Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old

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How do you know you’re no longer young? Your child refers to your wedding year as the olden days.

When I grew up, World War 2 certainly seemed like the olden days. It was long before I was born. Actually, now that I think about it, World War 2 was only forty years before I was born.

One Saturday afternoon, while teaching World War to my homeschooled eight-year-old, I had the chance to listen to my son’s barber come alive as he shared his stories from the war.

This man was seven when they took the ship from Dvorstadt to Canada. He’d fallen on the ship in turbulent water and broken bones so his trip was painful. When he’d arrived in Canada, he’d started school not understanding the dynamics of the war. He had simply understood that Hitler and his socialist party built the autostrada and successfully turned the German economy around. He was a powerhouse benefiting his local and national economy.

“Mom, can you tell me about the olden days?” Rachel asked as she brought her books to my desk.
“Sure, honey, what part of the olden days do you want me to tell you about?”
“1999”.

Arriving in Canada as a German boy, he was surprised to discover people’s reaction to him. The other school kids blamed him for his part in the World War, which was nothing, of course. That’s a heavy burden for a grade 2 kid.

This is a part of World War 2 history I rarely hear. I haven’t lived through the war so I have no experience outside the war of anger, hurt, and fear in my own soul against injustices when I was a child. 

Teaching World War to Your Homeschooled Child Through Stories, Books, and Travel

So I turn to books where I can gently introduce my children to experiences through other children’s eyes. (Oh, and travel. Traveling to World War sites is the best way to learn.)

When teaching World War to a homeschooled eight-year-old, I want stories that connect emotion and understanding—not just facts. That’s why I love The Dear Canada series and Our Canadian Girl.

The Dear Canada series is written from the perspective of a girl. 

This is not ideal prose for my third 8-year-old daughter as she finds it challenging (that wasn’t the case with my other girls, though). Written in diary style, though, I can read it to her and she can easily understand it.

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Our Canadian Girl has a series on a character named Margit that my oldest daughter loves.

There are four books in this series and they are easily read by an eight-year-old. My oldest has read every book of the Canadian Girl collection, which includes many other historical Canadian topics.

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Usborne books make for easy reading and easy understanding, no matter their topic.

Usborne knows how to explain in-depth topics to age-specific readers with loads of engaging photos. My eight-year-old daughter reads this one to her five-year-old brother. (And these books always get reread.)

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The Kids Book of Canadian History includes many topics, but shares a few pages of World War 2 history from the perspective of Canada’s engagement.

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The Kids Book of Canada at War also provides overviews of Canada’s involvement in wars across its history.

These last two books provide overviews, which can be helpful as a basic introduction for most kids pre-high school.

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By far, the best stories about any period of history come from real life stories.

Nothing quite compares to the unabridged version of The Diary of Anne Frank. We actually purchased the unabridged version in Amsterdam’s Jewish Ghetto when we visited. My eldest daughter was surprised how preoccupied Anne was with boys, and not preoccupied with the war raging outside her window or how occupied she was with the drama of living with her housemates. Anne doesn’t betray a constant state of fear as I may have thought. (PS We got to visit her home when we were in Amsterdam and I share about it here.)

We only learn what life was really like during war when we talk with people who’ve been there or shared their stories in print.

And as I’ve discovered while teaching World War 2 to my homeschooled eight-year-old, those stories shape not only our understanding of history but our capacity for empathy and peace.

As we remember during this Remembrance season, let us consider that we have a contribution to peace in the world, for if we want peace on earth, it must begin with us. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with us.

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”

Mark Twain

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