keep it simple. Young children generally don't need or want long, complex answers. Something like, "Cody lives with his grandmother. His grandmother is his family," or "Malia has two mommies. They are her family," are sufficient. Preschool children are concrete thinkers and not ready for a philosophical discussion.

Celebrate diversity. Children's growing awareness of diverse family structures provides rich opportunities to celebrate family diversity and engage children in conversation about who is in THEIR family, who lives in THEIR house, and more importantly, who takes care of them. Point out the wonderful, interesting diversity of families, which might include families with only children, families with many siblings, blended families, foster families, LGBTQ families, multi-generational families, and many others. This diversity of families makes life richer.

Define what makes a family. Children tend to thrive when they come to understand there are varying family structures and that all families are wonderful, so long as the people in them love and care about each other. This repeated message helps children feel secure, even if their family configuration changes through death, separation, or other life events.

When children ask, "Can a family have two mommies?" one suggested response is: "Yes, some families may have two mommies, one mommy, no mommy, or even lots of mommies. And some families may have two daddies, one daddy, no daddy, or even lots of daddies. Some families also include grandparents, foster parents, aunts, and uncles. Other families have one child, no children, or many children. Any combination works. It's love that makes a family-just like in our family."

Children's Books about Diverse Families

Literature is a wonderful way to expose children to the world. By sharing books such as the ones listed below, you are communicating that diverse families and people are all acceptable. There may be different values and structures, but in the end...it's about family.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Help Children Understand Diverse Families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our world is incredibly diverse and families are no different, with varying configurations, beliefs, cultural norms, and personal practices. One of the most important gifts we can give our children is to help them feel good about the uniqueness of their family and help them learn to accept, respect, and include people whom they may identify and experience as "different."

# data[].attributes.body
Everything can affect gender bias, from our cultural beliefs to the shows our children are watching on television and tablets. We need to start early to break the norm and erase gender bias.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

By subscribing, you understand and agree that we will store, process and manage your personal information according to our Privacy Policy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rifa Momin: Secrets of Children's Media: Effects of Gender Stereotypes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Pretend I'm a 7-year-old boy who is watching his TV show and in the show, the only female character is portrayed as a damsel in distress. And let's say that after the show, I start thinking "Hey, all girls are weak!" That's the power of gender stereotypes in children's media - the power to influence a child's development.

# data[].attributes.body
A one stop shop for resources for families living in Minnesota, from special needs to health care to child development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Information and Resources for Families - MN Dept. of Health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Arc of Minnesota promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a statewide, non-profit organization, the Arc of Minnesota provides information and connection to resources for people with developmental disabilities and their families and als…