Teaching Kids About the Holocaust: Why You Should and How

In 16 states around the US and many more across Europe, the Holocaust is part of the secondary school curricula. As most history teachers would agree, there are many reasons why the Holocaust is part of the schools’ core curriculum, although that tells us nothing about how to teach the Holocaust to kids. This topic still remains one of the biggest challenges many educators are faced with.  

That being said, a lot of parents and teachers alike express their concern when it comes to teaching the Holocaust to young children. Some of them, repelled by the gruesome details of what exactly the Holocaust is, wonder about the benefits of teaching children about this dark part of history. More importantly, they are afraid whether it can traumatize kids or affect their emotional development.

The truth is – yes it can. But paradoxically, avoiding the subject can result in an even bigger trauma as children don’t live in isolated bubbles. Sooner or later, they’ll hear or see something that can leave a mental “scar.” 

This, among many other reasons, is why teaching about the Holocaust is part of the core curriculum. Openly talking about the topic gives children a reassurance that grown-ups (those who are there to keep children safe) are not afraid of it. However, knowing how to approach this topic and how to make it age-appropriate is what makes the difference between an educational and traumatic experience. 

Before we dive into the “how,” let us take a closer look at the positive aspects of teaching kids about the Holocaust. 

Why You Should Teach Kids About the Holocaust

Knowing about the Holocaust can make children more resilient, empathic, and give them the capacity to contribute, over time, to a healthier and safer society. This is because the Holocaust teaches us some valuable lessons. 

First, it illustrates the need for tolerance, inclusion, empathy, and respect. The Holocaust wouldn’t have happened if the people were more understanding of each other’s unique cultural background. This is why it’s of vital importance for kids to learn to empathize with children different from them, to show compassion, tolerance, and respect. 

Second, it perfectly captures the dangers of hate speech. Unfortunately, kids will probably face discrimination, prejudice, or some form of exclusion in their school years. The Holocaust is a valuable lesson that teaches how discrimination or a seemingly trivial prejudice can lead to brutal acts of violence. Knowing that, children will become more aware of their actions as well as the actions of the people around them. 

Third, it provides reassurance and makes children resilient. More accurately, it should provide reassurance and make children resilient, but this is highly dependent on the way the lecture is structured, the information it involves, and the lecturer’s sentiment. For these reasons, the second part of our article focuses on how teachers and parents should talk to their children about the Holocaust. When delivered right, children will be aware of how dangerous some behaviors can be without feeling scared. It might seem counterintuitive, but kids feel safer when they know what’s going on in the world around them, rather than just sense there’s something scary that nobody wants to talk about. 

Finally, remembering and learning from the Holocaust is a form of respect toward the victims. More than six million people were killed in the Holocaust, which is around two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population. Today, there are thousands of families across the world who are still affected by the Holocaust, as they’ve lost someone significant in it. For the rest of us it might be easier to forget about this event and don’t speak of it, but that would be yet another injustice toward the victims of one of the most notorious, government-led genocides in human history. 

Through the Holocaust, we’ve learned an unfortunate, yet valuable lesson about human nature and that helped us make our society a safer place. Some people believe that remembering the Holocaust is one way we can prevent similar horrors in the future. The holocaust is a reminder of how cruel humans can be when they have absolute power and control over other people, which is why new international laws followed the Holocaust and WWII. They’re the second insurance that such atrocity will never be repeated.

At What Age Should You Talk to Your Child About the Holocaust?

Yes, teaching about the Holocaust is valuable, but considering the content of the lecture, the age of the child also plays an essential role. Hearing, or even worse, seeing pictures of the horrific details concerning the Holocaust can haunt and cause nightmares in adults, let alone children. 

It’s necessary for educators to realize the importance of teaching about the Holocaust, but children younger than 7 or 8 years old are way too young for such gruesome acts of violence. Most public schools include the Holocaust in the curriculum of secondary education. Sometimes this is in a lower secondary school (ages 12 to 15) and sometimes in upper secondary education (ages 15 to 18). This also goes hand in hand with the material provided by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum which targets children around the age of 11 or 12. 

There are a few expectations to this guideline concerning homeschooling parents. Every family has a unique history, which means that the Holocaust becomes relevant in different ways. A good example of this would be overhearing the grown-ups talking, or visiting a memorial to pay respects to an ancestor. In this situation, it’s better for the child to have at least a very basic idea of what’s going on before their curiosity prevails and they search about it online. 

Also, if the child hears about it on the news or asks someone about it, then parents shouldn’t avoid the topic, but prepare an age-appropriate answer.

How to Teach Kids About the Holocaust: Lecture Structure

Since this is a sensitive topic that can easily scare or make children anxious, it’s essential to prepare the lecture to have a clear idea of how each sentence contributes to realizing your goal.

1. Start With a General Discussion

Break the ice by having a brief discussion on questions relevant to the Holocaust that are familiar to children. For instance, you can ask kids whether they have ever been mean to someone who looks or behaves a little differently than most kids in their environment; whether they had witnessed someone else being mean; why do they think some kids or older people behave in such way; is such behavior right or wrong; what if everyone behaved like that, etc. These are amazing conversation-openers that can make children think about their answers and how what they think isn’t such a big deal can escalate into something frightening.

2. Introduce the Topic 

Once you’ve gathered interesting answers from your students or child, introduce the topic by saying that we have many examples throughout history where people were very violent and aggressive towards other people just because they had different beliefs. Of course, the most tragic event of all is probably the Holocaust, when a very evil man, called Adolf Hilter, rose to power. 

To relate your brief discussion at the beginning of the lecture and the topic at hand make sure to explain how Hilter got the power he needed to be able to do such crimes. Without going into the political details, explain that the Holocaust was not something that happened suddenly. Hilter had planned the prosecution and execution of Jews for a very long time, and before he rose to power, he spread lies and hate among the people until many started to believe his words. 

3. Present the Harsh Facts 

The consequences of spreading hate speech can sometimes lead to inconceivable violence, as was the case with Hitler. As an answer to the question of what Hitler did, present children with accurate information and facts about the Holocaust. 

Don’t go into too many details as for some children the mental image of such violence might cause anxiety. It’s enough to share the numbers and ways in which the Nazis were able to kill more than 6 million Jews in concentration camps and with the help of other countries. 

In this article, we won’t go into the details of what the Holocaust, Auschwitz, the Nazis were, including the political conditions of WWII that resulted in the genocide. However, we strongly recommend that you visit the links we’ve provided where you’ll find everything you need. 

4. Talk About the Causes of the Holocaust

After you present the harsh facts, there are two important questions that need to be explained in greater detail for kids to better understand the topic. The first one is what caused the Holocaust, and the second one is what the consequences of the Holocaust were. 

Regarding the first question, there’s a fantastic article on the website of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum that elaborates on the causes and motivations that led to the Holocaust. 

They do a good job in dividing the causes into two basic categories: cultural explanations (antisemitism) and social-psychological (oppression, fear, conformity). 

An easy way to explain these two groups of factors to kids is by making parallels with hate speech and beliefs that those who are different are less worthy of us (like the Nazis hated Jews), and by explaining that when we’re scared, under social pressure, or we want to fit in some group, we might not be aware just how much our actions are hurting other people. 

5. Talk About the Life-Long Consequences and Repercussions Against Germany

The second point you should go over is about the consequences of the Holocaust. Kids will probably wonder why nobody stopped Hitler and what happened with the Nazis who helped him kill so many people. So, make sure you include the severe consequences that followed after Hilter died and Germany lost the war. This will reassure children that no bad action goes unpunished or is without consequences and will give them a sense of reassurance that bad deeds are punished, making their environment a safe place to live. 

6. Talk About The Importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day

It’s not just educators who need to understand the importance of teaching about the Holocaust, but children need to know why it’s important to learn about such an event. Tell them that the Holocaust was not too long ago and there are many families who’ve lost someone they cared about during this time. We should remember what happened and pay our respects on International Holocaust Remembrance Day by making sure that we’re better than the people before us and we won’t discriminate or judge others. 

7. End the Lesson With a Reassurance

End the lecture with a note of reassurance, so kids feel safe when they leave the classroom. They should know that the world has changed so much since the Holocaust; that nobody is going to come and hurt them as we all know better now. 

Before You Leave

As horrifying as the Holocaust is, knowing just fragments or simply sensing the grown-ups’ emotions is probably a more intimidating experience for kids. For these reasons and many others that we’ve mentioned above, it’s crucial for educators to understand the importance of teaching about the Holocaust. 

However, it’s knowing how to teach kids about Holocaust that’s the challenge. We understand this, which is why we shared a seven-step guide that goes into the details of building a lesson plan about the Holocaust for kids. 

If you need more specific information and facts on this historical event, don’t hesitate to follow the links, or simply visit our website and look for the Holocaust Facts & Worksheet bundle. 

On our website, you’ll also find a large collection of worksheets and other teaching resources for a variety of different subjects, which can support your future lectures. 

Finally, don’t forget to check out our blog, as we regularly share interesting and helpful content for teachers and homeschooling parents, such as this article right here.