Teaching small children about peace must begin with helping them to resolve small conflicts at home, to get along (and share) with siblings and friends, and to find ways to calm themselves when they are stressed or angry. In helping children to put themselves in someone else's place, and to practice self-control, adults can help children to begin to understand what it means to live in peace.
Home is the place where peace should start, isn't it? We all know that isn't always the case, though. So, is it possible for a child to learn about peace in the classroom and bring it home?
That's what happens in the picture book,
Peace Week in Miss Fox's Class, by Eileen Spinelli. With one creative idea, this teacher has her students solving their own problems. Shouldn't that be what school is all about?
When Miss Fox gets tired of her students arguing all the time, she declares it "peace week." What does that mean? Well, the students decide for themselves! They make their own rules, such as "no fighting," and "don't say mean things," and "help others."
I'll leave the details as a surprise for you, but let's just say that the students choose to extend the learning WAY BEYOND the classroom. From learning the true meaning of sportsmanship to getting along with neighbors and siblings, this picture book will have you and your child talking about all types of issues relating to conflict resolution and peace.
Peace Week in Miss Fox's class would go along nicely with one of my all-time favorite picture books, Miss Rumphius. Just as Miss Rumphius encouraged children to find small ways to "make the world more beautiful," so did Miss Fox. By the way, Barbara Cooney's book was the very first one I wrote about on this blog in the previous post, A Children's Book and a Song to Inspire Moms to Change the World.
While the books I've mentioned so far have been geared mainly for the preschool to grade 2 age range, I've found many wonderful related books for older readers as well. I'm looking forward to sharing them with you over the next week or two.
Just reading a picture book brings me many moments of peace, as does listening to music or baking. Would you like to share some activities that bring you and your family moments of peace?