In case you didn’t know, March is Women’s History Month. Every year throughout the month of March, we celebrate women’s contributions to history, culture, and society. Without many of these contributions, women would not be able to vote, open a bank account, own a home, and many more things we take for granted today.
In past years, I haven’t really discussed Women’s History Month with my daughter.
But this year, she is in first grade and is becoming much more aware and curious about the world around her. What better time than now to start having discussions with her about some of the most impressive women in history? Here are some of the ways I’ll be discussing Women’s History Month with my daughter (and my son when he is old enough to understand).
Books
A few years ago, we bought the book, “Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.” We have read a few stories in the book, but at the time, she was too young to really grasp them. This month is the perfect time for us to get that book back out and read some different stories about some truly incredible women from history.
There are also plenty of other, shorter, books to explore with kids. Some examples include:
- “A is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World”
- “Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins”
- “I am Sonia Sotomayor”
- “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World”
Movies
There are plenty of kids’ movies out there that portray strong women that my daughter can look up to. It’s harder to find movies in historical figures that are aimed toward kids, but here are some that I like to share with my daughter so she can see beyond the usual princess-gets-rescued-by-a-handsome-prince storylines.
- Mulan – This animated movie follows the story of a Chinese warrior who disguises herself as a man so she can take the place of her father as a soldier.
- Moana – Moana may be the daughter of a chief, but she takes the lead when it comes to saving herself and her island as she sets sail to find the demigod Maui and return the heart of Te Fiti to its rightful place.
- Frozen – This is a favorite in our house, and I love it because the central love story of the movie is between the two sisters, Anna and Elsa. Both women are strong in their own way and when they work together, they are unstoppable.
Discussions
Famous women are easy to discuss, but we also know plenty of strong women that we can celebrate in March and beyond. They include women in our family, women who are close friends, and teachers from school. We can discuss what makes these women strong and what we can learn from them.
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