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15 Items to Teach Your Child About Black History Month
February is Black History Month! Celebrate today and year-round with these educational and inspiring buys for kids of all ages.
It's officially Black History Month, a time to honor the heroes and movements that shaped our nation, celebrate Black culture and take actionable steps to promote racial equity in the U.S. And if you're a parent, it's the perfect opportunity to spark meaningful conversations and incorporate Black history into your child's education.
Ready to dive in? Start by learning about Carter G. Woodson — historian, author, journalist and founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History — who first established Black History Month in 1926. Then, check out our top 15 books, card games and more, which will help drive the history lessons and legacies home year-round.
Cover everything from the Harlem Renaissance and The Black Panthers to Queens like Angela Davis, Toni Morrison and Michelle Obama with this beautiful book by Rio Cortez and Lauren Semmer. Your child will love the engaging rhyming text, as well as the illustrated timeline in the back.
Introduce your toddler to Grandmaster Flash, Tupac, Kendrick Lamar and other great American rappers with this colorful board book. (Which even has Missy Elliot's stamp of approval.) The compact book is 24 pages long and shows how rap developed in the U.S. and helped give a voice to the voiceless.
Give your little one an entire list of Black heroes to look up to with this inspiring "Dream Like Martin" shirt. The tee is crafted from 100-percent cotton (so it's comfy for school and play) and celebrates Black change-makers like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, Marcus Garvey and Rosa Parks.
Share a powerful story about resistance, legacy and the origins of American identity, and read The 1619 Project: Born on the Water with your child. In this lyrical picture book, co-authors Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson chronicle the Black experience before and after the slave trade. The book is packed with emotional imagery, flowing verse and is a must-purchase.
Deepen your kiddo's knowledge of George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker, Muhammad Ali and more with this educational Black History Activity Pack. The set includes nine flash cards, matching pages, tracing worksheets and a list of resources to read and watch together. You can download the files and print them right at home.
Give your child the inside scoop on Ida B. Wells — a prominent journalist, newspaper owner, suffragist and civil rights activist — with this inspiring biography written by her great-granddaughter. Through bold illustrations and informative text, your kiddo will learn how Wells' work shaped the nation.
Teach your child about the lives and legacies of Black historical figures using these illustrated flash cards. Each set includes 24 cards, and they highlight everyone from civil rights leader John Lewis to contemporary ballerina Misty Copeland. You can print the cards at home in a single or double-sided format, then laminate them for years of activity.
The first Black, Asian-American and woman vice president in American history? Yeah, Kamala Harris is definitely cool — and your little cutie will feel the same way in this empowering unisex shirt. Rainbow letters pop against your choice of white or gray fabric and make the design even more exciting.
Your middle schooler will zoom right through Clean Getaway by Nic Stone. This best-selling book follows 11-year-old William "Scoob" Lamar as he road-trips with his grandma through landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement. It's full of twists and turns and will lead to a more nuanced understanding of segregation history in the American South.
Learn more about the "Kings of Soul" — Sam Cooke and Otis Redding — by listening to their albums as a family. Portrait of a Legend features more than 30 tracks by Cooke, including "A Change Is Gonna Come" and "You Send Me." Meanwhile, Redding's In Person At The Whisky a Go Go features hits like, "These Arms of Mine," "Mr. Pitiful" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
Encourage your middle or high school student to explore the history of The Black Panther Party through this engaging graphic novel. The book starts by breaking down some of the myths surrounding The Party, and then it dives into key figures (like Fred Hampton and Angela Davis) and major events. By the end, your tween or teen will understand how The Black Panthers worked to uplift the Black community.
Last year, 23-year-old poet and activist Amanda Gorman captivated the nation with "The Hill We Climb" and became the youngest inaugural poet in American history. Now, share her moving words with your teen via this luminous poetry collection. The book is 240 pages long and explores history, language, identity and erasure.
Celebrate Black cinema and several trailblazing directors by gifting your teen this bold pillow cover. The piece is crafted from polyester and pays tribute to Ava DuVernay, Kasi Lemmons, Ryan Coogler, Barry Jenkins and Spike Lee. (Needless to say, it will make a brilliant addition to their room.) Once you've piqued your teen's interest, invite them to watch at least one movie by each filmmaker.
How much does your teenager know about Black Wall Street and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre? Put history in their hands with a copy of Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert. This unflinching nonfiction book was published just last year, and it examines the tensions that led to a deadly and destructive act of racial violence in our nation's history.
Start a conversation about gay liberation activist Marsha P. Johnson and her role in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969 with this powerful art print. The piece arrives on high-quality matte paper, uses deep inks and will make a thoughtful addition to their desk or bookshelf.
