{"id":842,"date":"2026-06-23T09:40:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T09:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/23\/citizenship-education-primary-school-children-are-already-able-to-think-politically\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T09:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T09:40:09","slug":"citizenship-education-primary-school-children-are-already-able-to-think-politically","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/23\/citizenship-education-primary-school-children-are-already-able-to-think-politically\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizenship education: primary school children are already able to think politically"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> New Africa\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rebuilding social cohesion and democratic trust has become a key concern in British politics, amid increasing political polarisation, misinformation and declining trust in public institutions. Schools are often seen as part of the solution, helping children learn how to participate in civic life and live alongside others.<\/p>\n

Yet children are rarely included<\/a> in discussions about citizenship, political participation and rights. They are often treated as citizens in waiting, learning about \u201cBritish values<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a government-defined framework taught in England\u2019s schools that includes the rule of law, and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs, in preparation for future participation in society. <\/p>\n

At the same time, children are growing up surrounded by messages about what is right and wrong, often without the tools to question whose perspectives those messages reflect.<\/p>\n

There are plans to make citizenship education<\/a> mandatory in primary schools in England for the first time, including teaching about democracy, rights, media literacy and climate change. However, there is a risk that citizenship becomes primarily about teaching approved knowledge. For example, this could be learning about and showing respect for public institutions and services, rather than creating opportunities for discussion, participation and critical reflection. <\/p>\n

My research suggests that young children are ready to think seriously about politics, democracy and fairness. Over the past decade, I have explored<\/a> how picturebooks and dialogue can support children\u2019s engagement with ideas about rights, justice and global citizenship. <\/p>\n

I carried out my PhD research<\/a> with children aged five to nine, using the picturebook Dreams of Freedom<\/a>, published by Amnesty International in 2015, to explore how they understand concepts such as equality, participation and justice. Dreams of Freedom is a picturebook anthology rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, featuring quotations about freedom alongside illustrations by artists from around the world.<\/p>\n

The children were interpreting, debating and connecting these rights to their own lives. They spoke about equality in strikingly direct ways. One child explained, \u201cIt\u2019s really good to be different. It would be very boring if we were all the same.\u201d <\/p>\n

Another described equality by saying: \u201cIf I ripped two people\u2019s skin off, we\u2019re made of the same flesh and blood.\u201d They also linked freedom with responsibility. As one five year old put it: \u201cFreedom to do anything that you like, just make sure it doesn\u2019t hurt anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Children were not only engaging with ideas of citizenship in the abstract. Many were also aware that their voices are often dismissed. Across the study, children spoke about adults assuming they were too young to contribute or did not really understand what they thought.<\/p>\n

Some also recognised how authority works. One child suggested that adults believe they know best because they run the country. Another put it more simply: \u201cThey\u2019re not us. They don\u2019t know how we feel.\u201d These comments show that children are already thinking about power and whose voices get heard.<\/p>\n

From empathy to action<\/h2>\n

When discussing homelessness, one child suggested using empty houses to support people living on the streets, noting that many homes are not being used and could be made available.<\/p>\n

This kind of thinking is recognisably political. It connects fairness with resource distribution and responsibility, which are central questions in public policy.<\/p>\n

The children also demonstrated a strong sense of agency, arguing for them to have greater involvement in decision making and suggesting ways to address social and environmental issues.<\/p>\n

\n \"Children
\n Children can discuss concepts of rights and fairness.<\/span>
\n Rawpixel.com\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If democratic trust and social cohesion are the goal, these findings matter. Democracy is not something people suddenly learn as adults. It develops through everyday experiences of being listened to, negotiating difference and feeling that your voice matters.<\/p>\n

If citizenship education is to strengthen democratic trust, it should build on children\u2019s existing capacity to question, debate and engage with issues that matter to them.<\/p>\n

Picturebooks can create powerful spaces for this kind of learning. In my research, discussions quickly became conversations about inequality, care, belonging and justice. When children were invited to create their own pages on people\u2019s rights, many proposed new rights such as \u201cto be kind\u201d, framing kindness as something everyone should be entitled to experience. Another argued that each person should have the chance to live a good life. These are early experiences of democratic participation.<\/p>\n

Listening as a foundation for cohesion<\/h2>\n

At a time when policymakers are searching for ways to strengthen social unity, young children are largely absent from the conversation. Yet schools cannot build democratic cohesion by relying solely on behaviour systems that prioritise obedience and uniformity, or on prescribed lists of national values. It is built through relationships, dialogue and participation.<\/p>\n

When citizenship education is expanded in primary schools, it should create space for discussion, disagreement and shared decision making. This does not necessarily require more content, but a shift in how classrooms work, treating children as contributors, not just learners.<\/p>\n

Young children are not politically empty. They are already making sense of fairness, power and belonging in thoughtful and sometimes unexpected ways.<\/p>\n

If we want a more cohesive society, we need to take children\u2019s thinking seriously. Listening to their experiences is central to citizenship education, and children\u2019s books offer a powerful way to be heard.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Dr Rebecca Simpson-Hargreaves is affiliated with the United Kingdom Literacy Association. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Africa\/Shutterstock Rebuilding social cohesion and democratic trust has become a key concern in British politics, amid increasing political polarisation, misinformation and declining trust in public institutions. Schools are often seen as part of the solution, helping children learn how to participate in civic life and live alongside others. Yet children are rarely included in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}