At-Home Activities for Pride Month

In 1969, a gay bar in New York City was raided by police in an effort to enforce anti-gay laws that were in effect at the time. The Stonewall Uprising resulted in a series of demonstrations to help improve the lives of the LGBTQ community.

Pride activities have been held annually in June since 1970, one year after the events at Stonewall Inn. Since 1970, the march became more of a parade and festival in support of equal rights. The rainbow flag became a symbol of Pride Month initially in 1978 and then officially in 1994.

A champion for LGBTQ rights up until his assassination in 1978, Harvey Milk expressed the fundamental reason in which we celebrate Pride today. "All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential."

My goal is to teach inclusivity, acceptance, and respect for all people. Using picture books with my youngest allows me to introduce important topics in a neutral and organic way. Children's literature is a great educational resource for introducing any topic for children of course, but sometimes also for adults. Children's author Arnold Lobel wrote his Frog and Toad series as a way of coming out to his family and friends.

For families looking to incorporate the history of the origins of Pride Month, Rob Sanders' book Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution is geared for children ages 5–8. It chronicles the events in 1969 at Stonewall Inn which led to the movement toward LGBTQ rights. Sanders' book, Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag explains how the Pride flag came to be.

Ensuring your bookshelves are full of diverse protagonists doing regular day-to-day things and telling everyday stories to allow kids to see depictions of their own families. Diverse books also serve as a helpful resource for all children. Freeda the Frog and the Two Mommas Next Door by Nadine Haruni is one such book.

In a press release, Haruni says, "The common thread of all the books is to not only be helpful to kids and families who can relate to these specific situations, but to help all kids recognize that no two families look the same and encourage an environment of awareness, empathy, and inclusivity.”

Another LGBTQ book for young children that focuses on education and inclusivity is And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. It tells the story of two New York City Central Park Zoo chinstrap penguins, Roy and Silo. After zookeepers noticed the penguins creating a nest together, they gave the penguins an egg to hatch. The penguins ultimately raised a chick named Tango.

As we work to remain socially distant in the wake of COVID-19, much of the world will be tuning into Global Pride 2020 on June 27. Canceled parades and events mean that musicians, celebrities, and activists are taking Pride Month online. The 24-hour streaming virtual event will celebrate the diverse LGBTQ worldwide community. Consider checking out the program and incorporating it into your own Pride Month celebration. Closer to home, try incorporating Pride activities designed to get the whole community involved.

Melissa K., a mom of three, has a fun craft idea and activity. "We posted an invitation on our neighborhood Facebook page inviting families to make their own Pride flags," she told Mom.com. "We're making some with watercolors and acrylic paints to place in our windows. The goal is to get kids out on a Pride flag scavenger hunt around the neighborhood like we did when we first went on lockdown."

Another fun option is to create an entire monthlong series of Pride Month activities. With summer camps closed, parents are creating their own at-home camp activities. Incorporate Pride Month by using food coloring and baking bread in rainbow colors the first week. Consider a rainbow layer cake the second week, and then hands-on rainbow crafts for the remainder of the month.