What do children believe 100. What do children believe? How the destruction of illusions affects the child's psyche and how to restore the child's inner balance

It seems that the 90s were not long ago, but people born after they ended have already become adults. And they hardly know what teenagers who lived at the end of the 20th century believed.

Step on a manhole - to the disease

A stupid but useful sign that made you learn: you don’t need to stomp on the hatches. She threatened not only with diseases, but also with the death of parents waiting for those who stepped on the lid. To avoid a terrible fate, rubbing the soles of shoes on asphalt or “transferring negativity” to someone else by touching it allowed.

You can not step over a lying person

The guys of the 90s believed: the one who gets crossed will stop growing. The problem was avoided by stepping the lying person in the opposite direction. The basis of prejudice emerged from medieval Germany. There, following an unspoken ban, people were afraid to cross everything that looked like a grave pit in shape. What superstition "attracted" to children is a mystery.

Cigarette packs "Cosmos" are hiddenmagic numbers

In the 90s, Cosmos cigarettes were in demand. On the white joint of the blue packages, inside, a set of numbers was printed. The myth said: the one who manages to collect the existing combinations will receive a gift. The number of prizes, as well as the identity of the person who was supposed to give the gift, are unknown.

You can’t scare a person whose eyes are “gathered” to the bridge of the nose

Parents who want their child to behave approximately in public come up with various restrictions, which are often argued with “terrible” consequences. Eye convergence occurs unconsciously when a person wants to see something that is very close. The pupils themselves return to their place. The myth said: if you frighten a person whose eyes are reduced to the center, he will remain oblique forever.

Chewing gum can be stuffed with blades

The first imported chewing gum appeared in the USSR in 1957. There were rumors that there might be blades inside. And the kids believed. It was believed that the Americans dreamed of harming the pioneers, and before sending a potentially dangerous gum into the mouth, it should have been broken in half for testing. Even in the 90s, after the end of the Cold War, the horror story was periodically remembered.

Stepped on your foot? Answer the same

Any child knew: expect a quarrel if you stepped on someone else's foot and did not receive a similar “answer”. The sign turned out to be so tenacious that some adults continue to believe in it.

Bonus to the past game "Just you wait"

Only those who had it did not dream about the electronic toy "Just you wait". The first owners believed that the winner who scored 1000 points would see an incredibly high-quality cartoon, not inferior to Disney creations.

Only a few managed to get to the last level, so the myth lived for a long time. In fact, the lucky one who scored the required number of points started the game again, only the speed was higher.

License plates with paired zeros are lucky

When the children saw the number of the car with two zeros, they shouted “Zero-zero, my happiness” and began to wait for something good. If you didn’t feel like saying the “chant” aloud, you would definitely think of something to yourself.

Chinese pencil helps karateka

At the dawn of the 80s, karate was banned in the USSR. Therefore, interest in martial art was considerable and by the 90s it had increased significantly. He was supported by foreign films starring karatekas. Then these myths appeared. It was believed that a fighter, who easily breaks bricks, first rubs his palms with a slate pencil. He does the same before a fight and therefore always wins.

The guys, having seen enough films with Stallone and Jackie Chan, dreamed of growing up like them. Spectacular staging scenes strengthened the belief in a "magic" pencil, the lead of which should be used completely.

The most persistent young men managed to buy Chinese stationery and use their lead for other purposes. It did not add strength, the guys often ended up in hospitals with broken arms.

Meningitis awaits everyone who neglects a hat in the cold

Such myths are the result of human ignorance and excessive parental care of children. The horror story sounded like this: if you go without a hat in the cold, you will earn meningitis.

In reality, the disease is provoked by bacteria and viruses, and not by cold. The immunity of a frozen person is temporarily weakened and can easily pick up some kind of muck. But this does not mean that she will certainly become meningitis. But walking without a hat in winter is still not worth it.

More recently, I was asked: “What did you believe in as a child?” I thought for a long time before answering. It was difficult for me to find the right words, and I decided to write about it.

Each child is unique in itself. You should not think that children are stupid or uninteresting. A child is a small world full of mysteries. And I really wanted to solve at least one. What do children believe?

Oddly enough, there were no answers like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. “Santa Claus is only in the new year,” one kid answered me. So the secret is in consistency. Some adults believe in God. The reason for the faith is precisely that he, naturally, in their opinion, helps in difficult times. It's more difficult for children. Hard times are almost non-existent. After all, there are parents who will always support and help. And adults, in turn, already believe in completely different things.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I don't remember what I believed. But I remember well what my son believed in when he was little. He really believed in Santa Claus. Every year we wrote a letter to Grandfather Frost. Of course, I didn't send it anywhere. Now I regret that I did not save these letters. And how great it would be to read them now that he has become an adult. Today's children also believe in Santa Claus, but how long and how much they believe in him depends on their parents. There are parents who immediately destroy the fairy tale, begin to ridicule the baby because he believes in fairy tales. It seems to me that by such behavior they simply rob their child, partially deprive him of his childhood. After all, the childhood of every child is closely connected with a fairy tale. And by destroying this fairy tale, you can simply not give the child his fairy tale, which will subsequently greatly affect him. A friend of mine had a son who believed in Santa Claus until the second grade. And then his older sister said that this was not true, and parents put gifts under the Christmas tree.

Which of today's children is afraid of the terrible Barmaley? And who will you captivate with flights with cute funny Carlson? And even more so, who is waiting for the night magician Ole Lukoye with his two umbrellas - black for naughty children and colored for obedient ones, under which, respectively, either nothing is dreamed of, or amazing fairy tales are dreamed of? What is it, a modern country called Childhood?
This is a dangerous business - a generalization. There will always be those who will say, "Well, that's not entirely true." And yet I will try to summarize what a modern country called Childhood looks like.
In a modern country called Childhood, there is EVERYTHING you want, from material desires. Materially, the country of Childhood is well provided for. The most delicious goodies - please. The most wonderful toys are in assortment. There are dozens of channels on the TV, and on each one there are cartoons and films for every taste and at any time of the day.

What children believe is the problem that F.A. Iskander.

The writer, describing in detail the childhood memories of his hero, comes to the conclusion that at the touching time of their growing up they feel pretense and falsehood, believe in the reasonableness of the world and goodness. So, a detailed description of the feelings of a boy who pities a deer, which a hunter will definitely kill, and a peasant who does not believe in inaction, who did not come to the aid of a horse, his friend and breadwinner, testifies that children believe in goodness and justice, and not evil and falsehood. . “Childhood believes that the world is reasonable,” F.A. Iskander asserts with confidence.

It is difficult to disagree with the opinion of F.A. Iskander. Undoubtedly, children perceive the reality of the world around us in a special way, unlike adults, they believe in kindness.

On another forum I came across a very interesting topic. There, the mother of the boy, who will soon go to school, was concerned that he still believes in Santa Claus, ghosts, angels, etc., and she was afraid that at school they might start laughing at him when it pops up. At the same time, she really did not want to tell him the sad truth herself.

Yes, and it is not clear how to do it.

I didn't think about it myself. It is clear that it is not necessary to tell a child nonsense about storks and children who are bought in a store. With God, everyone decides for himself. Well, what about Santa Claus? We have some kind of confusion - it seems that Santa Claus brought gifts, but on the other hand, everyone knows that Lena's grandmother gave this book, and Sveta's grandmother gave that one, although they were in Santa Claus's bag. I got out like this - we gave gifts to Santa Claus, and he already handed them to you.

What do children believe

How often, looking at a child, we sigh: “What an adult you are already!”. And in a minute we already see a completely different manifestation and understand how much he is still a baby. Children are able to amaze and surprise us with such contrasts with enviable regularity. Just now he was talking about the advantages of a grader in comparison with an excavator, but now he is crying because he does not want to eat porridge. On New Year's Eve, the child is outraged by the environmental aspect of cutting down Christmas trees and at the same time firmly believes in Santa Claus. How to assess the level of "childhood" when choosing a gift for a child? This requires a very accurate hit! If you give something "too childish" - you will offend, something too adult and serious - you will not be interested. Even very attentive parents can only guess what will captivate the child and what will not. To give a child a gift that will actually interest him is a great parenting art. It is with great difficulty that we assess the degree of children's gullibility.

Today, even the most naive schoolchild will not believe that for the anniversary ruble you can get a new car, and a kilogram of dried mosquitoes can significantly increase the level of personal well-being. But in the 1980s they believed.

blade in gum

Chewing gum imported for the first time were able to try the lucky ones who took part in 1957 in the VI Festival of Youth and Students. In the 80s, chewing gum in the children's environment became the subject of bargaining and "speculation". The owner of the wrapper from "Turbo", which appeared in the late 80s, automatically "rose" in the eyes of peers. What can we say about those who could effectively take a package of gum out of their pocket and offer it to their friends. At that time, there were rumors among schoolchildren that the still awake "enemies" were inventing new sabotage to harm Soviet pioneers, for which blades were placed in some chewing gum.

What do children believe?

Project «Little ART e.V.» is an international project that calls on children from all continents aged 4 to 16 to present and show what they believe in, what is important and dear to them, what worries their souls.

What is the most important thing for children and teenagers? What do they dream and fantasize about? Maybe it's a belief in God or Gods, or in a higher power - the Ideal, maybe it's some kind of Teaching or just a Principle? Or maybe it's Love and Friendship, which inspire with the power of instinct and will be an experience that gives everything its meaning? Our faith determines both politics and science, as well as culture, society and relationships in it. Children are our future and their beliefs will shape our world tomorrow.

In Slavic countries, Santa Claus is a popular New Year's hero. He wears a long fur coat, hat and red gloves. Grandfather's face is hidden under a thick gray beard. He moves on skis or deer, and his faithful companion is the Snow Maiden.

The most popular "competitor" of Santa Claus is Santa Claus. He wears a short beard and dresses in red pants, a cap and a fur coat, tying it with a belt, Grandfather delivers gifts in the USA, Canada and Australia, delivering them on deer through the air, and sneaks into the house through a pipe.

After 22 days, we will all gather under the Christmas tree, drink sparkling wine under the chimes and hurry to move on to the most interesting part of the holiday - gifts. Everything related to the New Year is especially important for children. The image of Santa Claus begins to haunt them long before the holiday, and they sincerely rejoice at his coming to school, garden or home. But sooner or later, the guys begin to understand that the wizard's beard is glued, and he himself looks very much like dad. Is it worth revealing to toddlers the truth about how beautifully packaged toys are made? Our correspondent understood.

Comment:

Larisa Surkova, family and child psychologist, mother of four children (hereinafter - LS);
Anfisa Kalistratova, practicing child and adolescent psychologist, gestalt therapist (hereinafter referred to as AK);
Natalya Panfilova family psychologist, director of the "Happy Family" center (hereinafter - NP);
Natalya Karpovich, Chairman of the NGO "Association of Large Families of Moscow" (hereinafter - NK);
Anna Maria, administrator of the Young Wizard's School (hereinafter - AM);
Alexander Frolov, director of the School of Santa Claus (hereinafter - AF);
NN is the father of a nine-year-old daughter;
RR is the father of two children;
RR is the father of one child.

What does Santa Claus symbolize for children and why is it so important to believe in him?

AK: Belief in Santa Claus gives a feeling of a fairy tale, a miracle, the fulfillment of any desire. For example, bring dad or mom home, get a million dollars. Children have a wild imagination, but mostly they want love or some kind of material wealth. Children after six or seven years think of superpowers. Belief in magic is especially important for children in our modern and aggressive reality. Santa Claus performs a spiritual function, gives the child warmth for life.

NP: It's not just about believing in Santa Claus. It's about believing in something good and magical, that there are very joyful and bright moments in life and that they are worth waiting for. This belief balances the psyche of the child. And for adults, it is also not superfluous. Now, by the way, such a serious advertisement is shown that the child asks if Santa Claus will come to his mother? He wants his mother to have a holiday too. It turns out that faith in a wizard is at the same time a moment of cultivating love for one's neighbors.

Santa Claus is a character that facilitates the entry of a child into a fairy tale. The point is not whether the child believes in Santa Claus or not, but whether he believes in the holiday. The tradition of grandfather giving gifts to grandchildren and doing good deeds is passed down from generation to generation. The children themselves, after meeting with Santa Claus, will pay more attention to their own grandparents, not noticing clumsiness in them, but only wisdom and affection.

LS: When a person believes in something, it is much easier for him to live in the world. For me, as a psychologist and mother of four children, Santa Claus is a matter of faith. Today the world is in confusion. Someone says that children should not be deceived, on the other hand, they say that Santa Claus is good. In a believing family, there is no question whether to tell children about Santa Claus or not. I definitely believe that it is necessary to believe in it. Why not? Just because you put presents under the Christmas tree every year doesn't mean that Santa Claus doesn't exist. Initially, this is a saint who helps believers earn money for these gifts, find them at a discount.

Santa Claus is a miracle, magic, holiday, kindness and a generous parent, which children often lack. In the minds of children, he takes on the functions of a kind character, to whom you can turn, tell about something intimate. This is a kind of dream, where Santa Claus is an observer and overseer, to whom parents often turn so as not to spoil relations in the family.

Moms and dads do not directly express complaints, but tell the children that Santa Claus is watching them and they need to behave well. Children are also not insane egoists; in their messages they very often ask not only for themselves, but also for their relatives, for world peace. Sometimes children complain about their parents, talk about their shortcomings. Reading the letters of children, they can learn a lot.

AF: Our children have not lost faith in fairy tales and magic, so Santa Claus remains the most important magician for them. The most important lesson from Santa Claus: the child receives gifts for good and kind deeds that he has done this year. If we want our children to be able to fantasize, be compassionate and look at the world positively, then this is necessary. Therefore, the gift that will be chosen should be in accordance with the wishes of the child in order to maintain his faith.

Santa Claus occupies an important position - he protects childhood. Belief in Santa Claus, like in any other wizard, carries a great educational burden: if you behaved well during the year, then a well-deserved reward awaits you. Every good wizard conquers with his wisdom, because he always does the right thing and is fair. It seems to me that any magician is a very wise teacher who is able to make contact with the child and find the key to his heart: ask something, clarify, note his abilities, achievements and, when necessary, praise.

RR: Faith in Santa Claus makes a child kinder. Everyone wants a little miracle in this cruel world. The child imagines that Santa Claus is some kind of fairy-tale creature. Children remain children as long as they believe in miracles. My oldest daughter is 12 years old. Despite the fact that she understands who puts gifts under the Christmas tree, she still writes letters to Santa Claus.

Is it necessary to destroy the child's faith and what to do if he understood everything himself?

NK: Neither childhood nor fairy tales in which he believes can be taken away from a child. The longer the child believes in Santa Claus and the harder smart parents try to prolong this fairy tale in the child, the more healthy the atmosphere in the family. Thanks to this, the child learns to dream. Moms and dads show that these dreams come true, and stimulate him to achieve some results. Santa Claus is a powerful motivational tool. He will come to you if you are good. Of course, this child later helps in life to go towards his goal, achieve his goal and never part with his dream.

AM: In pedagogy, it is generally accepted that children believe in Santa Claus until about the age of 12. Someone may say that they do not believe, but in fact continue to believe. At the playing age, it is definitely not worth reporting such news to a child. I honestly don't understand why parents would want to say this. It is worth answering such questions, and not starting this topic specifically. Until they ask or the precedent has not happened, you can not speak.

If a child asks a question and the parents believe that he is already ready to hear the answer, he is old enough and mature enough, then you just need to directly answer the question, because in this case a lie would be inappropriate. If the child says that someone told him, then this issue should be discussed with him. When the play period ends, the children themselves begin to understand that Santa Claus is an ordinary person who just changed clothes.

"Santa Claus Post Office" launched at the Main Post Office

AK: Parents should keep the magic secret until the child asks. When he receives an answer, he will live in peace. It is necessary not to confess until the last and, while there is an opportunity, to maintain faith in magic. But the older the child, the more difficult. Professional actors with natural beards are the best option.

If a child loses faith in a miracle at a young age, then parents become authorities. For example, his friends told him that there is no Santa Claus. He goes excitedly to seek confirmation from his parents. The child comes to dispel all doubts mainly to mom and dad, only they control the process. Here you need to understand: the child still doubts or is already sure? Materialists who believe in the harshness of reality and truth immediately say: "Yes, there is no Santa Claus." If the parents have already confirmed, then faith collapses immediately.

Now it is fashionable to talk about the need to talk with children, but many adults imagine it like this: "Here I am, I will come, have dinner, sit down, take the child by the hand, and we will talk." In children, everything happens differently, unexpectedly for an adult. At the moment when the child needs it, not you. Parents begin to swear, but not at the words of the child, but at the feeling of discomfort and their unwillingness to talk. Those who have time to orient themselves confidently answer: "There is Santa Claus, don't worry, sit down and write a letter."

I'm telling from my experience. When my son came home from school in doubt about magic, I did not destroy his ideas, but confirmed his belief in miracles. When he met an older friend at school, a dialogue broke out between them: "I told you, there is Santa Claus! He is!" And an older friend replies: "He is not! Parents said that there is no Santa Claus." Apparently, this question was in my son’s head, and a year and a half later, in the summer, my husband and I talked about a gift for our son, but it turns out that he had already been ordered from Santa Claus in a letter, but I completely forgot. The son even jumped: "I knew it! It's you. He can't give so many gifts alone." By his reaction, I realized that he was ready, and I explained everything to him. Since then, he began to grow up and lose heart, because there is no fairy tale, no miracle.

NP: You can’t take a fairy tale from a child. A person must have a good imagination and be able to dream. You can speak only if the child asks: "Is there Santa Claus?" The conversation with the child must be honest. You should not convince him: "Santa Claus exists." Here you need to choose words or think in advance how to tell him that Santa Claus is a fairy tale, a legend that everyone agreed to believe in.

There is no need to tell the child that he will grow up and stop believing in Santa Claus, because he is not there, but now, they say, be kind enough to believe and come help me peel potatoes, and dad to nail. You can give your own example. To say that I believed in Santa Claus for a very long time, because I wanted to believe in this beautiful and pleasant fairy tale so that the child would have an aura of magic.

LS: This thought voluntarily or involuntarily comes to the child on its own, and often parents here exaggerate when they themselves tell the child. In my practice, I saw only isolated cases when children were shocked by this, more often the conversation takes on the character of a very roughly destroyed dream. When children just grow up, they begin to look at the world differently, they understand where gifts come from, they retain a sense of kindness and beauty in their souls, they pass on the tradition of faith in Santa Claus, and not some deep disappointment to their children.

Santa Claus is a little secret between adults, which every person begins to possess, reaching the stage of adulthood. If a child comes with the question: “Is there Santa Claus?”, I advise parents to answer: he is, as long as you believe in him. If a child believes, writes letters, puts them in the freezer, then he has faith in his soul. Until this moment, Santa Claus exists.

Santa Claus is an angel for children, with whom they have a very trusting relationship. Children are always wonderful, wonderful, good, there are no bad children. Rather, parents become more cynical and carry a peculiar vision of the world to their children, often forcing the children to grow up much earlier than they need to. And there is absolutely nothing good in this, because acceleration in psychological development is already flourishing in our country.

I'm all for kids growing up. No need to push them, they will have time to grow. Life will have time to hit on the head. I still believe in magic and Santa Claus. My eldest daughter, who is now 19 years old, last put a letter to Santa Claus five years ago, because she wanted something that she did not expect from her parents.

NN: I believe that a child needs to lie in the minimum number of cases. Santa Claus is not one of them. Firstly, because the child will be hurt and hurt when he finds out that he is not there after all. Secondly, because the child learns about this, most likely, by no means from his parents, but he will remember for the rest of his life that his parents lied to him. But my wife believes that children should have a fairy tale, this is what makes childhood different from adult life. If you believe only in pure reason, if you are guided in actions only by expediency, no one will give flowers, gifts, etc. to anyone.

This is probably wrong, but I usually tell my nine-year-old daughter that I believe that there is no Santa Claus, but other people may have alternative judgments on this matter. Several times my daughter tried to get the final and irrevocable from me - "There is no Santa Claus, Tanya, people have thought of everything," each time it ended in tears, not to mention criticism from my wife. After a while, the conversation is forgotten and repeated again. Now the daughter wrote a New Year's letter again and hid it in the freezer. It's nice that the child understands that the financial possibilities of Santa Claus are not unlimited.

AF: It seems to me that it is not worth telling a child that there is no Santa Claus. First of all, because we are destroying the fairy tale. Some answers to questions will come to the child themselves. No need to rush. We run the risk of destroying the child's faith not only in Santa Claus, but also in life, in a miracle, in the fact that, despite mistakes, he is capable of a lot and a happy, interesting, full of adventures awaits him. No one has the right to destroy faith in miracles and magic.

Friends, surroundings, the Internet, television - all these factors contribute to the fact that the child not only loses faith in Santa Claus, but also changes the idea of \u200b\u200bthis wizard. Now many people think that Santa Claus and Santa Claus are one and the same character. And this is wrong. There is a violation of the traditions of the costume and the perception of this hero as a whole. Therefore, people who have taken upon themselves the right to call themselves Santa Claus must take very seriously what they do in order to find contact with the child and not destroy his faith in magic.

Faith in Santa Claus is a very good lesson of kindness for any person, and even more so for a child. And the longer it lasts, the better. There is no perfect moment when a child can be told that Santa Claus does not exist. A lot of adults still have not lost faith in the main winter wizard. The understanding that Santa Claus does not exist may come to a child, but this does not mean that he really does not exist. For example, I believe that there is Santa Claus.

RR: Parents should gradually accustom the child to the idea that he himself is the creator of his own happiness. At the age of ten, it can already be said that there is no Santa Claus. If he wants to continue believing in him, so be it.

RR: Let the child figure out what's what when he grows up. If he does it himself, then he will be ready for it. When the child stops believing in Santa Claus, you need to attract him to be in the role of a magician, give him the opportunity to do good himself and give gifts to others. If the parents nevertheless decided to say that there is no Santa Claus, then this image needs to be replaced with something ephemeral, magical. In any case, it is better for a child to learn about this from his parents than from friends. If the child’s fairy tale was already destroyed by peers, parents should try to build such an image of Santa Claus that the child will definitely believe in.

How does the destruction of illusions affect the child's psyche and how to restore the child's inner balance?

LS: If a child trusts his parents, he will definitely ask again. The child, in principle, on any issues comes and asks again, and is not guided by the opinion of peers. Much depends on the age at which everything happens. In elementary school, children can actively argue about the existence of Santa Claus and even fight. It's okay, these are the lessons of society, life. There is no catastrophe here, you should not panic.

But you have to believe in something. It is especially difficult in a family of atheists, when people do not believe in anything, moreover, they destroy all the expectations of the child. When there is no faith in anything, how to live? There must be a different approach here. It is necessary to teach the child to believe in himself, his parents, to increase his self-esteem. It's much easier for believers. There is Santa Claus, saints, God, and it doesn’t matter what faith we are talking about.

AF: Parents are the main helpers of Santa Claus. Once this fairy tale was given to them, and now they give it to their children. Moms and dads need to try to regain that faith if it falters. If you see anxiety in the eyes of a child, an adult should maintain confidence in the existence of a wizard. After all, every child wants to believe in a fairy tale, so why not help him? It is best, of course, that Santa Claus himself appears before him, a true professional who will help the child strengthen faith in a miracle and refute all the child’s doubts.

AK: When myths are debunked, it leads to the collapse of self-confidence, breaks the dream and the child's psyche. It's like taking away a person's hope for all the best, for the opportunity to change something. Magic and miracle keep the soul in harmony. Let the child better guess that Santa Claus is a fairy-tale character and his parents are replacing him. Its conclusion must be independent.

This usually happens at the age of eight or nine. Some, nimble, guess already at seven. The later this happens, the better, because faith in a miracle during this period is the key to a calm life. The sooner the child stops believing in magic, the sooner the teenage crisis begins, he grows up, begins to take many things more seriously. But not always - the destruction of faith in Santa Claus can, on the contrary, push the child back to childhood. There is a regression, and children fall into an even greater childhood, knowing that it was good there.

The child himself slows down his growth and tries to play like a child, adopting the habits of babies. Children who cannot accept what they do not like, for example, the unreality of Santa Claus, are more likely to regress, become aggressive, dull, whiny. They may be angry at their parents because they were deceiving him, so you should not force things.

A lot depends on how parents themselves look at the world. If people are materialists who believe that there is nothing that cannot be touched, then it so happens that children very often lose faith in miracles. If parents are philosophers, they tell the child that thought is material, it affects the world. This is the very first miracle that can be told. I just belong to the philosopher-practitioners. I show my children by examples that thought is material. I tell them: "You planned it, it happened. No coincidences, no accidents. You planned it, you wanted it, you tuned in correctly to it, and it happens."

This is a miracle - the ability to manage your life, to achieve success. When you formulate a specific desire, it is realized. The child understands this connection very well. If you are angry, it seems to you that the world around is evil. But it is worth changing thoughts, and the world also changes. If you rejoice, the world seems to be joyful. We ourselves create the atmosphere around us. If you build the world on your verified thoughts, then magic will happen regularly.

Little Art

Help the children to take part in this competition, send their work. Whether it's a photograph or painting, video or text, each child carries out a personal, individual embodiment of their beliefs. The selection of children's works sent to us will be carried out by a professional jury. The best works will be collected in a specially published almanac, as well as in an electronic Internet gallery, in addition, the works will be presented at various exhibitions.

Little Art project “What do children believe in?” is part of a multifaceted, versatile cooperation in the international space. Art connects and creates a dialogue that transcends cultural, religious, social or national boundaries. Children through their creativity reflect their personal understanding of global diversity. By encouraging children's creativity and imagination, the organization promotes dialogue and cooperation among children all over the world. Do you trust the experience of your parents? What impact does the school and society have? Do you have your independent opinion? How do new media and technological advances in the global society influence your opinion?

On the one hand, the “What Children Believe” project gives every participating child a reason to think about the world around him, to develop his creative imagination and the possibilities of its expression. On the other hand, the goal of the project is to acquaint children with the sensations and feelings of children from other countries, to tell them about the spiritual values of other peoples. We hope that during the work there will be many intercontinental acquaintances among children. I would like to see interest and curiosity in other cultures, so that the desire for mutual understanding is encouraged. Finally, the project should be not only new information, but also the emergence of new questions, new research.

Little Art would like to thank all the children in advance for sending us their work, as well as the initiator of the project, the German artist Antje Tesche-Mentzen.

Conditions for participation:

Topic "What do children believe?"

Age groups from 4 to 16 years old:
4-8; 9-12; 13-16

Medium Painting, Photography, Texts, 3D objects,
Installations, Animation, Video, Digital stories.

Format Unlimited
Video max. 20 minutes.

Technique and materials No restrictions

Jury Famous artists of Munich

Our address is little ART e.V.
Amalienstr. 41/Rgb.
D-80799 Munich

Contact Elena Janker e.janker little-art.org
Tel. 0049 89 288065-46
Fax 0049 89 288065-47

Please send your work along with completed and signed application forms.

Application
to participate in the project

First name Last name Age
School/Organization

Name Surname of the head

Address/Street Postcode Country

Tel. Fax

We certify that the art we provide is the original work of the above child. We agree that little ART e.V. reserves the right not to return this work, as well as the right to publish it, present it at vernissages and reproduce it. A reproduction of this work may be provided to other organizations or sold at auction without notice to the author.

Parents Signature Date

Surname of the educator/teacher Signature Date

Please enclose a completed and signed application form with your work.

WHAT DO KIDS OF MODERN BELIEVE IN?

In the modern rhythm of life, we often think about material values, rather than about feelings or emotional experiences. However, left alone with your thoughts, you realize that there is nothing more important than love in the world ...

But what about those who have no one to give love to? What about children left behind by their parents? Does faith help them? Believe in yourself. Faith in God. Faith in good. What does such a multifaceted word mean for this rising generation?

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The first day of work on the film "Faith through the Eyes of Children". Zakhar DEMIDOV

The journalists of Komsomolskaya Pravda decided to talk directly with the children from orphanages - to hear their reasoning on topics important to everyone and, perhaps, to discover something new for them. The project was called "Faith through the Eyes of Children". Over time, it will turn into a documentary research film. On the first day of filming, we went to the Maloistok correctional orphanage in Yekaterinburg.

Here we were warmly greeted by the director of the institution Alevtina Tretyakova. She immediately warned that not all the guys can give answers to our questions. According to Alevtina Pavlovna, teachers here do not conduct active educational activities about faith in God, but they often talk about him. It happens that in groups they go with the children on excursions to the temples of Yekaterinburg, where the children have the opportunity to talk about topics that concern them with the priest. They go to Ganina Yama, in Verkhoturye.

"GOD FLYS TO MARS"

Children from 7 to 15 years old came to talk with us. Some, seeing the cameras, started talking with interest. Others, at the sight of strangers, embarrassedly stepped aside, but later joined in the conversation. The guys were especially liberated when they were asked to draw how they see God.

For example, Danil, despite his young age - 11 years old - showed a real talent as an artist and good knowledge of history. On his canvas, a man on his knees stretches his hands to the sky.

He is wearing such clothes, because he lived in the time of Christ, - the boy explains unpretentiously. He didn't believe in God, and then he did. And God spared him. Because he evaluates all actions. Both good and bad. In my drawing, God gives a person a ray of light - I saw this in the film.

Next to him, 11-year-old Tanya diligently draws her creation with a pencil. A slender girl with big sincere eyes asks how the word “it will turn out” is spelled with “b” or “b” and after a few seconds she shows the finished drawing.

God is going to the valley. And the golden staircase leads to heaven. God has a house there. And definitely family. Christ and the Mother of God are waiting for him there. But he doesn't have a car. Where should he go there? she waved away with a smile. From home he flies to Mars. Creates life in all worlds. I also wrote: “Believe in God, and everything will work out.” As I believe...

"THE LORD WILL HELP ME KEEP THE BALLS ON THE GOALS"

But 7-year-old Maxim knows little about God. But he confidently declares that he saw him in the temple.

There was light. And God prayed. And he also came to us. And he also prayed. I never spoke to him, but I know that he is kind. He helps people. He probably helps the wounded soldiers, - the kid says thoughtfully, and then adds with a slight childish ease, - I would like him to help me not to miss the ball at the gate when I play football. And then I miss a lot.

As it turned out, for most children, God is a magician who works miracles. He helps children to believe that their wishes will come true: that they will write a test for five, that they will have a cell phone ... And also that someday they will have a mom or dad.