philosophy activities ks2

Thinking Space

Philosophy with younger children

Our exercises and enquiries for children in Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage One explore philosophical problems through stories, play and practical activities. From problem pets to pleasing all the guests at a birthday party, we have lots of ideas and inspiration for those working with younger children.

Philosophy with older children

Our stimuli and session plans for children in Key Stage Two and Three introduce  philosophical questions that connect to big ideas in the curriculum, culture, and current affairs. Swapping heads, befriending computers and being eternally happy, we have lots of ideas and inspiration for those working with older children.

Philosophy with teenagers

Our resources  for young people in Key Stage Four and Further Education explore philosophical issues from the personal to the political. From the ethics of AI, to the epistemological implications of fake news, we have plenty of ideas to help students approach life and learning with criticality and confidence.

Philosophy with adults

Our materials for adults include resources for professional philosophers on ways to enhance their teaching and workshop plans for participants who are complete novices. Whatever the audience, we devise materials that are interesting and inclusive, which means content-rich and jargon-free.

For more free resources, subscribe to our occasional newsletter.

Thanks for submitting!

Publications

Creative Philosophical Enquiry is a FREE practitioner guide and set of resource cards that describes our collaborative experiments with philosophy in schools. Click on the images to download your copy, or search for something specific here.

Our team have contributed to various books and articles on philosophical enquiry in schools and communities. In 2020, Grace co-edited an international handbook on Community Philosophy which included chapters by our philosophers and partners.    Follow us on social media for our latest publications.

Are numbers real? Can trees think? Who am I?

Philosophy learning and teaching organization, plato nurtures young people’s curiosity, critical thinking, and desire to explore big questions, through philosophy and ethics programs for students, educators, and families., teacher looking for lesson plans, interested in high school online classes, parent in search of ideas, looking for middle school programs, want to attend a workshop or event, searching for zoom classes for kids, starting a philosophy outreach program, interested in plato’s latest news.

Children ask big philosophical questions – Are numbers real? Can dogs think? But often their thoughts and questions are not taken seriously.

PLATO creates opportunities for young people to explore, in rigorous and meaningful conversations, life’s deeper questions – nurturing their curiosity and helping them to learn to think clearly and reason well.

We offer an array of in-person and online programs, as well as a wealth of open-access resources for use in schools and homes, serving thousands of students, teachers, families, and community members nationally and internationally. 

PLATO’s mission is based on the conviction that every child’s voice matters, and that philosophy helps young people to express their own ideas and questions confidently and well.

Introductory Online Workshop

Get involved, wondering aloud blog.

PLATO’s Philosophy Toolkit is one of the most extensive collections in the world of free resources for philosophy sessions in schools, at home, during community events, and beyond!

There are over 250 lesson plans for leading philosophical discussions with children and youth, including activities and exercises, games, and literature discussion plans, with ideas for philosophical inqury in many school subjects as well as ethics, philosophy of science, epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of education, and much more!

Programs and People Around the United States

(hover over the points for more information, click +/- to zoom in/out), (click or drag right/left to view other states), connecticut, massachusetts, new hampshire, north carolina, north dakota, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina.

Philosophical Children from UW Philosophy for Children on Vimeo .

Connect With Us!

Stay Informed

PLATO is part of a global UNESCO network that encourages children to participate in philosophical inquiry. As a partner in the UNESCO Chair on the Practice of Philosophy with Children, based at the Université de Nantes in France, PLATO is connected to other educational leaders around the world.

If you would like to change or adapt any of PLATO's work for public use, please feel free to contact us for permission at [email protected] .

• International
• Schools directory
• Resources Jobs Schools directory News Search

Ancient Greek Philosophers (Lesson for KS2)

Subject: History

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

A lesson for KS2 about key Ancient Greek philosophers and their influence, including a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint and printable activity sheets. This lesson is part of our popular Ancient Greece Pack for Key Stage 2 .

Lesson: What were the Ancient Greek philosophers famous for? This lesson allows pupils to find out about key thinkers from Ancient Greece. After getting into some philosophical debates of their own, pupils will compare three famous Greek philosophers and choose one to focus on in detail for a museum exhibition, with an optional clay modelling challenge. Pupils will finish the lesson by performing a song about famous Ancient Greek thinkers.

Objectives: To find out about famous thinkers from Ancient Greece To explore key ideas and questions from Ancient Greek philosophy

You may also like: Ancient Greeks Lessons Pack for KS2: A fully-resourced unit of 10 history lessons for KS2, covering the Ancient Greece topic.

This primary history resource has been created by KS2History.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 63%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

Ancient Greece Lessons

Download our popular Ancient Greece lesson planning bundle containing 10 full lessons. This resource contains a bundle of history lessons for KS2 (ages 7-11) that make up a complete unit covering the Ancient Greece topic. Each file contains a detailed lesson plan, Powerpoint slides and printable activity sheets. The planning pack covers the following lessons: Who were the Ancient Greeks? Why were Athens and Sparta so different? What was Alexander the Great’s impact on the Greek empire? Why did a small Greek army win the Battle of Marathon? What were the Ancient Greek gods known for? What happened at the Ancient Greek Olympic Games? What were the Ancient Greek philosophers famous for? Did the events of the Trojan Horse story really happen? What was daily life like for children in Ancient Greece? How significant is the legacy of Ancient Greece for life today? These lessons are written for KS2 and are aligned to the National Curriculum in the UK but can be easily adapted to other curriculums too. The lesson plans include differentiation ideas to adapt the activities for the needs of your class. This bundle is brought to you by KS2History.com..

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

This resource hasn't been reviewed yet

To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:

We've created the ultimate format for delivering fun philosophy lessons that trigger deep discussions and engaging debates with students aged 8-16. Each of the philosophy teaching resources below covers a different topic. Choose which topics you would like to explore with your students...

Download Everything...

You can download our entire range of philosophy teaching resources via The Global Metacognition Institute 's Members Area File-Share. Click here to learn more.

We've partnered with The Global Metacognition Institute to offer an amazing deal. By registering a membership plan there you will be able to access our complete range of Fun Philosophy Lessons as well as their comprehensive suite for enhancing metacognition, critical thinking and self-regulated learning!

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates about new philosophy teaching resource releases...

Our philosophy teaching resources are suitable for teachers and educators working with students aged 8-16 ; their aim is to help students experience the joy of philosophy and stir a passion for the pursuit of truth . To this end our interactive philosophy instructional materials emphasis deep discussions , lively debates , and the use of rational argumentation to defend philosophical positions.

Using our philosophy teaching resources will help you to cultivate critical thinking skills , and nurture vital communication and interpersonal skills with your students whilst helping them to challenge the assumptions they live by and expand their awareness of different perspectives and possibilities in relation to the most important issues in life. Our resources sometimes deal with controversial issues: we believe that teaching students to ' disagree in an agreeable manner ' is an essential skill to cultivate with young people in a healthy democratic society.

Our unique approach to instructional design at 'Fun Philosophy Lessons' is designed so that all teachers can bring philosophy into their lessons : they can be used by educators who have no background in philosophy, no knowledge of philosophy, and no specialist training in teaching philosophy to young learners.

Download our engaging philosophy teaching resources and instructional materials and inspire a love of philosophical thinking, deep discussions and lively debates in your lessons today!

[email protected]

Terms, Conditions & Privacy Policy

In association with The Global Metacognition Institute

P4c - philosophy for children - philosophy teaching resources - philosophy lesson plans - p4c - philosophy for schools - philosophy teaching materials - philosophy resources - philosophyforchildren - ks2 - ks3 - ks4 - middle school - elementary school - primary school - secondary school - critical thinking skills - teaching critical thinking - critical thinking lessons - critical thinking teaching resources - critical thinking lesson plans.

• Primary Hub
• Art & Design
• Design & Technology
• Health & Wellbeing
• Secondary Hub
• Citizenship
• Primary CPD
• Secondary CPD
• Book Awards
• All Products
• Primary Products
• Secondary Products
• School Trips
• Trip Directory
• Trips by Subject
• Trips by Type
• Trips by Region
• Submit a Trip Venue

Trending stories

Top results

• Philosophy For Children 6 Primary School Ideas To Try

Philosophy for children – 6 primary school ideas to try

Use these ideas from The School of Life to help pupils develop their emotional, psychological and interpersonal skills…

1 | Philosophical thinking – wise and unwise responses

Philosophy literally means ‘the love of wisdom’. Encourage pupils to understand that ‘wisdom’ means more than just being clever – it’s also about being kind, calm and accepting of life.

Children can become ‘wiser’ by creating a list of wise and unwise responses to problems, such as a friend not being nice to you, not liking what you’ve been given for dinner, accidentally spoiling a drawing you were doing or having to go to bed when you’re not tired.

Wise responses might include finding the positives in the situation, whereas unwise responses include getting angry or blaming others.

2 | Inquiry with children – ask an expert

Invite two students to roleplay. The ‘expert’ will talk about a topic they know; the ‘non-expert’ will only be allowed to ask questions, especially ‘What is…’ and ‘Why…’ questions.

The activity ends when the expert begins to repeat their answers or the conversation goes around in circles.

This activity allows the group to see the type of conversations that Socrates had with the Sophists. It aims to show that asking questions (not having answers) can really be a kind of wisdom.

It may also show children that unlearning is just as important as learning – when the expert changes their mind in response to a particular question, for example.

3 | Critical and creative thinking – create an inner dialogue

Ask children to divide a sheet of paper into two columns. The left side will be for problems and the right side for questions. Write a problem in the left column, such as ‘I am upset with Mum’, then move onto the right column to ask a question such as ‘Why am I upset with Mum?’.

Taking turns on each side, continue the dialogue until answers begin to repeat or go around in circles. As children begin to ask themselves questions, they’ll learn to clearly define their answers and reasons, and further develop their understanding of the problem.

4 | Philosophical inquiry for the classroom

Start with a big concept like ‘beauty’. Ask children to come up with as many questions as they can think of related to this concept.

Encourage them to ask as many questions as possible. Then delve into some important philosophical questions: ‘What is real?’; ‘What is right and wrong?’; ‘What is Society?’.

The aim is for children to create more and more questions. Record the questions on a ‘question wall’ – perhaps organising them into categories (‘open’ and ‘closed’ questions, for example) or ranking them in quality.

5 | Interesting problems for philosophy with children

Aristotle believed that the meaning of life is about what makes your life feel interesting and good. To achieve this, what mainly counts is fixing things. When you fix something, you solve a problem that matters to you.

Help children explore this by thinking of a wide range of problems in the world that matter to them, for example: ‘people argue too much’ or ‘our environment needs preserving from waste.’

Can children reframe these problems as ‘how’ questions: how might people argue less? Ask them to develop their own list of interesting problems to fix.

6 | Setting a goal can impact on children

According to Aristotle, happiness was about feeling that life is meaningful, and that this is achieved by having an important goal.

Encourage children to think about one important thing they want to achieve and set a realistic date. Ask them to draw a timeline of the days, weeks, and months ahead to their set date.

They can then list all the actions they will need to take and note them under each date along the timeline. They might also list all the problems they will likely face, both inner and outer – as well as all of the solutions they can think of to these problems.

Find The School of Life on Twitter at @theschooloflife .

Sign up to our newsletter

You'll also receive regular updates from Teachwire with free lesson plans, great new teaching ideas, offers and more. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

Which sectors are you interested in?

Early Years

Thank you for signing up to our emails!

You might also be interested in...

Why join Teachwire?

Get what you need to become a better teacher with unlimited access to exclusive free classroom resources and expert CPD downloads.

Exclusive classroom resource downloads

Free worksheets and lesson plans

CPD downloads, written by experts

Resource packs to supercharge your planning

Special web-only magazine editions

Educational podcasts & resources

Access to free literacy webinars

Newsletters and offers

Create free account

By signing up you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Already have an account? Log in here

Thanks, you're almost there

To help us show you teaching resources, downloads and more you’ll love, complete your profile below.

Welcome to Teachwire!

Set up your account.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Commodi nulla quos inventore beatae tenetur.

I would like to receive regular updates from Teachwire with free lesson plans, great new teaching ideas, offers and more. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

Log in to Teachwire

Not registered with Teachwire? Sign up for free

Reset Password

Remembered your password? Login here

Please login to the website using the form below.

Forgotten your password?

Are you new to P4C? Become a member!

For only £35 a year you can gain access to over 400 Classroom Resources!

• P4C.com Team
• Benefits of p4c
• Philosophy Radio
• Picture Books
• Longer Fiction
• Short Films
• IAPC Materials
• Scripts & Dialogues
• Proverbs & Fables
• Stories & Storytelling
• News Resources
• Philosophy-in-Role
• Lesson Outlines
• Recommended!
• Comparisons
• Notes and Activities
• Reasoning Concepts
• Thinking and Writing
• Get Started
• Choose Questions
• Facilitate Dialogue
• Use Activity Structures
• Training & support

P4C Resource Hub 

We are a subscription website for resources and guides to help people philosophise with young people and adults in communities.  

We offer free access to some of our resources to everyone who visits our site.

Why not explore the section boxes further below on this page?    Click on the green buttons to access the resources.  

WELCOME TO   P4C.COM

Philosophy for Children (p4c) is a proven pedagogy that can help build communities, develop critical and creative thinking, oracy and well-being. It can change classrooms, pupils and teachers (and beyond schools, communities and families) But there aren’t enough hours in the day to discover new materials, produce resources and lesson plans and invent new activities to keep you and your pupils interested. That’s why we have done a lot of work for you by publishing ideas, lesson plans, resources and recommendations  in our Resource Hub.

free resources

Here are some samples from our subscription website. Some seem relevant to the past pandemic. Others are just for you to use as you wish. There are some extras too.

Reading and Writing

Reading and writing can be enjoyable and nourishing activities. We give you some ideas for reading, writing and philosophising.

Facts, Truth and lies

Explore these important concepts. What is the relationship between facts and ‘the truth’. How many truths can there be? Can a person lie by accident? Read on.

Rules and Virtues

The way people think about rules and virtues has an effect on what they do and value. Here are some resources for thinking about conduct, character and conscience.

Get access to our resources for £35 a year. Whenever you join, your membership lasts for a full twelve months. For £59 per year, you get access for up 10 teachers in your school.

NON-PROFIT COOPERATIVE

P4C.com is a non-cooperative run by SAPERE. Subscriptions fund the maintenance and editing of the site and 10% membership income is shared between the contributors.

Looking for a P4C stimulus?

Over 17,000 teachers and p4c trainers receive a weekly p4c stimulus through our free bulletin. to get it, add your name and email below..

Please be careful to enter it correctly, especially if a school one with the endless dot this, dot thats!

Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.

Why sign up to receive our bulletin?

By signing up, you'll receive one freshly-written, issue each week containing a topical P4C stimulus to use straight away.

But why should you miss out on previous issues? You'll also receive a carefully selected resource from the 'back-catalogue' each week. We make sure these begin with the 'easy-wins' - simple and easy to deliver ideas designed for teachers and classes new to P4C. Click here to see what's in the first issue.

So two emails per week. Both containing a ready-to-use P4C stimulus. For free! But don't just take our word for it...

What teachers say about our P4C stimulus bulletin...

These resources are absolutely superb. I've been trying/failing to use my imagination to get our girls more interested in this kind of thing. After using various books, an outside speaker and my own imagination I've made a tiny bit of progress, but your exercises captured the girls' imagination much more quickly. Great stuff.

Just wanted to thank you for all the resources you have created/sent to me/posted.  They're great and I'm using them weekly with my class.

Debbie Brooks

Can I start by saying how fantastic I think your ideas are - I really enjoy getting your emails and my Y6 class and I have really enjoyed using many of your stimulating resources. Recently, we spent all afternoon philosophising following your 'should Russia be sent home from the euros?' stimulus - kept my lively class engaged for hours. So huge thanks!

Newlands Primary School

Suddenly remembered that I have an inbox full of your emails and I have found so many good resources for kick starting discussions and debate. I am planning this lessons for year 7 form tutors (mainly PE, Maths and Economics teachers) so it has been really useful to have interesting resources to build on.

Lucy Strike

William ellis school.

There is definitely a buzz with your P4C materials with my current class and colleagues, which is all down to you.

Heather Soar

Handsworth primary school.

Thank you so very much for your wonderful P4C resources. I will prepare the sessions during the summer holidays in case I find another school who would like P4C before then. These first lesson examples you have so kindly shared will be really useful and I just wanted to say a big thank you to you for your generosity of spirit. This will really help me to get going.

Rachel Hutchings

Kent county council.

I wanted to send you a thankyou as i have bee4n completing a research project in school this year and your emails inspired me to create a philosophy SOW for my year 8s.

St Ambrose Barlow School

Andrew lawson.

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your emails, I am finding them to be more useful than the majority of the information that I paid to have access to! I have only just started a P4C group as a volunteer at my children's school, my enthusiasm is by far more dominant than my experience and your emails are a really valuable guide.

Gemma Soper

I just want to thank you for all the P4C resources that you have been emailing me.  Our school uses them regularly as we conduct P4C throughout our primary school from foundation to year 6 once a fortnight. Most of our staff are quite new to P4C so your resources  have been greatly appreciated.

Athersley South Primary School

A note to thank you for the resources you send weekly. A few years ago I did the SAPRE level 1 P4C course and practiced it for a short while. However my interest has been revamped since recieving your weekly resources and I have now begun to practice it again with the year 6 class that I teach once a week. I am now in senior management and am encouraging others to take this up by observing my sessions and passing on your resources to teachers of older pupils in the school.  Your hard work is much appreciated. Many thanks.

Thankyou Jason for all these fabulous resources, as a Headteacher of a small primary you have given me so much to work with.

Christine Kirton

Headteacher.

Thank you for the either ories stimulus, it was just what I needed to get my reception class really engaged with philosophy. Our final episode involved arriving back at the port and being offered the opportunity to stay and continue exploring or to go home. They absolutely loved it and we are following it up today.

Clare Walsh

Reception teacher.

Thank you so much for your email and the inspirational attachments! I left the first 'Would You Rather...?' (bear/snake/monkey) for PPA cover for my Y1 class this morning with very clear instructions on how it should be used and returned to find my TA and class incredibly positive about talking about their feelings and able to articulate their thoughts much more clearly!

A major breakthrough in a class that has found the transition to KS1 very hard so far, even with me as an experienced EYFS/KS1 teacher!! They are immediately more confident in talking through their thinking and gave clear and eager explanations all afternoon!

Let's hope they can continue to develop their deeper thinking and reasoning skills and the confidence to participate more!

Tina Hammond

Foundation stage phase leader.

What an incredible resource! Many thanks!

Lisa Chaffer

Many thanks for all of your wonderful resources which you have kindly sent to me over the past 18 months. I have thoroughly appreciated all the help and inspiration you have given me. It has been invaluable.

Peter Reader

Actually, last week i was making some research online about icebreakers and other games to apply with the children, and then i received from you some good examples to try in class. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not!

Marco Antonia

Teacher, portugal, avril hapley, need resources now, eyfs resources (age 3-5), ks1 resources (age 5-7).

Thinkers' Games

Session Plans

Spot and Stripe Videos

KS2 Resources (8-11)

Spot and Stripe videos

Facilitation Tips

Classroom Management

Deepening Thinking

Asking Better Questions

KS4-5 Resources (14-18)

Designed for your K4-5 Curriculum

KS3 Resources (11-14)

All for your Curriculum!

Over 17,000 teachers and P4C trainers receive our weekly free P4C resources bulletin. To get it, add your name and email below.

We won't use your email address for anything other than sending you free, tried-and-tested classroom resources. Please be careful to enter it correctly, especially if a school one with the endless dot this, dot thats!

Testimonials

It has been fascinating to watch the children engage with a range of challenging topics with maturity, enthusiasm and empathy thanks to the facilitation provided by Tom. Their curiosity was inspired by the thought-provoking stimuli in each session and several individuals, who usually find it challenging to share their ideas, came to the fore during the big discussions.

Since commencing P4C, we have noticed a dramatic increase in the children’s ability to discuss concepts with their peers and they have vastly improved in their ability in looking at one another when speaking, in actively listening to one another and in building upon and challenging others’ views and opinions. Before the lessons started, the children were not listening deeply to one another and responding to one another constructively – they had their opinion and that was it.

Mrs. S Johnson and Mr. J Hall

Year 6 Teachers, Amesbury Primary School

I was extremely cynical about P4C prior to today's experience, this is despite my belief that critical thinking is a crucial skill that all children should be taught and/or encouraged to develop. That was until about fifteen minutes into your Year 4 session today. Watching the children transition from anarchic arguments about 'silly things' to thoughtful group discussion on a serious topic (the causes of poverty) was eye opening and quite staggering.

The commentary for the benefit of the staff during the Y4 session was extremely helpful in understanding why you were doing what you were doing.

Combined with the staff training session the day was one of the best CPD experiences I've ever had.

Year 4 teacher

We have been keen to establish P4C for some time in our school, believing it to be a natural part of our three-layered G&T programme.

It was great to work with Jason who consolidated and extended our prior knowledge and really made us believe that not to implement P4C would be a grave mistake on our part. The children loved it and talked about it a lot the following day, asking when we were next going to do philosophy.

It is a testament to Jason's energy and commitment that he managed to enthuse the staff during a twilight session in darkest January and several expressed regret that we hadn't put aside a whole day.

I am keen to get Jason back into school to work with our younger pupils now - he has a natural affinity with the children but still managed to make the adults laugh and wish to get involved.

Year 5 Teacher, Challenge Programme Co-ordinator, R A Butler School

I just wanted to say thank you for the training you did in Lydney last week. It was a fab day and as a result... We are now going to roll out p4c across the school from September! The head has given me responsibility for thinking skills and we are going for the thinking school's accreditation. All very exciting!

After an inspiring and informative Inset Day, led by Tom, all staff were eager to try out P4C strategies and felt strongly about the principles P4C promoted.

P4C has enabled children to voice their opinions in a calm and controlled manner whilst having their views challenged. It has provided them with time to critically think about their own morals, beliefs and thoughts.

We invited Tom back for Interfaith Day! Through P4C, children naturally made comparisons and built upon their RE knowledge. Children thoroughly enjoyed the current and interactive assemblies, pitched appropriately for each Key Stage.

The weekly bulletins inspire and instigate current discussions with the children which can occur in many curriculum areas. The mini resource booklets are great too as they are concise and clear. The resources are practical, effective and require very little preparation- which is great!

Though we have separate P4C sessions, we have easily and seamlessly begun to use it in other curriculum areas.

Just fantastic!

Kayleigh Dell

Greenway Primary School, Herts

I inherited my role as P4C coordinator from my colleague who tasked me with planning a Philosophy Day. I had looked at several workshops and was pleased to stumble across The Philosophy Man website. All the positive testimonials provided by other schools was certainly a winning factor for us. The training and workshops were simply outstanding. All the staff had basic P4C training but did not know how to use it within their classrooms. This then acted as a CPD opportunity for all staff and this was furthered in the staff meeting. There was a buzz during the staff meeting, which for any member of staff attending a staff meeting at the end of a half term, knows this is a rare thing! All the staff said how enthused and excited they felt to get back into their classrooms and try out the methods they had been shown. After the workshops, I interviewed some children about their experience. I deliberately picked children who really struggle with the academic side of school life. One child, who had a workshop on bargaining for his life against a Mayan tribe, said “I loved the P4C workshop. It was so much fun to think of reasons why my life was valuable and the best part was, we didn't have to do any work!”. The children saw the workshops as a chance to express themselves. Thank you so much for inspiring us to continue with the exemplary training you provided and we look forward to working with you in the future!

Sarah Brown

Dulverton Primary School

Superb – the best course of 15 years teaching experience.

Teacher, Frances Bardsley Girls’ School

'Best INSET ever. Fantastically resourced, well paced and great learning.'

'Got us all thinking. Lots of brilliant ideas to use in the classroom. Really interactive.'

'I am going to take up Philosophy! Very thought provoking!'

'Activities are challenging to the thought process. I intend to use all of them in my teaching.'

'Excellent ideas to encourage children to think and debate. Also to question their opinions in a safe environment.'

'Great pace and presentation.'

Teaching Staff

Greenway Primary School

'This was a very active, informative session and has provoked a lot of ideas about how I can implement it in my classroom.'

'Outstanding presentation.'

'Great facilitator with lots of energy!'

'Fab! Lots of hints and tips and great interactive demonstrations. I now feel confident to have a go at implementing in a science lesson.'

'Absolutely excellent, thank you!''Really brilliant - has given me lots of ideas. Am excited anboit applying these in my classroom.'

London 2016 TeachFirst Conference

I just wanted to drop you a message to say thank you so much for such a fab session on Tuesday. I thought it was informative, relevant and full of very useable practical ideas which will definitely be used in my year two classroom. 

Thank you once again.

Sophie Vellacott

Year 2 Teacher

‘An excellent way to develop critical thinking and confidence’

Jill Wright

‘An extremely useful session – children need to be critical thinkers’

Sarah Smith

‘Really thought provoking and interesting’

Hannah Thompson

‘A fabulous day that has inspired me to reflect upon everything;

Sophie Rigby

'Excellent day, very useful, really enjoyed this lesson’Carmaleta Henshaw

Carmaleta Henshaw

‘All very relevant and easy to relate to. A creative way to engage adults and encourage / inspire them to plan differently. Clear progression from Year 1-6’

Sophie Hadwin

‘Great examples given to enable children to become critical thinkers’

Claudia Cotton

Teachers at Whitefield Primary School, Liverpool

Fantastic training where all staff were highly engaged and are now ready to start the P4C strategies at school. Very well organised, fun for all and lots of ideas to use immediately.

Andrea Wadsworth

Crosslee Primary School, Manchester

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for yesterday's Interfaith Day. The children had a wonderful day and the assemblies were fantastic. The children are buzzing with P4C and continuing to talk about the workshops.

Year 1 Teacher

Engaging, pacy, well-presented and (Tom was) knowledgable. Lots of practical ideas and links to use in lessons. Great delivery, kept us engaged all day.

Adam Dlugoszewski, Whitehouse Primary School

Made enjoyable and memorable by actually taking part in the community tasks. Lots of participation which gives clear examples of how to deliver to children. Opportunities to think and plan for our own year groups. Tom delivered the course exceptionally well - clear and fun!

Delphine Gunn, Tickford Park Primary School

Confident, fluid and entertaining. A very interactive, hands-on and practical. I particularly liked planning sessions within the course.

Caroline Prudence, Two Mile Ash School

A good balance between presenting and lots of practical activities which enabled demonstrations of key concepts. I look forward to starting back in school!

Lucy Eldridge, Two Mile Ash School

Got a question about P4C at your school?

If you are interested in pupil workshops, staff training, or have a question about P4C, please fill in this form. We'll get back to you as quickly as we can.

• Name * First Last
• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We Make Resources So You  Don't Have To!

We support over 17,000 teachers deepen their pupils' thinking through our weekly bulletin.

You'll receive freshly-made, topical resources to use straight away with your classes.

We only use your email to send you resources. We do not and would never share your information with a third party.

Philosophy Games

These games and activities are brought to you courtesy of our sister site PhilosophyExperiments.Com .

Battleground God - Do your beliefs about religion and god stand up to philosophical scrutiny?

Should You Kill the Fat Man? - Can you successfully negotiate the tricky terrain of the Trolley Problem?

Should You Kill the Backpacker? - More fun with the Trolley Problem.

Philosophical Health Test - Are there tensions in your philosophical and moral beliefs?

Valid or Invalid? - Can you determine whether a simple arguement is valid or not?

Talking with God - The Euthyphro Dilemma

Staying Alive - Can you survive in this game of personal identity?

Whose Body Is It Anyway? - Bodily autonomy and J. J. Thomson's "famous violinist" thought experiment.

But You'll Regret It In the Morning - The ethics of consent.

Elementary, My Dear Wason - Can you pass this simple test of logic (most people can't!)?

Morality Play - How parsimonious is your moral framework?

Peter Singer & the Drowning Child - Would you save a helpless child? Really?

The Envelope & the Vintage Sedan - Are you obligated to give up your car to save a life?

Get That Chip Out of My Head - How free are you?

Would You Eat Your Cat? - Ethics and the "Yuk Factor"

In the Face of Death - Are normal moral standards suspended in extreme circumstances?

You're Being Tortured in the Morning - Who is it that suffers when your body, but not your mind, is tortured?

You might also like...

The Transgender-Rights Issue

Of Our Great Propensity to the Absurd and Marvellous

The Art and Style of Crosswords

Woman as Resource: A Reply to Catharine MacKinnon

Women, Men and Criminal Justice

Philosophia

What Is the Philosophy of Madness?

Who Is Feminism For?

Subscribe to The Philosophers' Magazine for exclusive content and access to 20 years of back issues. 

More from tpm.

The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Want to Be Good at Philosophy? Study Maths and Science

Do Animals Have Free Will?

How To Philosophise with Children

Grassroots Philosophy

Philosophy in KS2

Feedback: .

The Philosophy Crash Course is back! 

Attendees are granted access to the 'Plans for Attendees' Section where they will be able to download 20+ philosophy lesson plans,  complete with resources. Take a look at the overview here . 

There are also Religious Specific Courses coming soon - see below

Value for money?

"I thought £25 was very reasonable as there were lots of resources provided that i could take back to school with me to support staff." - Course Attendee

"Yes- it was great value for money for such expertise" - Course Attendee

What did you learn? 

"Teaching philosophy can be done with any age and that tasks and activities can be adapted and simplified to be accessible for all ages.  That teaching the philosophies/philosophers in RE can have additional benefits for other areas of our teaching curriculum such as Science, English., maths" - Course Attendee

"I learned lots! I liked the ideas about getting the children to come up with 'big questions.'" - Course Attendee

Unit Overview - 20+ Lessons

A primary philosophical, mini-curriculum, eyfs lessons - optional use of socrates doll.

Socratic Method: Plan, script - question sorting and introducing 'Big Questions'

What is 'real'? Plan - thinking about where knowledge comes from and whether we can tell if something is real or not. Discusses personhood. 

Years 1 and 2 Lessons

What's the Big Idea? Plan - an introduction to philosophy and some of the big ideas it delves into. 

How Did the Universe Come to Be? A discussion based unit about creation and the idea of God. 

Year 3 Lesson

What is the Difference Between Knowing and Believing? Plan - a look at observation, faith and miracles. 

Year 4 Lesson

Morality: How do People Make Moral Decisions? Plan - a look at how people justify moral decisions with logical arguments.  

Year 5 Lessons

Utilitarianism Parts I & II - Plans, Presentation, Scenario Cards - a look at Bentham and Mill's system for moral decision making.   

Ontology: Plan, Presentation - A look at the Ontological arguments for the existence of God and its problems. 

Year 6 Lesson

Plato's Cave:   Plan - A look at the role of the philosopher in society and the idea of knowledge through revelation. 

Primary Range Home/School Lesson 1

The Purpose of Things:   Plan - A discussion based enquiry into the purpose of everyday things. It examines the 'why' of objects, both made and naturally occurring. An introduction to teleology. 

Primary Range Home/School Lesson 2

Of Superheroes and Miracles:   Plan and Presentation - A discussion based enquiry into the origins of the idea of the 'superhero'. Encompassing believability, scepticism, Hume and his views on miracles. 

Primary Range Home/School Lesson 3

Morality with a Buddhist Focus: Plan - A discussion based enquiry looking at morality and the externalised, spiritual drives behind it. Encompassing non-spiritual reasons of morality, inviting discussion about internal morality as well as a starting point to study belief in karma. 

Primary Range Home/School Lesson 4

Knowing VS Believing Part 1:   Plan - A discussion based enquiry looking at the difference between 'Knowing' and 'believing'. Part 1 covers magic tricks and the senses as a source of 'fact'. It asks whether scientists need a little belief in their line of work too. Introduces concepts such as dark matter.

Primary Range Home/School Lesson 5

Knowing VS. Believing Part 2:   Plan and Presentation - A discussion using Flew's The Invisible Gardener Parable. How do we know things? Is there a battle going on between science and belief? Do scientists believe? An introduction to the Falsification Principle. 

Year 5/6 Lessons 1 - 6 - The Great Philosophers

A range of 6 lessons looking at the lives and major influence of 4 Great Philosophers. These resources can stand alone or be taught as a unit covering some major themes from the Ancients. There are 4 philosopher based PowerPoint presentations, factsheets and questions to go with each unit. There are also 2 bonus presentations bringing the work of the philosophers together around ideas about being 'good' and the soul. These connect to Christianity and Buddhism.

• About The Philosophy Foundation
• National Thinking Classroom Awards
• Testimonials
• Talks & Papers
• World Philosophy Day
• Online courses
• Other educational settings
• Resources for children
• Resources for teachers
• Young Plato Documentary
• Holiday Clubs
• Other settings
• Think and Drink
• Philosophical enquiry (P4C)
• Thinking Classroom Programme
• Universities
• Games for Thinking
• Films / Podcasts
• Thought Adventures
• Anything within reason
• Hodja Stories
• What's on
• Ages 7-11 (KS2)
• Ages 3-5 (EYFS)
• Ages 5-7 (KS1)
• Ages 11-14 (KS3)
• Ages 14-16 (KS4)
• Ages 16-18 (KS5)
• Epistemology
• Language and Meaning
• Metaphysics

You've searched for Ages 7-11 (KS2) .

Orange Seller

Ages: Ages 16-18 (KS5) , Ages 14-16 (KS4) , Ages 11-14 (KS3) , Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: RE

Other World

Ages: Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Logic , Epistemology

Part and the Whole

Ages: Ages 14-16 (KS4) , Ages 11-14 (KS3) , Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Themes: Parts and wholes , God and religion

People and Animals (Age; 7-11 KS2)

Subjects: Ethics

Phunny Phone?

Subjects: Metaphysics

Subjects: Logic

Themes: Truth & Falsity , Logic

Playing With Dolls

Subjects: Humanities , Ethics

Themes: Identity , Difference , Choice , Beliefs

Poetry workshop - Is This A Poem?

Ages: Ages 11-14 (KS3) , Ages 7-11 (KS2) , Ages 5-7 (KS1)

Subjects: English

Themes: Language

Ages: Ages 7-11 (KS2) , Ages 11-14 (KS3) , Ages 14-16 (KS4) , Ages 16-18 (KS5)

Prince Gautama (2)

• Philosophy for Children
• Philosophy for Adults

Member Login

• Terms of use
• Privacy policy

© 2024 The Philosophy Foundation | RO 21-27 Lamb’s Conduit Street, London WC1N 3GS | Company number: 7416912 | Registered charity number 1140338

Website by on-IDLE

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.