What do children need to know about peace?
“It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, American Journalist
Looking at the lack of disharmony in the world we live in, most parents will agree that we need to teach children the concept of peace. Peace is one of the most seemingly simple yet complex terms for young children.
Peace education is the process of acquiring values, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviours to live in harmony with oneself, others, and the natural environment.
Today, in this article, we will be talking about what children need to know about peace.
- How to introduce children to the concept of peace
- Important things for parents to remember before starting
How to introduce children to the concept of peace
A document published by UNICEF Canada lists a few questions that parents can explore with their children to help them get a basic understanding of peace:
- Examples of peace from the child’s life
- Non-examples of peace from the child’s life
- What does peace look like?
- Peace is…
- What does peace not look like?
- Examples of peace from the text (books)
- Non-examples of peace from the text (books)
Here is a sample chart:
Important things for parents to remember before starting
Here are three things that parents should remember before starting this exercise:
- Show the child different pictures and ask them to separate them into two: pictures resembling peace and pictures that do not resemble peace.
- Get the child to draw a picture of what they understand by peace.
- Explore one question at a time for a maximum of 30 minutes. Set a timer for productive and focused discussions.
Peace is so much more than lack of war or violence. To help children lead peaceful lives, it is important that children understand the concept of peace. Children are developing their world-views at this stage and will benefit the most from peace education.
Download the introduction to peace chart here.
Did you like this article? Have you spoken to your child about the nature of peace? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments sections below.
Reference:
What is peace? Grades K-3. (n.d.). UNICEF Canada. https://www.unicef.ca/sites/default/files/legacy/imce_uploads/Docs/what_is_peace_activities_k-3.pdf