Family Guide: How To Love Our Immigrant Neighbors
This guide was put together in collaboration with Baby Devotions.
In May 2019, we met Kayla Alonso from Baby Devotions at a Welcome Kit packing party she organized in St. Paul, Minnesota. The packing party gathered local Twin Cities families to pack hygiene kits for migrant families in need at the South Texas border. We were blown away by the creativity and the family resources that Kayla put together for this packing party.
As our families are at home and practicing social distancing during Covid-19, in collaboration with Kayla Alonso, we’ve compiled a guide with creative and digital resources to help you have conversations with your kids about how to love our immigrant and refugee neighbors during this season and beyond.
Is this guide for me?
The immigration conversation has always been hard topics in our culture and with the recent border crisis, it seems to have become more political, and polarizing. However, it’s important to remember that refugees and immigrants are people and we, as Christians, are called to love those who are often consider “others”.
Questions to consider.
Do you wish you could talk with your kids about immigration but aren’t sure how to do so?
How do I help my kids love our new neighbors?
How do I disciple my kids in this?
If these questions resonate with you, this family guide is for you! We’ve created a short list of tools to help you guide your family in how to love our refugee and immigrant neighbors. In this guide you’ll find book and movie recommendations, bilingual coloring sheets, a family prayer guide and other great cross-cultural resources.
BOOKS
Books can be a beautiful way to show children a different perspective. If you’ve ever wondered what life look like through the eyes of a refugee or immigrant, these books are right for you. Below are a few of our favorite books.
Lailah’s Lunchbox by Reem Faruqui
Lailah is in a new school, and though she misses home, she is excited she is old enough to observe Ramadan. However, she is nervous about what her classmates will think. With the help of her teachers, she learns that she can make new friends who respect her beliefs.
The Seeds of Friendship by Michael Foreman
Adam has just moved to a new city that is very different from home. However, with the help of new friends and some seeds, he is able to make a new home.
Dreamers (Spanish: Soñadores) by Yuyi Morales
This is a picture book memoir, showing children (and adults) the story of how Yuyi came to the United States with her small son. Though initially hard and strange, they eventually found a way to make this land their home.
Luca’s Bridge / El Puente de Luca by Mariana Llanos
Luca’s Bridge is the story of a young boy whose family has been deported. As his family travels to Mexico, he processes what has happened and how his life will change.
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
This is the story of a little girl who moves from Korea. She is hesitant to share her real name, so instead tells her new classmates that she will choose a name by the end of the week. However, one of her classmates finds out her real name and its special meaning. They encourage her to embrace her name and all learn how to pronounce it! This sweet books explored the difficulties some immigrant children may face when no one pronounces their name correctly. It also models an appropriate way for children to respond when meeting someone with a name from a different culture.
Carmela Full of Wishes (Spanish: Los Deseos de Carmela) by Matt de la Peña
From the same author as “Last Stop on Market Street” this book follows a little girl on her birthday. She thinks about all the things she could wish for. Whimsical wishes like getting a candy machine. But also wishing “her father could get his papers fixed and finally come back home.” This story is sensitively written, and relatable for small children.
I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien
Maria, Jin, and Fatimah are new not only to their school, but to this country. There are many things that are hard, like when Maria tries to understand new words that sound strange to their ears. Jin knew how to read and write in Korea, but here the letters look like “scribbles and scratches.” Fatimah knew how she fit in and what to do in her old class in Somalia, but here she cannot see the patterns.
The book follows each of the three children as they slowly find their place in their new school and their new home. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7)
My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqui hasta alla by Amanda Irma Perez and Maya Christina Gonzalez
When Amanda overhears her parents talking about moving from Mexico to California, she’s worried. She begins pouring her fears into her diary. While her rowdy brothers are excited, she doesn’t want to leave the people and places she loves. Her friend Michi says she’s lucky because at least they will all be together, unlike her own family, which is separated by the border.
Her father leaves before them because he is a U.S. citizen and will need to get their green cards. As they go through the long wait to get their papers, Amanda continues to share everything she’s experiencing with her diary. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10)
Questions to consider as you read.
What would you feel if our family was going to move to a new country, where people speak a different language than you?
How is your life similar to the the character in this book? How is your life different?
If there someone in your school who is new to this country, what could you do to help them feel welcome?
What can you do if you hear someone else making fun of a person’s name, or of the way they talk?
How did you feel when (character’s name) had to be away from their parents? Did you think that was ok?
Movies
Movies can be useful conversation starters so your kids can learn more about this topic. Below are a couple of movies we recommend.
An American Tail
The animated film An American Tail is the story of Fievel Mousekewitz, a Russian-Jewish mouse who is separated from his family after they fled their home in Shostka, Ukraine due to religious persecution. We think this film is a great way to engage younger learners in discussions about immigration.
McFarland, USA
Kevin Costner stars in Disney’s McFarland, USA, a moving film based on an inspirational true story of underdogs triumphing over tremendous obstacles. When Coach Jim White (Costner) arrives to teach at a predominantly Latino high school, everyone has a lot to learn about each other. But when Coach discovers the boys’ exceptional running ability, things change. Beyond their talent, it’s the power of family, commitment to each other and work ethic that transforms them into champions — helping them achieve their own American dream. Experience this heartwarming celebration of the human spirit in McFarland, USA.
Spare Parts
George Lopez leads a winning cast in this inspiring movie based on an amazing true story. When four wildly different Hispanic high schoolers team up to enter a robotics competition against the nation's top universities, no one believes they have a chance—no one but Fredi (Lopez), their new substitute teacher. As Fredi challenges his students to be the best they can be, they show him the power of never giving up, in this unforgettable tale that shines with heart, humor, and hope.
PRAYER
As COVID-19 spreads through the United States, millions of immigrants are working every day to defeat the contagion or mitigate its economic effects. From cleaning away germs to developing cures, to delivering needed supplies, immigrants are disproportionately engaged in the effort to defeat COVID-19.
Use the points below as you pray for immigrants in the front lines.
Pray for Health Care workers.
On the front lines of this battle are the nearly 1.7 million foreign-born medical and health care workers who are caring for COVID-19 patients, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS).
Pray for immigrants in cleaning occupations.
Immigrants and refugees specialize in cleaning occupations that prevent the spread of Covid-19. Immigrants are nearly half of America’s maids, a quarter of its janitors, and 22 percent of its vehicle cleaners and janitors.
Pray for those distributing and delivering food and supplies.
Our country is currently depending on supply chains to allow us to stay inside, and immigrants are disproportionately involved in those chains from start to finish. Nearly 1.5 million immigrants work in delivery, shipping, and trucking, bringing products to households across America.
Pray for those working in food production.
Immigrants cultivate and process a significant portion of America’s food and meat production. Even in this crisis, we all still need food. In 2018, there were more than 700,000 immigrants in the agricultural and food or meat processing jobs.
Example Prayer:
Coloring Pages
You may also choose to use a variety of bilingual materials to expose your kids to another language! Having to learn a new language is something that many immigrant families experience. Being exposed to other languages is good for a child’s brain development and also helps build empathy for those who may not speak the majority language. Below is a bilingual coloring page based on Mark 12:31. Simply print and color!
Click on image to download coloring page
Click on image to download coloring page
You can also help your little one memorize scripture using this fun bilingual coloring page.
Additional RESOURCES
Below are other lessons that pair well with our family guide.
About the Author:
Yonathan Moya is the Executive Director of Border Perspective. He has spent the last decade of his life serving on the mission field throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Yonathan grew up on the U.S. & Mexico border. He's a South Texas native now living with his wife, Megan, their son Jude, and mini golden-doodle, Fitz, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.