All Types of Families- For Children

There are so many different family units out there, and teaching children about this, and how to accept these differences, is important. As a 2 mum family, we want to make sure that all families are accepted and not seen as ‘strange’! We have pulled together a list of resources to help introduce these topics to your children. Whether your children prefer to read, watch TV shows, or watch films, we have a suggestion to suit them!

Books

1. A Family Is a Family Is a Family, By Sara O’Leary (book), As part of a class assignment, students describe their different families, including a classmate being raised by a grandmother, another growing up with two dads and more. Available here.
   
2. Everywhere Babies, by Susan Meyers (book) This cute board book follows babies from a diverse range of backgrounds (with racially diverse characters, and featuring different family types and caregivers) starting from the moment they’re born through important milestones like playing, crawling and walking. Age: from birth. Available here.
   
3. The True Colours of a Princess (colouring book) This colouring book encourages kids to think beyond the stereotype of a princess and find strength and courage inside themselves. Kids colour along as Chloe tells them that princesses are more than just beauty and glitter. Princesses can also be smart, kind, brave, strong, and brave. Princesses look all kinds of ways, and come from all kinds of families. Available here.
   
4. Families, Families, Families, by Suzanne Lang (book) This book teaches about all types of family in a silly, funny way! Whether your family has two dads, a step mum, or the world’s biggest grandpa! Available here.
   
5. All You Need is Love: Celebrating Families of All Shapes and Sizes, by Shanni Collins (book) All families come in different shapes and sizes, but they are all special when they love and respect each other. These rhyming stories are a celebration of the diversity of families and encourage inclusion and acceptance in a child’s relationships .By promoting diversity and understanding in family life and elsewhere, these stories support a positive approach to life at a young age, which fosters strong mental health and well-being. Each page is dedicated to a different family, with stories exploring adoption, fostering, disability, race, gender, and illness. Available here.
   
6. Families Come in Many Forms, by Bella Mei Wong (book) A beautiful book for parents to share with their children that discusses the different types of families- traditional, adopted, divorced, blended families, donor conceived – and helps to normalise these different family forms. Available here.
   
7. Harini & Padmini Say Namaste, by Amy Maranville (book). Join Harini and Padmini for yoga! This book offers a gentle introduction to yoga for children, while subtly showcasing different families, and people of different religions. The main character lives in a multicultural house- with two moms. Available here.
   
8. I love us! A book about family, by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (book) A celebration of all types of families and the bond that holds each one together: Love! This book includes a mirror so YOUR unique family will be reflected in the story. Work together to fill in the bonus family tree with the names of everyone you love. Families can be big, small, silly, adventurous, loud, or messy, but they all have love in common. Available here.
   
9. In Our Mothers’ House, by Patricia Polacco (book). This book helps teach children that different doesn’t mean wrong, and that no matter how many dads or moms a child has, they are everything a family should be. Available here.
   
10. Love, Cuddled, and Tickled too, by Dean Russell-Rands (book), There are lots of different families in the world who may look different but all love the same. ‘Loved, Cuddled & Tickled Too!’ provides children with an opportunity to talk about different types of families. Available here.
    
11. Love Makes a Family, by Sophie Beer (book) This fun and inclusive board book celebrates the love within a family. Inside the book, many different families are shown, and demonstrates that what’s most important is the love family members share. Available here.
    
12. Maddi’s Fridge, by Lois Brandt (book), Although economic differences can be a bit more hidden than others, Maddi’s Fridge doesn’t shy away from the topic of poverty. In the book, Sofia, who has a fridge at home full of food, learns that her friend Maddi has a fridge that’s empty and struggles with whether she should tell her parents. Age: 5-6 years. Available here.
    
13. Robo-Babies, by Laura Gallagher (book) A story about the many ways in which babies arrive into their families, including IVF, donation, surrogacy and adoption. Available here.
    
14. The Family Book, by Todd Parr (book) There are so many different types of families, and The Family Book celebrates them all in a funny, silly, and reassuring way. Todd Parr includes adopted families, step-families, one-parent families, and families with two parents of the same sex, as well as the traditional nuclear family. Available here.
    
15. The Great Big Book of Families, by Mary Hoffman (book) This picture book introduced children to the different types of family, featuring single parents, same-sex parents, mixed race families, families with disabled members and so much more. No family looks the same, and this engaging book celebrates all families, their similarities and their differences. Age: 4+. Available here.
    
16. The Umbilical Family: Start a loving conversation about Adoption, Egg Donation, Step-parenting, Same Sex Parenting, and more, by Cate Sawyer (book). Start a loving conversation about adoption, egg & embryo donation, step-parents, same sex couples, fostering, single parents, traditional couples, and grandparents. Together with your child explore the wonderful diversity and origin of family and love. Ages 5 – 8. Available here.