Little Justice Leaders: Social Justice Activities for Kids

You want to help your children become mini social justice warriors, but where do you start?

Between work, raising a family, maintaining a household, and educating yourself about the wage gap, Medicare for all, and white exceptionalism, where do you find the time to teach these lessons to your children?

Especially when it’s a struggle just to make sure they have socks on their feet, and a lunch in their backpack. Where do you find the energy?

Thankfully, Little Justice Leaders has you covered, with awesome social justice activities for kids! It takes the guesswork out.

I was so thrilled when their founder Shelby sent along their very first box to me to try out with my kiddo. Little Justice Leaders was kind enough to send along this box for a review, and sponsor the post, so that you can learn more ways to help your kids learn about social justice. All my opinions, however, are 100% my own, and I only share things with this community that I love! THIS is one of them.

Let’s make social justice for kids EASY

When the box arrived in the mail – and by the way, who doesn’t love getting mail these days? – it did not disappoint. The packaging looks accessible for children; bright and inviting.

As a person who is balancing work, parenting, and other projects, it was a relief to see the instructions for using the box.

If you’re more of a free-wheeling type, feel free to dive in on your own, and make it up as you go! But I liked having some guidance about which activities to start with, as they naturally progress to each step.

Let’s talk about race…. now

I was also jazzed to see that the topic of this first box is about race. While I’ve been devoting more conscious time in the last couple of months to dismantling my own white supremacy through the teachings of amazing women like Rachel Cargle and Layla Saad, I want to spend more time with my child opening up race conversations.

White parents: if you get tripped up often, you’re not alone. You might wonder, how do I start these tricky conversations? Do I have to be black or Latinx to speak intelligently about race and ethnicity?  The answer is no. You don’t. And in fact, white parents, we have an obligation to NOT pretend racism doesn’t exist, but to engage other white folks in these conversations. It’s not the responsibility of people who experience oppression to teach us about “their issue.” It’s our issue, too, and we must educate ourselves and undo white supremacy culture.

We can, and must, do better for the next generation. To break the tidal wave of racism, we must jump in with humility and a willingness to grow.

Ok, so now we’ve set the stage. Back to the box! Let’s talk about the things I love:

The package is fun and creative, contains mixed media, and has clear direction.

First, we started with Let’s Talk About Race, one of our favorite books. It bestows on children both a sense of individuality AND commonality, a tough feat, and the ability to articulate pieces of their identity they may not yet have expressed.

The box contains a Little Justice Leaders blank book, where your child can write or draw a story that tells his or her own story. This is an empowering follow-up to Let’s Talk About Race. It’s very personal to your child, as they uncover and discover themselves.

Next is a feature of a historical civil rights leader. Our box contained a gorgeous poster of Malcolm X, with an inspiring quote.

Little Justice Leaders suggests that you hang the poster in a common space, maybe the fridge or the playroom, so it may inspire more frequent discussions.

Accessible social justice tools to help parents

I also love that the box contains about six information cards to continue the journey. I’m a “do-er” so I love practical tips. One has recommended books for both kids and adults – bonus! I was surprised to learn that I’ve read less than 20% of these books.

Another pro is the box’s interactive nature. It’s not a “set it down and forget it” kind of toy or game. A parent or caregiver needs to be actively engaged in how the lessons unfold. I like to give my child lots of freedom to explore the lessons at her own pace, and self-direct toward the activities she is most interested. But younger children especially need a teen or adult to walk through the activities, pose questions, and engage in a thoughtful dialogue.

To that end, the Little Justice Leaders box also contains information cards that include “Tips for Parents” and “Conversation Starters,” which I found really useful. You can pick and choose which work best for you and your child.

For kids who are active and need to move around, there’s even a physical activity included: story cubes! My kiddo is on the younger side, so she loved the moment to get up and roll the cubes. She may have treated them a bit like bowling – you can catch those videos on my Instagram stories.  The cubes’ pictures on each side allow children and adults to create stories based on the pictures they roll, inspired by what they’ve learned about race. How cute is that?

A commitment to the movement

As someone who is deeply involved in several nonprofits, I looooove that Little Justice Leaders chose to spotlight a nonprofit in each box. They donate a portion of the proceeds to an organization that’s already doing the work on that particular social justice issue. This month it’s Black Lives Matter.

This is incredible because, too often, well-meaning folks jump into an issue and try to organize actions without taking the time to research who has been doing the ground work for years. A critical part of intersectional feminism is to pause, take the time to educate yourself, and LISTEN to those most impacted by the issue.

Related:

4 Books to start the conversation about race

How to make Women’s History Month fun for kids

Why we should stop labeling kids

Shelby’s business model is inspiring. She consults with multiple people impacted by the social justice issue to select the best resources for families. She also sources materials from socially conscious, small businesses owned by women and people of color. Yay, LJL! That’s what I like to hear.

A few more logistic notes:

• Little Justice Leaders also has digital packs – perfect for those who are minimalists, or want to try it at a lower price. LJL also offers sibling packages – a great option for larger families.
• Prices are very affordable, starting at just $9.95/box. And they have an easy refund policy if it doesn’t work out.
• The age range is K-4, which feels very appropriate. My child is about to turn three, and admittedly a little young for this box. While she isn’t quite able to engage in deep conversations about her identity yet, it’s a perfect opportunity to get race on her radar, and START the dialogue. And if you save the activity cards, you could use the box for years to come.
• If you’re stumped about what to give as a birthday present, or what to recommend to the grandparents, Little Justice Leaders subscriptions might be just the solution. In my experience, grandparents love a subscription model, where they know the little one will receive a meaningful experience every month. And one that focuses on social justice activities for kids? Perfect!

To try your own box, Little Justice Leaders is offering a discount to Think or Blue readers: to get 20% off your first three months, use the code THINKORBLUE20X3

Be sure to come back and tell us how it goes!