Pride Month for kids: 4 ideas for engaging activities with your little ones

Pride month is a vibrant celebration of love and diversity, and a great opportunity to help kids understand and appreciate the importance of inclusivity. You might be thinking, is Pride Month suitable for kids? In fact there are actually numerous pride activities for kids that are engaging and fun for the whole family. If you're looking for creative ways to explain Pride to your child, we’ve got you covered. Here are some engaging activities that will help educate your little ones!

Bring your kids to a Pride parade

There are tons of kid friendly pride events happening around the country, including pride parades! You don’t have to be LGBTQ+ to participate in a parade—all allies are welcome. Pride parades are about coming together to support LGBTQ+ rights, and to instill a sense of community. They are lively, colorful, and filled with joyous energy, music, and dancing. Bring your kids to a pride parade to show your support and enjoy a vibrant summer day participating in the festivities.

Pride Month crafts for kids: create colorful signs

Get crafty with your kids by making colorful rainbow signs. This is a fantastic way to involve children in Pride festivities. You can write positive messages like "All you need is love" or "Be Who You Are" on your signs. This is a great creative outlet for little ones, and if you decide to go to a parade, take the signs along with you to hold up and spread messages of love and acceptance to everyone.

Answer their questions

Explain to your kids the meaning and history behind Pride. Help your kids understand the significance of the event. Children are curious and they will probably ask questions to help them make sense of what they’re seeing and hearing. Explain to them that Pride is a celebration of love, diversity, and equality. Because Pride can be a complex topic for little ones to understand, we put together a couple of questions and answers to help you simplify it:

What is Pride?

Pride Month is a celebration of LGBTQ+ people being exactly who they are, and a reminder that they deserve the same rights as everyone else. It’s a month dedicated to uplifting LGBTQ+ voices and celebrating LGBTQ+ culture. Pride is meant to help LGBTQ+ people feel safe, foster connection and a sense of community, and offer an outlet for self-expression. While Pride Month happens every June, you can celebrate all year round.

Why is Pride important?

Pride Month is important as it celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, promotes education of LGBTQ+ history and raises awareness of issues affecting LGBTQ+ individuals. It’s a reminder that although people can be different from one another, we are all created equal. Furthermore, it's important for the community to come together in support of diversity, inclusion, and equality.

Whether you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community or not, it’s important to teach your kids the value of showing kindness and respect to everyone. Experiences we have in childhood shape our behaviors and relationships in adulthood. Thus, giving your children memorable learning experiences early on will positively impact how they treat others in the future.

Reading books to educate your little ones

Reading books about Pride is another engaging way to educate children about LGBTQ+ identities and experiences. For very young children in the 1-3 age range, it's more about fostering an environment of inclusivity, compassion, and love. Here are some of our favorite books that celebrate these themes:

• "Love Makes a Family" by Sophie Beer
  This charming book celebrates all kinds of families, emphasizing that love is what makes a family special.
  

• "Families, Families, Families!" by Suzanne Lang
  This book playfully explores the idea that families come in all shapes and sizes, showcasing a variety of family structures and highlighting the love they share.
  

• "Worm Loves Worm" by J.J. Austrian
  This picture book simplifies the idea of love and marriage, showing that it's about two beings who care deeply for each other, regardless of gender or societal norms.
  

• “My Awesome Brother” by Lise Francis
  A beautiful story about a child whose older sister is transitioning, and their beautiful attempts to bring a smile to their adored sibling’s face. 
  

• “This Day in June” by Gayle E. Pitman
  A wonderful book that follows a family through a pride parade, and includes facts about LGBTQ+ history, plus a guide for how to explain complex topics to kids.
  

Pride Month is a time of celebration, reflection, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. By involving your kids in creative activities like attending pride parades and reading books about different kinds of families, you're instilling values of love, acceptance, and compassion from a young age. If you decide to engage in any of the activities we suggest, enjoy them!

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