Should 7yr old be taught about the Holocaust

[wheeliemum]

Please help, my child is being taught about the holocaust at the age of 7 and whilst this may be part of our history there is a factor which she is reacting to; I am a disabled mum and use a wheel and during 1 assembly the whole school were told about the holocaust and how Hitler used to take wheelchairs from disabled people and kill them. All she took from this were the points that we relative i.e. wheelchiar=death. Following on from that she followed me everywhere and cried when she went to bed, this has now settled. However, she is now desplaying signs of anxiety and I have found that they are now being taught about Anne Frank and the Holocaust. Is it me, or isnt there enough evil going on in today's society without
regurgitated!! Is there anything I can do?

[IndigoBell]

7 years is definitely too young to be taught about the holocaust! I would strongly complain to the class teacher and the head teacher - although I fear the damage has already been done.

[Bucharest]

They should, and must, be taught about it IMO.

But in an appropriate and delicate way for their age group.

It sounds as if possibly your daughter hasn't been.

Dd (also 7) has been learning about the Red Cross, charities, the poor, Haiti etc, but in a very bland general "bad things sometimes happen to people through no fault of their own and we should all help and be kind and try and make sure wherever these things are manmade that they don't happen again" sort of thing.

I'd have a word with the teacher and see how it's being done in your daughter's class.

[RobynLou]

I don't think it is too young, but I think the way it is being taught is wrong.

I don't think any age is too young but things should be talked about in an age appropriate way.

[Poshpaws]

DS1, now 9, was taught about the Holocaust at the same age. However, as Bucharest suggests, it was done in an age-appropriate way. He was told about Hitler, why the Nazis did what they did and to whom, but not shown pictures or footage, etc.

We then followed it up with a trip to the Imperial War Museum and he saw old footage, but again, not of the Holocaust. I went into the Holocaust exhibiton and it was awful (I was almost crying) and quite rightly, you had to be about 14, I think, before you could go in and view it.

Sorry your DD has been so upset bi the lesson, thoguh.

[IndigoBell]

There is no appropriate way to describe the appalling atrocity that was the holocaust to a 7 year old.

7 is too young to hear that millions and millions of people were killed because they were Jewish, Disabled, Gay, Gypsies or Black.

The holocaust section of the imperial war museum does not let children in.

[earwicga]

I think 7 is too young. I'm sorry this has upset your daughter so much wheeliemum.

As for what to do, basic reassurance that this won't happen here. I know there is no way of knowing that, but your daughter doesn't.

I'd also speak to the headteacher and make sure she is aware of the effect of the lessons on your daughter.

[CoteDAzur]

7 is too young to be taught about genocides. There is plenty of time ahead of them to be taught about the dark periods of history.

What would be view age classification of a film that shows even one murder? Not 7, I imagine.

[CoteDAzur]

viewer age

[wheeliemum]

[smile[ thanks for your reassurance, will see what the school come us with!

[gabid]

Is the Hollocaust on the KS1 curriculum? I would find that inappropriate, they are too young.

I watch the news with DS, almost 6, so he knows there are bad things happening, but I wouldn't discuss anything too horrible with him.

[Poshpaws]

IB, I didn't say they let children in, I said that 14 and above are allowed in. There was a sign outside it saying so .

As I said, my DS was ok with it, asking questions, not traumatised. I did not go into great detail with him and neither did his school.

However, if he had been upset, then I would do what the OP is doing and going to the school.

[Butkin]

Seems very strange. Most 7yos are learning about origins of man, greeks, romans, early Kings etc. This is way too mature a subject and something they should do when talking about the World Wars in Secondary school.

[PrettyCandles]

7 is not too young. No age is too young to start learning about the Holocaust, but it must be done in an age-appropriate manner.

When we were in a museum that had exhibits relating to the Holocaust, I did not prevent my 3yo from seeing them, but I explained to him that there was once a war when a bad man tried to kill all the Jews, but he didn't succeed. To my 7yo and my 9yo I explained things in slightly greater detail.

The point is not to scare children, but to ensure that they grow up knowing about these things, so that they can understand and be open to learning more when they are ready.

The same with African slavery, the same with sexual abuse, the same with any of the horrors of our history.

If you don't know and understand that these things can and have happened, you may not believe that they are possible, and therefore they can happen again.

Wheeliemum, please talk to your dd's school. They need to understand that the way they are teaching about the Holocaust to this agegroup needs to be modified. It can be taught with hope and with compassion, too.

[UndercoverWorker]

PrettyCandles you said that to your 3 year old? I have a 3 year old. I work in Holocaust Education with schools, with Jewish teachers and with Holocaust survivors and I don't think any one of them would suggest saying what you did to a 3 year old. I certainly wouldn't to mine. And I wouldn't take her in to my place of work.

Obviously you can say whatever you like to your child and I'm not passing judgement on that as such but I don't think you can pass it off as an example of how to treat the subject.

Of course they need to learn at some point but no power on earth will convince me that a 3 year old has to be aware of the concept of killing.

[tassisssss]

OP, I have a nearly 8 year old and I would not want him taught about the Holocaust yet. Too horrific and too serious to be dumbed down IMO.

[mrz]

The 27th January is Holocaust Memorial Day so I would imagine most schools will be holding assemblies 9with younger children present)

[magdalene]

Sorry to hear your child is upset. I am quite shocked that they are teaching the holocaust to this age group. Why do 7 year olds need this information? Especially at such a sensitive age when they are trying to find out how the world works. I would mention to the teacher that your child has been upset (goodness, it's a hard enough subject for adults to get their heads round let alone small children). Mrz - why do these assemblies always need the younger ones involved?

[PrettyCandles]

Undercover, perhaps it's a bit different because, being the youngest of three, he is exposed to a lot of 'older' things that I would not necessarily have him exposed to by choice. But the subject came up - I didn't choose to kick-start his Holocaust education at 3! - and it needed to be addressed.

I don't see that he is traumatised by the explanation. He asked certain questions over and over, clearly needed reassuring that everything was safe. But eventually he had processed the information and feelings, and moved on.

[mrz]

I think young children can handle most topics if they are treated sensitively and perhaps then we would learn the lessons of history and not repeat the mistakes

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.

[FlorenceAndTheMachine]

I'm not sure what I think. DH used to work for a charity which is connected with the Holocaust and does work about it in schools as well as other places. I don't know if they do any work in primary schools or not.

As a mother of a 7 year old I don't believe in shielding him from everything that is unpleasant but I equally well wouldn't want to go into great details about the horror of the Holocaust.

[BarbarianMum]

I agree.

[BarbarianMum]

Bother, meant to add 'and for this reason I think 7 is far too young'.