CL Society 221: Child staring

Our children will grow up to shape the world. They need plenty of creativity and grit for the task ahead. Nurturing them in loving relationships with plenty of freedom to play is wonderful preparation. Here are some other positive ways to foster their engagement as they grow.

1. Encourage make-believe worlds. This happens with blocks and dress-up. It happens when kids play under a blanket thrown over a table or as they build a fort out of sticks in the backyard. It builds a connection from the world that is to the world that can be.

2. Create a country. Children 9 to twelve can get more in depth using the enticing book Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture with 25 Projects
. It inspires kids to make up imaginary countries where they create the customs, games, holidays, coins, and much more while learning how the real world works.

3. Read stories. Through fiction, children imagine themselves living the lives of characters and begin to grasp what it's like in different places and different circumstances. This practice of recognizing other worldviews helps to develop tolerance and empathy.

4. Point out what adults are doing everyday to bring about a brighter future, both in good times and times of crisis. Note your own choices such as commuting by bike, planting a garden, and choosing eco-friendly products.

5. Let current events become a regular topic. Just as you'd bring up any other subject that interests you, talk about topical issues in front of your kids. This is easy to do informally while driving or sitting around the dinner table. In addition to being more aware of issues, studies show that kids develop better reasoning skills when they grow up in families where social and political issues are common topics.

6. Embrace kids' interests and let them see you pursue your own interests. Many of us are raising young people whose passions aren't remotely similar to our own, yet these very passions help advance the possibilities we bring to the future.

7. Get kids to predict the future. This not only provides insight into their hopes and fears, it's a way of talking about the kind of future they want to live in and what steps can be taken to make it happen.

8. Pay attention to positive news. Don't let the family news diet center on the negative. Subscribe to high quality children's magazines such as Muse, Skipping Stones, Odyssey, and New Moon Girls. Get updates from KarmaTube and Good News Network. Talk about what kids have seen or heard that makes them feel optimistic.

9. Welcome their interests and opinions without overemphasizing your point of view. Welcome dissent, which equips kids to think for themselves. As they get older, help them see that using facts can help convince others.

10. Find age-appropriate news sources. Try Scholastic News, DoGo News, and the similarly named GoGo News, Kid's Post (offered by The Washington Post), National Geographic Kids, News-o-Matic, and Time for Kids. Teens are likely to enjoy the news-based wit of The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight.

13. Hang a laminated world map on the wall. Notice where news happens and where friends travel. Mark places you'd like to go. Whiteboard markers wipe off this surface, so it's easy to write directly on oceans and continents. (This is also a subversive way to advance geographical knowledge.)

14. Think globally. Notice where toys, clothing and other household purchases come from, perhaps locating the place of origin on a map. Focus your attention on a specific area in the world that interests you, paying attention to the news, weather, and celebrations taking place there. If at all possible, host an international visitor.

15. Travel and immerse yourselves in local culture as much as possible. Get off the main roads, eat where the locals eat, walk or bike as much as possible. Skip hotels, instead staying in homes through Airbnb, Home Exchange, or other such programs. According to The New Global Student
by Maya Frost, travel provides extraordinary benefits as teens form their identity and sense of agency in the world.

16. Volunteer, this is a pivotal way to shows kids we can make a better world, right now, directly in our own communities. There are all sorts of ways kids can volunteer, from toddlers to teens.

What ideas do you have to help our kids become world builders?

Portions of this post are excerpted from Free Range Learning
.

Image: Francisco Osorio