Children have the right to protection, education and a say in matters affecting them. But only those who know their own rights can demand them and exercise them. With its new platform, child-rights.ch, the Pestalozzi Children’s Village brings children’s rights into the classroom in a practical way.
Ever since the Pestalozzi Children’s Village was founded 80 years ago, children’s rights have formed the foundation of the foundation. Children and young people should be aware of their rights, be able to contribute their perspectives, and play an active role in shaping their own futures.
Resources for all school stages
Teachers and schools can find free teaching resources for Key Stages I to III on the platform. Play-based approaches, discussion prompts, teacher guides and worksheets help to address children’s rights in the classroom in an age-appropriate way and without the need for extensive preparation.
The materials encourage children and young people to relate their rights to specific situations in their everyday lives, to discuss different perspectives and to develop their own views. The range of resources is constantly being expanded and is currently available in German. French, Italian and English versions will follow.
Practice and science combined
'Children can only claim and exercise their rights if they know and understand them,' says Angela Bütler, Programme Manager for Switzerland / Liechtenstein at the Pestalozzi Children’s Village Foundation. “With child-rights.ch, we aim to provide teachers with a straightforward and well-founded tool to embed children’s rights firmly in the classroom.”
child-rights.ch is being developed in collaboration with the Universities of Teacher Education in St. Gallen and Lucerne. In doing so, the Pestalozzi Children’s Village Foundation is combining its many years of experience in educational work with academic and pedagogical expertise.
Prizes to be won
Enter the competition now and win printed teaching booklets on four different key topics – for a sustainable, action-oriented and age-appropriate approach to teaching children’s rights.
