Civic awareness and literacy for kids
In this previous article we talked about the importance for kids of the 21st century skills framework for the acquisition of skills related to creativity, collaboration, problem solving and innovation. In detail, one of the objectives of the framework, among others, is to teach values and transmit signals for greater civic awareness, allowing the future inhabitants of Earth active participants of the community.
Questions such as “How does the government work? “, “What is the role of the citizens, their rights and responsibilities?” are the ones we ask thinking about civic education.
Perhaps they are complex topics to explain to children. However, teaching them the ideas of justice and responsibility at an early age is the right thing to do, especially in the environments familiar to them, starting from home to school.
A set of formal and informal types of learning can help to convey this sense of civic duty and the idea that everyone’s contribution can make the community efficient and functioning.
On one hand there are formal leanings related to the principles and the history of democracy, government structures.
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On the other, various activities related to informal spheres that imply leadership and organization can accentuate even more the civic consciousness. For example we can make children decide what to eat for dinner or what to see at the cinema, or ask their opinions about the improvement of the school and what they think about the role of the people in the nations in which they live.
Field trips outside the city, going to parks, historic sites or visiting local producers are the suitable activities to show the little ones how others invest and contribute for the community, communicating to children a sense of belonging that the collectivity builds for its community.
A greater civic knowledge makes greater civic awareness. It is a process that if occurs at an early age, can only improve our society in the future.
Keep following us. We will write on the next articles about different kinds of literacies related to the 21st century skills framework.
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