What is the best way to teach peace to children?

Here is the response of Ann Mason in 2007:

Maria Montessori believed that peace was innate within children. Her timeless educational philosophy was developed around this basic understanding. Perhaps all we need to do as teachers is to provide stimulating learning environments that validate this knowing and understanding and nurture it. We may not have to actually teach it,  Sharing peace-building stories gently attends to this. Strong, creative and imaginative peace-building characters who focus upon win-win and have faith in peace being possible are at the centre of the story plots. In Hassaun Ali-Jones Bey’s unique and mesmerising story, Black Ink is such a character who bravely crosses the universe seeking validation of what he knows in his heart. The magical character also models all the important peace-building values, understandings and actions needed for peace-building. I believe also that peace-building must be modelled and the whole teaching-learning environment should reflect similar values, understandings and actions…as is the primary focus of the Save the Children Australia UN Global Peace School Program upon which I am presently fortunate to be working. As Gandhi stated: ‘If we want peace in the world then we need to begin with the children.’ We need to listen to them. I also believe there are many ways to attend to peace-building..there’s not just one way…and fun and creativity should be elements of any peace-learning programme with children working together. Parents are also teachers and they can choose to share peace-building stories with children as well.

Here are the CPNN articles on this subject:

UK: Peace Education Network offers free lessons on Oppenheimer’s legacy as new film released

Australia Teachers for Peace

Brazil: Forum brings together advisors to discuss culture of peace in schools

Panama promotes the practice of values ​​for a culture of peace by students

Puerto Rico : Educate for a Culture of Peace

The Best Weapon for Peace : Maria Montessori, Education, and Children’s Rights

Global Teacher Prize: Juline Anquetin-Rault

Brazil: Compaz invites schools to the 19th edition of the book Londrina Pazeando

Spain: The Nonviolence Collective disseminates ‘Amanda’s comic’, an educational project for peace aimed at children and young people

More than 29 thousand people registered in the Second International Montessori Congress, a free virtual event

Philippines: Teach Peace Build Peace Movement

Mexico: CODHEM fulfills its mission of promoting the culture of peace and respect for Human Rights

USA: Culture of Peace: The wisdom of the 8th-grade Peace Flame Keepers

“Peace and Love rooms in schools”

USA: Conference to explore effect of early childhood development on world peace

Algeria: Civil society should inculcate the culture of peace in children

Brazil: Public schools of São Vicente transform education through the culture of peace

Almería, Spain: Over 100,000 students participate in the network of centers “The school as a space of peace”

Más de 100.000 escolares participan en la red de centros ‘Escuela: Espacio de Paz’ en Almería, Espana

Trinidad and Tobago: Students told to create a culture of peace in classrooms

Another kind of school : An education of happiness explained by Antonella Verdiani

L’école autrement : les pédagogies du bonheur expliquées par Antonella Verdiani

UNESCO/ASPnet training on social cohesion begins

Activities of Living Values in Education Program in Brazil

Atividades do Programa Vivendo Valores na Educação no Brasil

Tenango del Valle Promotes a Culture of Peace (Mexico)

En Tenango del Valle se Fomenta una Cultura de Paz (México)

Promoting a Culture of Peace (Nicaragua)

Fomentarán cultura de paz (Nicaragua)

Agreements with organizations to work with and for the children [Cuba]

Convenios que invitan a trabajar con y para los niños

Peace Ambassadors – the Gambia: Summer School on Peace

Culture of Peace Presentation at Kitchener Collegiate Institute (Canada)

Promotion of a Culture of Peace Debated at Forum of El Moudjahid (Algeria)

La Promotion de la Culture de la Paix en débat au Forum d’El Moudjahid  (Algérie)

The Road to ‘Reclaiming Childhood’

Life-Link Friendship-Schools: Working with Schools in Arab Countries and UNESCO’s Global Network

From War Toys to Peace Art

A History Schoolbook to Learn Peace in the Balkans

Two  Free Videos for Relationship-Building Worldwide

Teaching and Learning for Peace Foundation