How To Help Your Child Understand the Value of the Humanities

Although we sometimes hear otherwise, the humanities are and always have been important, for a whole variety of reasons. For better or for worse, we’re seeing AI impinge on technical tasks, but it hasn’t yet taken over soft skills. We’re seeing rapid changes in the job market, in the types of careers available, but the adaptability and innovation cultivated in the humanities are still in high demand. Thanks to social media, we have other humans in front of our faces all the time, and current events suggest that we really need to understand one another a lot better. There are all kinds of reasons for grown-ups to appreciate the value of the humanities.

But how do we explain and emphasize this importance to our kids? Up until the end of middle school, most children have humanities built into their school curriculum, but how do we keep them interested and involved once they start choosing their own courses? What are terms that even a wee little thinker will understand, so the humanities will be part of their lifelong learning?

Well, here are a bunch of reasons, in kid-friendly language:

·      The humanities are about humans (makes sense, right?). It’s very useful to understand ourselves as human beings, but it’s also important to understand the other 8 billion humans on the planet, as best we can. There is nothing more interesting than understanding ourselves.

·      The humanities help us to learn tools for thinking. We get to ask big questions, try new things, have adventures, cooperate with one another, find new and interesting ideas, and explain ourselves better. What’s cooler than finding new things to think about, and being able to share them?

·      The humanities are also a space for creativity and imagination. That’s where art, music, stories, dance, food, theatre live. It’s like playground for our minds!

·      We still need to learn about things outside of the humanities, like math, science, technology, and sports, but it’s sometimes easier to learn about these things using the skills we learn in the humanities.

Our kids need to be well-rounded, adaptable, and innovative in order to thrive in this our current circumstances. They need social-emotional intelligence and global awareness, as well as the ability to question and problem-solve. Fostering an appreciation and fondness when our kids are little means that they’ll be more likely to keep at least a toe or two dipped in the humanities as they grow, so they can enjoy the benefits.