“Children should be seen but not heard,” goes the old adage. But what if we can help our students view their role in history differently? What if we taught students to view children not as mere background players in history, but as a key part of unlocking historical curiosity?

Though children’s voices are often underrepresented or absent from traditional history instruction, there is great value in helping our students recognize the role that kids like them have played in history. Including the child’s perspective on historical events offers students a unique way to engage with history and teaches them how to be good historians, while also fulfilling social studies, SEL, and ELA standards at all grade levels.

Unique Perspectives & Connections

There is a growing movement in history to recognize and analyze the experiences of children in history as a unique and important group, worthy of consideration in their own cultural, social and historical context. Historian Frijhoff Willem has been a key voice in this shift, arguing that children should not be viewed in history as simply miniature adults, but instead have always existed as a distinct group with specific needs and roles. Willem further argues that by examining historical representations of children in light of their social and cultural contexts, we are better able to appreciate and understand the important role children play and the unique perspective they provide in history. [1]

Focusing on children's artifacts, perspectives, and materials in the classroom allows us to create a more inclusive and comprehensive historical narrative. Students are not only able to able to identify and connect with the history they’re learning in significant ways, but they are also presented with the opportunity to consider how future generations will look back on their role in history. In order to facilitate this impactful learning opportunity in the classroom, teachers should give consideration to the politically, socially and culturally defined aspects of childhood in the time period they’re focused on. With that context in mind, teachers can help students recognize children's voices, agency and presence in history.

Take, for example, World War I. What were the experiences of children during the Great War? We can look to the actions of Girl Scouts across the country for an answer. Food conservation was a significant concern for Americans during World War I and was an issue of which children were well aware. In response, Girl Scouts throughout the United States planted and maintained Victory Gardens to help their communities. [2] The actions of these young ladies reflect the context in which they lived, while also demonstrating the agency and perspective of kids in World War I.

How can you bring this into the classroom?

Finding and comprehending children's voices can present teachers with a challenge, as the voices of kids have not always been recognized for their importance. Fortunately, museums and libraries have created spaces for children's histories, uncovering their material culture such as dresses, toys, songs, riddles, books, and even children's versions of the Holy Scriptures. Read on for a compiled list of example lesson plans, books, and other resources broken down by grade level standards to help you include children’s perspectives in the classroom.

Activities, Lessons & More for Bring Children's Voices into the Social Studies Classroom

Footnotes:

[1] Willem, Frijhoff. “Historians Discovery of Childhood,” Paedagogica Historica 48, no. 1, (Feburary 2012): 11-29. doi:10.1080/00309230.2011.644568

[2] “How Have Children Helped Their Communities by Caring for the Environment?” Library of Congress Blogs, Library of Congress, Jan. 5, 2024, https://blogs.loc.gov/families/2024/01/how-have-children-helped-their-communities-by-caring-for-the-environment/.

Blog image citation: Students and teacher at blackboard photograph. Photograph. Ca. 1906-1908. Ohio Memory, Albert Belmont Graham Collection. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/9630/rec/63 (Oct. 1, 2024).