by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down, Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is….) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Train up a child…
Children Need Help with Social Studies
Social Studies in school includes so very much that it is virtually impossible for a student to obtain all that is needed to become a good citizen through studies taught there alone. Parents must step up and help children form attitudes, gain knowledge, and put into practice those things that make up a person who fits well into our society. At best, teachers can only skim the surface of important knowledge that children need.
Social studies include the study of history, government, citizenship, geography, economics, and political science. Schools generally have separate courses to cover each topic, but actually all of the topics necessarily overlap.
Parents can help teach good citizenship by first setting an example of being a good citizen. They need to obey laws and point out to children what the laws are. Many young people do not know until too late that certain things are against the law. In addition, they often wonder why the laws are, in their sight, so unnecessary. Reasons for laws should be pointed out to children at a very young age.
I am amazed at how many of my GED students did not know the branches of government or the responsibilities of each branch. The system of checks and balances is so very important, yet many young people think that our president makes all of the decisions. A 30 minute session with a child can teach these important facts that help enable a child to understand the workings of our government.
When families go on vacation, children can trace the trip on maps. When they write letters to relatives or friends, they can locate where the letter is going on a map. When news items are discussed about foreign lands, a globe or world map should be available in the home for the children to locate those countries. These things all help a child with geography.
A thrifty family automatically teaches economics. When a child is taught to wait to purchase an item when it is not a fad, that child is learning the principle of supply and demand. When an older child is given a clothing allowance and made responsible for budgeting and purchasing his/her own clothing, that child is learning economics.
Many children have a negative attitude toward politics and it is suspect that they have picked up this attitude at home. Adults need to be very careful about their comments concerning elected officials when children are present. It is really impossible to teach a child to respect authority, government, and love for our country when all they hear is negative comments about it. Parents need to tell stories from history of sacrifice of many who have worked and fought for our country, so their sons and daughters will develop an appreciation for where we live. There are many in our society now who would do away with our constitution. Children need to be taught at home about how our constitution came about and how successfully it has worked in the past.
Children should watch some news and documentaries on TV, but parents need to be very selective in what they have their children watch. Older children need to watch or listen to news at least one time each day and discuss with adults what they hear. Most would agree that there is much on the news that younger children should not be allowed to view. That said, it is, in a way, fortunate that the news is repeated so many times each day. This allows parents to watch it first and then select the portions they think would be good for the children to see.
Leaving the teaching of social studies entirely to the schools is a bad idea. Just as journalists pick and choose what they report according to their opinions, so teachers cannot help but emphasize what they believe and deemphasize what they do not believe. Parents need to take charge of the learning of their young children and teach children to think for themselves.