How to Talk to Children About the Holocaust
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day , the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau . While this is an important day for adults to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust and honor the six million murdered Jews, you may also wonder how much – if anything – you should teach your children. While most educators agree that the Holocaust should not be officially disclosed until high school, it may happen earlier in your home, or children may hear about it outside the home and come to you with questions.
When do you start a conversation?
Development psychologist and author Dr. Dona Matthews writes for Psychology Today that, depending on your family’s history and experiences, the Holocaust can be relevant at different times and in different ways for different families. But sometimes kids will find out about it at school or learn more from friends before you think they’re ready for it. As Matthews recalls:
When my grandson was in first grade, his school – a public school in Toronto – celebrated Holocaust Remembrance Day with gruesome details, including the fact that children and families were taken out of their homes and sent to showers where they died. Theo is an imaginative child, sensitive and empathetic, and it took a long time before he stopped having nightmares about it.
I am very glad that educators are beginning to understand the importance of education about the Holocaust, but 6 years old is too early for a child to understand such details. Most of the materials produced by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum are intended for children aged 11-12, but not earlier.
However, if children come to you with questions at an earlier age, it is still important, Matthews says , to answer them honestly but age-appropriate. Ask them what they heard and confirm what is true, while focusing on the fact that although it was a terrible time, it is important for us to remember what happened so that we can be sure it will never happen again. Be sure to ask if they have any other questions and follow their lead; children can guide us through how much information they want or are willing to receive.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum says that if you can wait until they grow up a bit, kids begin to understand the complexities of the Holocaust story around sixth grade. In the meantime, the museum’s website says:
Elementary school can be an ideal place to start a discussion of the value of diversity and the dangers of prejudice and prejudice. These important topics can be brought up through local and national historical events and can be reinforced during later Holocaust studies.
Thus, the conversations you have with your children when they are young about bias, discrimination, and the importance of inclusion will serve as the basis for the discussions you have with your children about the Holocaust as they get older.
Resources for families
If your child is studying the Holocaust in school and wants more information – or you decide to explore its history together – the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a great place to start. It has many resources for children and parents to read and review together, as well as a teacher’s guide that can also be helpful for parents in helping to define the Holocaust, use accurate language, avoid generalizations, and contextualize the story. I would advise parents to watch any videos on the website first before watching them with their kids, as there may be images or other content that is too difficult for some.
If your kids enjoy learning through storytelling, here are some titles for your older elementary or middle school child (I suggest you read the books as well so you can discuss them together):
1. I survived the Nazi invasion, 1944 . Written by Lauren Tarshis, this is the ninth book in her popular I Survived historical fiction series, told from a child’s perspective.
2. Number the Stars : Historical fiction, written by Lois Lowry, this story follows 10-year-old Annemarie Johansen, whose family takes her best friend, Ellen Rosen, to hide her as German forces begin their campaign to “relocate” Jews to Denmark.
3. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl : 13-year-old Anne Frank kept a diary while her family and other family hid for two years during the German occupation of Holland, until they were discovered and captured in August 1944.
If you want more ideas, Common Sense Media has put together a comprehensive list of Holocaust books for kids and teens.