Resources to celebrate Black History Month

October marked Black History Month in the UK—a crucial time to amplify Black voices, celebrate cultural heritage, and embed diversity and inclusion into our early years practice. Recognised since 1987 and established by special projects officer at the Greater London Council, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, the idea behind Black History Month was to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of many Black Britons.

For Early Years practitioners, this is an invaluable opportunity to learn or deepen our knowledge about Black History, nurture respect, empathy, and reflect on how to be an inclusive practitioner from the very start.

The official theme for Black History Month 2025 was “Standing Firm in Power and Pride,” a powerful call to honour the resilience, strength, and unwavering contributions of Black people throughout history and today. You can read more about this year’s campaign on the official website.

Here’s a list of ideas you can use to celebrate Black History Month in your setting, this month or any month!

1. Stock your shelves with books featuring Black children as main characters and written by Black authors. Some recommendations include:
   – Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola
   – Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne
   – We’re Going to Find a Monster by Malorie Blackman and Dapo Adeaola
   – The Rapping Princess by Hannah Lee, illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan
   – The Missing Piece, by Jordan Stephens
   – Zazi Finds Plantain, by Ogaga Emuveyan and Asma Mohamed
2. Introduce a diverse playlist of African and Caribbean music, such as Reggae, Calypso, or Afrobeats. Provide instruments (like simple drums or shakers) for children to explore rhythms and movements.
3.  Explore art inspired by African textiles, colours, and patterns. Children can create collages, paint, or make simple African masks from paper plates.
4. Introduce new flavours by trying simple, age-appropriate African or Caribbean foods (e.g., plantain crisps, mango, or simple rice and peas). This uses all five senses to connect with a new culture. You can find tried and tested children’s recipes on the BBC’s website.
5. Watch videos with the children like Motsi Mabuse’s story of one little girl’s search for the best party hair, the adventures of Jo-Jo and Gran Gran
6. Visit a museum or exhibition so the children can learn about Black history, art or culture, like the Global Africa collection at the V&A in London or the Black Cultural Archives.

Considerations

Black History Month should serve as a launchpad, not a limit. To truly embed inclusivity in your setting consider:

⭐ Representation
To regularly audit your setting to make sure all children are represented. Are the people in your role-play area, display photos, and toy collection diverse? Are the dolls of high quality and reflect a range of skin tones and hair textures?

⭐ Focus on Identity and Respect
Foster conversations about what makes each child and their family unique and special. Emphasise the importance of kindness and fairness towards everyone, regardless of their background.

⭐ Use History for Good
Introduce historical figures (like Mary Seacole, Martin Luther-King) by focusing on their positive actions, such as helping people and perseverance, keeping the narrative simple and age-appropriate.

⭐ Ensure your pedagogy is anti-racist

Learn from Liz Pemberton about the latest early years resources for educators to foster inclusive and equitable environments for all children or from Dr Valerie Daniel on anti-racism as a key part of empathy and advocacy in the early years.

Other Useful Resources

An article from Liz Pemberton on the Birth To 5 Matters blog on Black History Month
BBC’s Black History Month resources for children

Kinderly LEarn subscribers have access to our webinar collection which includes access to:
– Understanding race and racism – by Shaddai Tembo
– Anti-racism – a key element for empathy and advocacy in the early years – by Dr Valerie Daniel
– Let’s talk about race in the early years – Dr Stella Louis and Hannah Betteridge

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