Childhood Conversation Lesson


Whether you are a parent, an aunt, a teacher, or even just a neighbor, children have a great impact on our lives, and we on theirs. Do you enjoy spending time with kids? How do you think children should be raised and taught? In this conversation lesson, we discuss children and childhood.

Introduction

Watch the following Youtube video about the importance of play in early childhood:

 

Introductory Conversation Questions

Why do children play?

What do children learn from play?

Do you think children learn more from the playground than the classroom?

What do you think children learn from playing?

Did you play a lot as a child?

 

New Words

Toddler (n) – a young child who has just learned to walk. (from toddle (v), to walk unsteadiliy)

  • My toddler likes to wander through the house alone; I have to make sure not to leave anything dangerous where she can get it.

Tween (n., slang) – a boy or girl who is 11 or 12 years old, “between” a child and teenager.

  • A lot of young adult books that say they are for teenagers are actually marketed to tweens.

Puberty (n) – the period during which a young person’s sexual organs develop, and they become physically able to have children.

  • Puberty is confusing because although a 14-year-old’s body is capable of having a child, their mind is not nearly mature enough for such a responsibility.

Adolescence (n) – the period right after puberty and before adulthood

  • I remember spending most of my adolescence playing basketball after school and wondering if I would ever have a girlfriend.

Growth Spurt (n) – a period of rapid physical growth that happens during childhood, especially after puberty.

  • My daughter had a growth spurt and now she doesn’t fit into any of her old clothes.

Coo (v) – a high-pitched happy sound that babies make, or that adults make at babies.

  • The baby cooed happily after finishing her bottle of milk.

Child Development (n) – the psychological study of how children grow and learn

  • Most Kindergarten teachers must study child development in college.

Generation Gap (n) – a lack of communication and understanding between young people and older people brought about by a difference in values and outlook.

  •  I love my grandmother, but there’s such a generation gap between us that we don’t really have much in common.

 

Discussion Questions

  • Do you remember much of your childhood? What stands out to you? What is your earliest childhood memory?
  • What were your favorite activities as a child?
  • Do you remember a time when you got into trouble as a child?
  • Do you think you are similar to your childhood self now?  
  • Do you like children?
  • When do you get to spend the most time with children?
  • Were your parents very protective of you when you were a child?
  • Do you want to have children?
  • How would you raise your children differently than you were raised?
  • What is the best way to teach children? Do you think schools are doing a good job? How would you change the way children are educated if you could?
  • What makes someone a good parent?
  • What are the most amazing and annoying things about children?
  • Do you think children are innocent?
  • What is the difference between teenagers and adults? When does a teenager become an adult?
  • Do you think children are taught the right lessons about sex when they are young? When do you think children should learn about sex?  
    Is it better to be too strict or too lenient with a child?