At home
For parents
How to watch Shades of Brilliant together, and how to keep talking about skin colour at home.
Watching together
Watch it with them first
Sit with your child the first time. Pause when they have a question, and join in with the songs.
Say the “Your turn!” bits
When the screen says “Your turn!”, say or sing the words together. Repeating them is how they stick.
Ask one good question
Every episode page has three questions. One good chat matters more than getting through all three.
Try one activity
Each episode has two quick things to try, using everyday things like paint, crayons and a mirror.
Talking about skin colour at home
Notice it out loud
Talk about skin colour kindly, the way you would talk about hair or eye colour. It shows children it isn’t a secret.
Use shade words
Try deep brown, rich brown, light brown and peach. Food words like chocolate or caramel can turn into teasing at school, so it’s best to avoid them.
Keep answers simple
“Why is my skin brown?” “Your body makes lots of melanin. Melanin gives skin its colour and helps protect it from the sun. Everyone has some, and some bodies just make more.” A few people, such as people with albinism, make very little, and their skin is brilliant too.
Don’t hush questions
If your child asks about someone’s skin out loud, don’t shush them. Answer simply: “Yes, his skin is a deep brown. Skin comes in lots of shades.”
Check the shelves
Look at your child’s books, toys and dolls. Do children of every shade get to be the hero? Episode 8 is all about this.
Name every shade, including white
Describe light skin too, as peach or pink or white, so no colour becomes the “normal” one. Episode 7 shows why.
Brave words by age
What your child can say if someone is unkind about their skin. The core line stays the same at every age, so it becomes automatic, and it grows a little as they do.
“Stop! That’s not kind. My skin is brilliant!”
Then tell a grown-up you love. If they don’t help, tell another one.
“Stop! That’s not kind. My skin is brilliant! I’m telling a grown-up.”
If the first grown-up doesn’t help, tell another one.
“Stop! That’s not true, and it’s not kind. Everyone has melanin.”
Then tell a grown-up, and keep telling until someone listens.
Why these words
- They’re short enough to remember when a child is upset.
- They’re firm but not an insult back, so the child who was hurt never ends up being the one told off.
- They end with pride, not hurt.
If the unkind words come from a grown-up
- Believe your child, and tell them they were right to tell you.
- Write down what was said, when, and who was there.
- Speak to the nursery manager or headteacher and ask how they will follow it up.
- If that doesn’t settle it, use the setting’s complaints procedure. For a nursery or childminder, you can also contact Ofsted, which regulates early years providers.
- Children should never have to argue with an adult. Their job is to tell another grown-up, which is what the episodes teach.
Questions parents ask
Is Shades of Brilliant only for Black children?
No. Black children are at the centre of the stories, so they see their skin, hair, names and heritage celebrated. Every child learns the friendship side: noticing differences kindly, asking first, and speaking up for a friend. Leo and Poppy show white children what being that friend looks like.
Isn’t 3 too young to talk about skin colour?
Children notice skin colour long before they can talk about it. Development Matters, the Department for Education’s guidance for the early years, asks settings to help 3 and 4-year-olds “continue developing positive attitudes about the differences between people”. Short, warm conversations now make the bigger ones easier later.
Which episode should we start with?
Start with your child’s age group. Younger children can watch the age 5 episodes with you. The episodes for 6 to 7-year-olds show unkind words on screen and what to do about them, so watch those yourself first.
Where can we watch?
Right here. Each episode has its own page, and the video appears at the top as soon as it’s ready. Until then the page says “Coming soon”.
Does this site collect any information?
No. There are no cookies, sign-ups or tracking. When you press Play, the video loads from the video host, which has its own privacy policy.