White kids taking part in Monopoly needs to be given more cash and fewer jail time to show them about racial privilege, councils inform dad and mom

Parents of white children should give them more money and allow them to spend less time in jail time when playing Monopoly to teach them about racial privilege, councils have advised.

White players could also be given a ‘head start on buying property’ to convey their racial privilege while nursery rhymes such as Baa Baa Black Sheep should be avoided as they are ‘steeped in white culture’.

Called ‘how to raise anti-racist children’ the guidance was drawn up in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests for Barbie manufacturers Mattel and has since been shared by local councils in England.

The document, co authored by a BBC education consultant, tells parents it will help them ‘raise a new generation of allies with the tools needed to facilitate change’.

It suggests talking about the issues when children are playing, adding activities such as ‘bike riding, hiking, baking, story reading or playing with figures’ were ‘all good spaces for discussion’.

The guidance says books and dolls which represent Black People are the most effective tools to use in role playing, storytelling and to provoke conversations.

Parents of white children should give them more money and allow them to spend less time in jail time when playing Monopoly to teach them about racial privilege, councils have advised (stock image)

White players could also be given a ‘head start on buying property’ to convey their racial privilege, according to the guidance 

It also asks parents to be ‘uncomfortably honest’ and acknowledge if they have ever made a racist comment or done anything racist as well as examining their own potentially racist behaviours by asking themselves questions such as: ‘So you draw your child closer to you when you pass a group of black youths?’

In a section aimed at parents of children aged 0 to three it suggests reading picture books and playing with dolls which represent black characters and playing music from different cultures but to ‘avoid only singing songs steeped in white culture’ such as Ba Ba Black Sheep.

In advice for parenting children aged nine to 12, titled Facilitating Change, Amplifying Other Voices, it suggests parents should use ‘board game metaphors’.

One example includes playing Monopoly but giving white children more money and allowing them to ‘avoid jail’ in order to ‘explain white supremacy and privilege’.

The document has been shared as a parenting resource by councils including in Southampton, Leicestershire County Council and in London.

One example includes playing Monopoly but giving white children more money and allowing them to ‘avoid jail’ in order to ‘explain white supremacy and privilege

It was written in 2020 for Barbie makers Mattel by Emma Worrollo, a brand consultant, and Laura Henry-Allain, who wrote the JoJo & Gran Gran book series adapted for TV by CBeebies.

It appears to have since been removed from the website of Mattel but is still offered as a parenting resource by Leicestershire county council, which includes it online under the heading ‘inclusion and equality in early years and childcare’.

Southampton City Council includes the resources on its website under the same heading, while Lambeth borough council and the City of London corporation have also shared it online, the Telegraph reported.