Is 4 too young to teach human evolution?

[ShineyMcShine]

Wondering if DD is too young to learn or understand this, yet she has many questions about the origins of humans and other life forms.

I'm not schooled on the subject and I know it wouldn't please my overbearing Catholic FIL to know that I'm teaching this to DD (he already has her talking about god and heaven).

Anyone recommend an age to introduce this topic if not now?

It's never too young to start talking about it in age appropriate terms, a 4yo is very unlikely to understand the timeline, but the basic concept can be discussed.

Now, before FIL gets his fairy tales into her.

I tried at around that age. He started off thinking I used to be a reptile when I was young, but we did get there eventually.

No, why would it be, just get her a picture book on it. Ted Ed have good short videos on these kinds of things that my kids love as well. Might also be worth sending her question to the story boys.

*Storybots

If she's old enough to learn about about religion, she's old enough to learn what the actual truth is...

Oh and it's probably an idea to tell her that god, heaven etc aren't necessarily real, they've never been proven, just that some people believe in them, that others believe in different gods, and some in no god at all.

You are well within your rights to raise your child as you choose, your FIL doesn't get to reach any religion as truth if you don't want him to

This is a great book www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786033429/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_sRXcFb8C1JBMW?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

What’s the difference with regards her level of understanding, either you can fill her head with partially understood science or your FIL can fill it with partially understood nonsense. Must surely be wiser to start her off on the right track..?

And fuck him, by the way.

Catholics don’t not believe in evolution, that’s more the evangelical type churches I understand

Yes I think we started around this age too. Younger is now and while I wouldn’t say he totally gets it and the timeframes he definitely knows that we weren’t always here and some creatures changed over time into other creatures.

Really useful in particular if kids are interested in dinosaurs and other things to talk about how they got here and look at what we see in fossils. DS2 is really into marine life so loves the chat around how everything came from the sea originally.

My DD was taught about evolution (in general, not just human) as a natural thing throughout her early years. IME it's perfectly comprehensible to small kids - and of course there are dinosaurs and fossils as part of the story.

a 4yo is very unlikely to understand the timeline,

One place we used to visit a lot when she was small (the Lakeland Wildlife Oasis) had some simple displays which helped - a calendar showing when life first emerged and what evolved when. I can't find an example but basically the sort of things in this link written into a 12 month calendar ...so there were lots of pages to flip through before getting to mammals.

biomimicry.net/earths-calendar-year/

I don't think so and it's compatible with intelligent design theory if you wish.

Catholics believe in evolution too.

It doesn’t have to be difficult. Buy her some dinosaurs. Take her fossil hunting.

A nice age appropriate book might be this one.
www.amazon.co.uk/Origin-Species-Sabina-Radeva/dp/0141388501/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=evolution+darwin+picture+book&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1594564428&sr=8-1

It honestly, I think you’re massively overthinking it. Assuming you’re in the UK, she’s only ever going to be taught the theory of evolution at school, not anything “biblical”.

Also, especially if a kid is getting told about one particular religion as though it's 'the truth' , it's probably useful to make sure they know a bit about other religions. Current ones, but Greek and Roman myths and legends may be more fun.

I know it wouldn't please my overbearing Catholic FIL to know that I'm teaching this to DD

Why?

Overbearing FIL can go fuck off with his opinion...

The Catholic Church does not reject evolution: I would refer your FIL to the 1959 encyclical Humani generis, John Paul II's 1996 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the 1997 version of the Catholic Catechism.

Catholics don't have a problem with evolution, op. Extreme Biblical literalists do.

No, four isn't too young to start learning about evolution, I imagine there are some cartoons that deal with the subject for small children.

Show them an episode of Captain Caveman and go from there.