Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Cut or HiHo Kids, the people who make the Kids Meet series.
Recently, I've been working with the social worker at my school to help him develop inclusive lessons for his Social Emotional Learning class to teach our students about different perspectives. We've had some great discussions with the kids about autism, for example, using the book The Girl Who Thought in Pictures as a jumping off point. Thinking about all of this, I wanted to come up with some more kid-friendly ways to talk about different experiences people have. We've found some great resources out there, but a lot of them were not age-appropriate, as we work with students in 2nd through 4th grade. Because of this, I decided to put together a list of some videos I thought would be helpful, and this project just grew from there.
I had a list of different resources on perspectives and experiences that I had used in some discussions with friends and other adults in the past, but really wanted to hone in on ones geared toward young children. While there are so many books out there, I also wanted to find some videos to share with kids and thought the Kids Meet series would be perfect.
What is Kids Meet?
Kids Meet is a video series created by HiHo Kids, which is part of a company called Cut. Each video has a guest or guests with different experiences and perspectives to share and a group of children ask questions. You may know that kids can be curious, so their questions are always interesting!
How would I use that in a classroom setting?
I love using videos as a starting point for discussions in the classroom. It gives the kids a visual and can be more accessible for many students than print media, especially for students for whom reading can be a challenge.
The Kids Meet videos are a great way to introduce topics in kid friendly ways - because they're hosted by kids! While some are geared toward an older audience, the videos starring younger kids are generally very age appropriate and touch on things kids want to know and things kids can relate to.
When starting a discussion, I would make sure to address the fact that your room is a safe place to ask questions - that kids should not be embarrassed or worried - but also that there is a time and place for these questions. For example, during a lesson on disability, it's great to ask questions and want to know more; when you see a stranger on the street using a wheelchair, however, they might not want to answer your questions. Teaching children how to politely ask questions is key for these lessons, because you want to encourage curiosity but also teach respect. You might teach them, for example, to say things like "Excuse me, I have a question about your guide dog. Can I talk to you for a minute?" and accept if a person does not want to have a conversation.
Many people I've talked to have shared similar experiences where kids will look at them (read: stare), and parents will usher them away, embarrassed their child was "rude." However, many people would rather be seen and answer those questions than ignored. Teaching children to be polite is a great way to teach them to become respectful citizens of the world.
Once you've created this space and introduced the video, you might have kids discuss what they notice about the interviewee and guess as to what they might talk about. (I've created some worksheets and discussion questions that might be helpful! You can find them on TPT here. Check out the preview for samples of the worksheets and questions!) After watching the video, encourage children to share what they've learned. You might do this through discussion, worksheets or a KWL chart! There are so many ways to incorporate videos like these into their learning!
These videos can also lead into great discussions about prejudice and assumptions. What assumptions did you have about this person or someone with their experience before watching the video? What kind of prejudice might they experience? I love this assumptions activity Mr. Becker on Instagram did with his kids where they talked about what others expect of them.
So where do I find these videos?
You can visit the HiHo Kids YouTube channel for all of their videos (they have series other than Kids Meet which are also amazing). You can also check out this document I've made that lists some videos that I think would be useful in a classroom setting. I've separated them into three parts: Young Kids (for elementary aged students), Big Kids (for middle and high school students), and Teachers (more resources for adults). This resource also includes things not from Kids Meet. (Disclaimer: I do not own any of the materials linked.)
More about Kids Meet
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidsmeet/
HiHo Kids YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqa2MPu8bLY1PwVFUpSyVhQ
More of Me:
Perspectives - Inclusive Lessons for Kids document: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a_IlOoGg4h1fX5dG6tyxOz9icPrJILItmvp_9ZePGOI/edit?usp=sharing
Worksheets I made to go along with these videos: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kids-Meet-worksheets-video-companion-4520225
Culture on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/teachthelove/ss-culture/
Books on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/teachthelove/books/
Blog Posts on Lessons: https://teachthelove.blogspot.com/search/label/lessons
Blog Posts on Social Studies: https://teachthelove.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20studies
Thanks for reading! Do you think you'll use some of these videos in your classroom? Let me know!
Miss D
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