Kids may not be familiar with the practice of philosophy, so we’ve created some ground rules that will promote better discussion:
- Raise our hands before you speak
- Don’t be afraid or shy of asking questions.
- Never speak when someone else is speaking.
- We justify our opinions by giving reasons for them
- Learn to listen carefully to what is being said
- Be respectful of others’ opinions by not judging them!
- Disagreement is good, so long as it done with respect. Don’t expect everyone to share the same perspective than you.
- Avoid having side conversations! You won’t appreciate others to be talking or distracted when you are also speaking.
- Ask them questions about a story from a book they have read to start a conversation
- Allow your kid too to ask questions. Many children’ bookstackled problems of racism, environmentalism, equality, injustice etc.
- At home, you can do something as simple as responding to a question with a clarifying question. If a child asks you, “Are aliens real?” you might respond, “What do you think it means for something to be real?” and then go from there.
Do you have other ideas? Please do share with us in comments.
