The phrase global citizens has become slightly worn through overuse, but the underlying idea is real and important. Children growing up today will live and work in a world that is more interconnected than any previous generation has known. Helping them develop a wide, curious, well-informed view of that world is one of the most useful things parents can do. So if you want to help your children become global citizens then here are some tips we think are important when it comes to teaching children about the world around them.
Start at the Map
An astonishing number of children (and some adults), well into the primary years, have only a vague sense of where countries are. A wall map in the kitchen, a globe in the lounge, an atlas on the coffee table, all of these quietly build geographical literacy without any formal teaching. When something is in the news, walk over and point to it. Where is Ukraine? Where is Indonesia? Where is Brazil?
You can also use holidays as a teaching opportunity too, ask them where they want to? Where exactly is that? What continent? As they get older you could also ask them to help plan the itinerary, can they find somewhere nearby to visit, maybe a different town or city. Is it possible to visit more than one country on that trip and if so how?
Children who grow up around maps develop an intuitive sense of geography that no number of school lessons can quite replicate and this is a great foundation for being good global citizens as they have a true understand of where things are happening and where that is in relation to other places.
On the Plate
Food is one of the most direct ways into other cultures. Schools that take a broad cultural approach to education often weave food and cultural experience into their curriculum deliberately. St Christopher’s Hove and many similar schools recognise that food is more than nutrition. It is geography, history, tradition, family memory and becoming global citizens all on a plate.
Cook from cuisines you did not grow up with. Try a new restaurant for a family birthday. Talk about where ingredients come from. Don’t just stop at trying new foods though, get them to help plan the menu and then cook the meals or bake the puddings together and get a sense for how other countries not only eat but how they live, what ingredients they priorities and what different foods and meals represent for different countries.
A child who is comfortable trying new foods is, in a small but real way, building the disposition of a global citizen.
Take the News Seriously to become Global Citizens
Almost no British primary school child consumes news. Most secondary school children consume only short, algorithmically selected fragments. Helping your child develop a relationship with the news, ideally through a quality source, is one of the more useful long-term parenting interventions that can contribute to them becoming well informed global citizens.
- Newsround on the BBC for younger children is genuinely good.
- First News, a children’s newspaper, works well for older primary readers.
- The Day, an online platform aimed at older children and teenagers, provides longer-form journalism.
- Family discussion of current events, even briefly, teaches that the world matters.
Travel With Open Eyes
Travel can broaden a child’s view of the world, or, badly done, can narrow it. The difference lies in how you approach the places you visit. Treat the people of a country as guides to a way of life, not as scenery. Eat their food, attempt their language, watch how they treat their children, ask them questions.
Children who learn to do this on holiday will later do it at university, in their careers and across their adult friendships. The early framing matters far more than the specific country.
Top Tip – one thing we have adopted as a family is learning to say hello and thank you in the native language of our holiday destination and although they are the only words we can speak we use them often with the staff and always get a lovely response which then gives the children more confidence to use those words again.
Friendships Across Difference
The single most powerful experience that makes a child genuinely global in their outlook is friendship across difference. Not abstract appreciation of diversity, but real friendships, with all the inside jokes, frustrations and shared memories that real friendships involve.
Where possible, choose schools, clubs and neighbourhoods that put your child in genuine proximity to children from different backgrounds. Schools like St Christopher’s Hove, with their international communities, give children a head start in this. Any school can do it well if it is taken seriously.
Take Languages Seriously
A child who speaks a second language has a different relationship with the world than a monolingual child. Even partial fluency carries cultural depth that translation cannot reach. Take your child’s language learning seriously, support it at home and find ways to use the language in real-life contexts.
If your child’s school takes languages seriously, you have a head start. If not, look for after-school classes, language exchanges, family holidays in the language country, or one of the many online tutoring platforms that now exist.
Stay Aware of Your Own Lens
Children pick up worldview from the adults around them. The way you talk about other countries, other religions, other political systems, other peoples, all of this is being absorbed. Notice the casual generalisations that slip into family conversation. Notice the tone you use when current events are discussed.
Helping your children become global citizens does not require perfection on your part. It requires you to keep examining your own lens, to be honest about uncertainty and to model the kind of curiosity you want your child to develop.
Encourage them to ask questions, not just of the world around them but of you to and why you believe what you do. If you have different ideas and opinions use these as an opportunity to research and learn the facts together.
Show Them That Small Actions Matter
Being a global citizen isn’t just about understanding the world. It’s also about recognising that our actions can affect other people and the planet. Children don’t need to solve enormous global problems.
Start small.
Encourage them to reduce waste, recycle where possible, look after their belongings and think about what they consume. Talk about where their food and clothes come from and the journey products make before reaching your home.
You can also encourage kindness within your own community.
Donate items you’ve outgrown, take part in a local litter pick, support a charity together or help someone who needs it. These simple actions teach children that being part of a community comes with responsibilities as well as benefits.
As they get older, they’ll begin to understand that their community isn’t limited to their street, town or even their country. We’re all part of something much bigger.
The Long Outcome
Children who grow up with a genuine, lived sense of the wider world tend to become adults who can navigate it. They study abroad, take jobs in different countries and travel more. They form friendships across cultures. They engage thoughtfully with politics, both at home and abroad. They contribute to the kind of pluralism that healthy democracies depend on.
None of this is dramatic. It is the cumulative effect of family conversations, kitchen maps, books, films, holidays and friendships, sustained across childhood. The work is small. The dividend lasts a lifetime as they become well rounded global citizens. For more on internationally-minded prep school education, visit https://www.stchristophershove.org.uk/.
About the Author
This article was contributed by St Christopher’s, Hove, an independent prep school on the south coast with a strong creative, international and pastoral tradition. Learn more: https://www.stchristophershove.org.uk/
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