08
October
2026
|
12:52
Europe/London
Children as young as five show surprising understanding of human rights
Research suggests primary school pupils can engage with complex ideas about fairness, freedom and equality – and develop their own ideas about what rights people
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Children as young as five can engage meaningfully with complex ideas about human rights, new research from The University of Manchester suggests.
The study explored how children aged five to nine understood human rights through their engagement with Dreams of Freedom, a picturebook based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Dr Rebecca Simpson-Hargreaves found that children were able to interpret ideas about rights through their own experiences, cultural knowledge and conversations with other children - challenging assumptions that human rights are too complex for young children to understand.
Key findings
- Children aged five to nine were able to engage with complex ideas about human rights, including fairness, freedom, equality and responsibility.
- 29 of the 34 children suggested a new right when asked whether anything was missing from the picturebook, showing that they were not simply repeating the rights presented to them.
- Children connected human rights to their own lives, drawing on personal experiences as well as stories, cultural knowledge and conversations with their peers.
- Children showed awareness of the power differences between adults and children, including questioning whether adults understand children's experiences and why children's views are sometimes dismissed.
- Picturebooks, drawing and discussion gave children different ways to express their ideas, allowing them to communicate complex thoughts through words, images and creative activities.
Children develop their own ideas about rights
The research found that children did more than simply identify or explain the rights presented in the picturebook.
When invited to create their own rights pages, children came up with ideas including the “Freedom to protect wildlife”, the idea that “Men and women should have the same rights”, and the “Freedom to love”.
Other contributions focused on empathy and kindness, having choices, rest and play, fairness and protection.
Dr Simpson-Hargreaves says these responses show how children can interpret human rights through everyday experiences of care, fairness and belonging, rather than only through formal definitions of rights.
Children question the adult world
The research also found that children were capable of reflecting critically on the relationship between children and adults.
Some children questioned whether adults really understand children's perspectives and why adults' views are often given greater weight. This included one Year 4 pupil who said: “Adults think that because they run the country that they know best.”
The researchers say such responses demonstrate children's awareness of power relationships between adults and children.
Giving children different ways to speak
The research involved interviews, focus groups and creative activities with children in three primary schools.
Using a picturebook alongside discussion and drawing allowed children with different reading, writing and speaking abilities to express their ideas in different ways.
The research found that the whole picturebook provided a stronger basis for children's deeper reasoning than using isolated extracts. The open-ended format gave children opportunities to interpret the material for themselves and develop their own ideas.
The findings suggest that providing children with genuine opportunities to discuss complex issues can reveal forms of reasoning that may otherwise be overlooked.
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Children should not simply be seen as recipients of information about human rights. This research shows the value of creating opportunities for them to actively engage with ideas about rights and social issues, and to develop and express their own perspectives.
Dr Rebecca Simpson-Hargreaves
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“Picturebooks can provide a valuable starting point for these conversations, particularly when children are given the space to lead discussions and explore ideas in their own ways.”
Publication details
Title:
Investigating Children’s Perceptions of Human Rights Values Through the Picturebook Medium
URL:
https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/1900836669/FULL_TEXT.PDF