Teaching about refugee children during the war in Ukraine

Read this full blog on our History's Mysteries Site

As we all watch the crisis in Ukraine unfold, as teachers, we immediately think,  “How do I help my students understand what is happening?”  This is an incredibly important question and becomes even more difficult to answer when we consider how to teach about these scary times to young children.  Talking about refugee children is a good way to start. Talking about the struggles and successes of refugee children across the world is a way to evoke empathy and kindness and bring forth discussions about fairness and the importance of volunteerism. 

Currently, it is difficult to find videos and images specifically related to the Ukraine crisis that do not include violence and fear that might be inappropriate for younger learners.  For this reason, we suggest starting with talking about refugee children from other crises.  

Important Note: If you have refugee children in your own classroom, talk to their parents or guardians first before you start talking about refugees, so that the students are prepared for the lesson.  The student or family might want to talk about their experience, but never assume that a student in your classroom is an expert on a topic just because they have experienced it.  We always recommend reaching out to all parents, guardians, and/or families when you are teaching difficult topics.  Families might have resources to share, ideas for civic projects, and connections to the topic themselves.  They can also help students process these difficult topics.  

Here are some ideas for teaching about refugee children: 

1. Show and share stories of children who are refugees.  The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) has created teaching resources that are very useful for helping students understand some of the struggles of young refugees. The resources also show how these young people have resettled and are adapting to their new lives.  Using some of the resources from History’s Mysteries’ Grade 2 Unit on Migration, you could help students understand push and pull factors by using this Push and Pull Factors Sorting Activity.  Then, in our mystery “Who is a refugee?” mystery we feature two young refugees from the Syria conflict, Rahf and Omar.  The mystery includes two videos from the UNHCR collections. Their stories are accessible for young learners and highlight both struggles and successes in their journeys.  In our mystery, students are asked to recognize push and pull factors using the sorting cards and then asked to recognize the strengths that each of the children bring to their new homes.  Both children have resettled in Europe and are safe and finding ways to adjust to their new lives. I am sure that UNHCR and other organizations will soon be posting more resources for children related to Ukraine, but right now they are sparse.  Students can begin to understand what it means to be a refugee by learning about these young children. 

Teaching upper elementary grades or middle school? Take a look at the other Teaching About Refugees resources on the UNHCR page.  They have grouped their video and classroom resources by age level.  As always, preview the materials to make sure they fit for your classroom. Doctors without Borders also has some great  educational resources for teaching about refugees geared toward older students.  Unlike UNHCR, these are not divided by age, so you’ll need to review and adapt for your own classroom and age-group.  They have 360° videos of refugee camps that are very interesting but need careful review. 

2. Use a historical image from the Library of Congress to begin a conversation about refugee children. 

We did a quick Advanced Google Search for refugees at the Library of Congress and the results included many images of children.  You could have students look at an image like this one of refugee children.  Using a quadrant analysis, students would notice that there is a tent in the back and develop some questions.  You could then show them some additional images from the Library Collection so they could use inquiry to discover some of the struggles that refugees faced and continue to face.

3. Show students a map of Ukraine with the number of refugees fleeing to neighboring countries and to which countries the refugees are fleeing.  This UNHCR map updates regularly and shows the number of refugees by different sized circles.  There are many maps and many photographs of refugee centers in these countries.  Careful selection of these maps combined with photographs can help students think about how the refugees are feeling and what they need.  It can also help them understand the importance of volunteerism and community support.  Students could then brainstorm the different things those countries would need to provide when welcoming refugees.  

4. Carefully select an image or images of refugees from the Ukraine conflict to analyze with students.  These two images show refugees arriving in Poland and shows how Polish people are organizing to help the Ukrainian refugees.  You could use the “quartered image method” to have students look carefully at each quadrant for key details to understand what is going on.  A recent image of Polish women leaving strollers for mothers crossing the border went viral.  Students could consider why refugee women with children might not have been able to bring their own strollers and how this is an example of civic action.  

5. Talk about the importance of volunteerism.  This short video shows volunteers in Poland preparing to receive refugees.  This is an important time for children to learn about the importance of civic virtue and giving back to your community and people who need help.  Look for volunteer actions that are happening in your own community to help refugees fleeing Ukraine.  You could invite a volunteer organization into the classroom to speak about what they are doing and why.  You could also engage in a civic project with your students.   

Look to various refugee stories, including those in your own community. Talk to refugees in your own community and invite them to talk to your students.  Every community has an organization working to help refugees.  Do a little searching and you will quickly find some connections.  Ask those organizations if they need help.  See if they are willing to connect you with community members that could connect with your classroom.   

Teacher Resources for self-learning: Need resources to learn for yourself? 

The UNHCR is the best place to start learning about the current refugee crisis. 

The BBC usually does a nice job of covering background on current world issues.  Their War in Ukraine page is up to date and includes good information for teachers to stay up on the issues.

  Ukraine    Social Studies/History    3 - 5    Pre K - 2    Current Events    refugees