Philosophy for Older Children: A Practical Guide

Co-written by a professor of philosophy and an experienced teacher, Philosophy for Older Children is a concise, practical guide which explains how to conduct philosophical enquiries with children from the age of nine upwards. This book contains detailed plans for conducting 24 philosophical enquiries, which have all been successfully tried, tested and enjoyed with children between the ages of nine and sixteen. Employing the authors’ distinctive structured method, each enquiry provides not only a stimulus and questions but also possible answers and reasons, designed to enhance children’s critical and creative thinking skills.

Exploring a range of stimulating philosophical questions such as those about happiness, obligations to the poor, the environment, freedom, equality, dreams, numbers and colours, each step-by-step enquiry plan includes:

the philosophical topic and aim of the enquiry

guidance on how to conduct the enquiry

a stimulus, consisting of a story or activity

questions to ask the children

possible answers and reasons

a summary

additional questions to take the enquiry further

suggestions for philosophical readings on the topic.

Philosophy for Older Children presupposes no prior knowledge of philosophy or how to teach it, making it an outstanding resource for any primary or secondary teacher, or parent, looking to explore philosophy with children in an enjoyable and engaging way.