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This Valentine’s Day we are celebrating love in all its forms! Why not use this year as an opportunity to discuss different family structures and relationships. Provide your child with a helpful framework and the vocabulary they need to be able to discuss different kinds of relationships and love.
Here are our tips to celebrating all kinds of love this Valentine’s Day.
Children at Primary School
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Get some age-appropriate books that deal with these issues. Children can then read these in their own time at their own pace and ask questions as they go, or you can sit down and read the stories together.
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Our sister publisher, Franklin Watts and Wayland, have a fantastic series of books titled ‘Family Days Out’ which can be given to children to read independently or used as a springboard for conversations. Each book ends with an ‘After reading, talking about the book with the children’ section complete with questions and ideas for further conversation.
The Bike Ride - Ben is excited when his mums suggest a family day out on their bikes, but his sister Milly thinks it will boring. The day gets even worse when Milly realises she can't get a signal on her phone. But will a family day in the woods turn out to be more fun than Milly thought after all? This story features a family with two mums. For children progressing through Book Bands, it is suitable for reading at level 6: Orange.
The Seaside Trip - Charlie and Jasmine's two dads have planned a day out at the seaside and they can't wait. But their little brother Max wants to go to the soft play centre and he's having a big sulk. Can the family convince Max to enjoy himself after all? This story features a family with two dads.
- Be mindful of the language you use – use terms such as ‘parents’ rather than ‘mum and dad’ when discussing family structures with children.
Children at Secondary School
- Watching the news with your older child can provide an opportunity to discuss topical issues relating to non-traditional family structures and can be helpful in clarifying what your child already understands. Initiate conversations based on what you have watched and encourage your child to try to understand both sides of the debate.
- Share this article from Sociology Review with your teen - it explores the UK's changing perceptive of LGBTQ+ identities.
Representation
- Talk to your child’s school about displaying posters and photos of people who do not appear to fit gender norms, assemblies on some influential LGBTQI+ figures in history and discuss news stories and current affairs around LGBT rights. Stonewall have compiled a list of some great books which can be used as part of the curriculum and which should not be missing from any school or college library:
Tips on dealing with LGBTQ+ bullying
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According to Stonewall’s School report, more than half of young LGBTQI+ people experience homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools. It’s important to make sure young people know what they need to do if they are involved in, or witness homophobic bulling. Telling a parent, carer or teacher is the most important thing to do if homophobic bullying takes place, and if this bullying spills over into threats or violence then this should be reported to the police as a hate crime. Ask the school to do some work on LGBTQI+ bullying within your school if you feel able to, sometimes educating others can help enormously in making them realise their actions and consequences.
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