One might think that ideas of freedom are too complex to convey to children. However, in reality, explaining such things to them won’t be that difficult if the right approach is chosen. In this matter, instead of complex conversations about politics, philosophy, and economics, it is worth appealing to a simple sense of justice and examples from everyday life.
For example, let’s imagine two children. One built a tower out of blocks, and the second came over and knocked it down. Almost any child will immediately agree that doing so is wrong, because the tower belonged to the one who built it, and the other destroyed it without permission. It would also not hurt to ask the child how they would feel if someone destroyed their construction. This is exactly how one can easily explain the importance of private property.
Now let’s imagine another situation. One child baked cookies with their mother and offers to exchange them with friends for stickers. One gives two stickers, another three, and a third doesn’t want to trade at all. Everything happens voluntarily; there is no coercion. Most children will also see nothing wrong here.
In essence, this is the basis of the ideas of voluntarism and libertarianism: do not harm others and interact only by voluntary consent. This alone is enough to convey to a child which actions are permissible and which are not.
And as for forced redistribution? Ask the child to imagine that a teacher, without permission, took candies from all the children and began deciding for themselves who would get how many candies. Most children in this situation would feel an injustice. Of course, someone might try to say that such redistribution is done with good intentions. But the child’s initial feeling is based on the very simple idea that you cannot take other people’s things without the owner’s consent.
Or let’s consider an example of coercion to perform some activity. One child wants to play football, and another wants to draw. If no one forces anyone, each can do what they like. But if one person starts to forcibly compel the others to do what they want, it will inevitably lead to conflict. It would be much better to agree, split into groups, or find a compromise. After all, voluntary cooperation is a more peaceful and pleasant way of interaction than coercion.
Of course, children are not familiar with complex concepts such as “property,” “contract,” or “voluntary exchange.” But they will perfectly understand the essence of the following questions: “Is this yours?”, “Did you give permission?”, “Do you both agree?”. Such simple questions will help make sense of many situations much better than long lectures and books.
Of course, adult life is much more complex. In it, cases arise where it is necessary to resort to self-defense and the protection of the weak, to fulfill complex obligations to others, to solve the problem of people who violate the previously mentioned principles of coexistence, and many other difficult situations. However, the foundation in the form of respect for other people’s boundaries, the impermissibility of initiating violence, and the search for voluntary ways to resolve conflicts should be understood from an early age.
Perhaps it will be even easier for children to understand the ideas of freedom than for adults. After all, adults are already used to perceiving many forms of coercion as something taken for granted and necessary for the functioning of society. Whereas children evaluate a situation without relying on attitudes that have not yet had time to be hammered into their heads by decades of propaganda. When it comes to taking someone else’s property or forcing someone to perform some activity against their will, they will certainly ask whether this is fair.
All explanations boil down to a very simple thought: every person must respect other people’s boundaries just as they want their own to be respected, and has no right to harm anyone, as they themselves would not want to become a victim of robbery and violence. And the best way to tell this to a child is to provide appropriate examples from everyday life, since it is still too early to read them complex lectures on politics, philosophy, and economics.
