Preparing kindergarten students for future active citizens

Abstract

Students and teachers learn about citizenship through the identification of the world they live in, injustices of life, and joint actions to create the right conditions for democratic life. Early education and training can play a key role in the development of a child's citizenship from an early age. However, factors such as the insufficient training of teachers in matters of citizenship education in combination with the unclear goals in the Kindergarten curriculum make this task particularly difficult and make it hard for Kindergarten teachers to decide to engage further, as shown by findings from a previous study.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the concept of citizenship on its theoretical basis and specifically to highlight how citizenship education is outlined in early childhood. We developed a series of activities that can take place in a kindergarten for citizenship education, on issues regarding decision making, behavioral evaluation, rules, dispute resolution, management of material and natural resources, democracy, tender, dialogue, peaceful coexistence, and contact with different cultures.

These activities can serve as a guide for preschool teachers, who feel insecure to introduce the concepts of citizenship in the Kindergarten area, and we hope that they will be a trigger to realize that in a playful and easy way they can approach these demanding concepts.