Growing Up in Peace collection
Because learning to live well together begins in the earliest years of school.
Growing Up in Peace is a collection of educational resources designed to help primary school teachers create a calm, cooperative classroom environment conducive to learning.
It brings together academic learning, life skills and peace education to prevent violence, strengthen cooperation and encourage every child to learn with confidence.
Through its teaching guides and complementary training, it provides simple, practical and transferable activities that integrate naturally into classroom practice and help pupils reflect, engage in dialogue, manage their emotions and build respectful relationships from an early age.
A collection designed with and for teachers
4 guides
for teachers
to help teachers develop pupils’ human values and life skills.
40 activités expérientielles
et réflexives
organised into 7 units to support the progressive development of emotional, social and reflective skills.
4 livrets
dédiés aux élèves
to consolidate learning in the classroom or at home and keep a personal record of the work completed.
Discover the 4 volumes by age
Vol. 1 – Ages 4 to 6
Lay the foundations for self-esteem and emotional expression
Vol. 2 – Ages 6 to 8
Strengthening attention to self and others
Vol. 3 – Ages 8 to 10
Developing empathy and cooperation
Vol. 4 – ages 10 to 12
Strengthen critical thinking and act responsibly
Use the collection independently or attend a training session
The collection can be used directly in the classroom.
A three-hour training session is also available to help teachers get started with the materials.
Contact us to arrange a training session at prestations@grainesdepaix.org
about the collection
Objectives?
The collection has three core aims:
To reimagine education by connecting foundational learning, life skills and human values. • To strengthen learning by supporting concentration, cooperation and motivation at school. • To prevent violence and foster peace from the earliest years of schooling.
To achieve this, it develops five interconnected areas of competence:
- Reflexive: critical thinking, discernment, metareflection
- Emotional: understanding and expressing emotions
- Social skills: self-esteem, cooperation and respect for others
- Resolutive: non-violent conflict management
- Commitment: responsible action and collective contribution
The aim is to develop strong, autonomous and confident students, capable of acting with discernment and responsibility.
Approach?
Progressive, experience-based activities
The collection consists of guides tailored to each age group. They offer practical activities, shared experiences and opportunities for reflection, following a structured learning sequence: setting the scene, activity, discussion and consolidation of learning.
Its approach reflects the four pillars of education defined by UNESCO: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together.
Each activity connects an educational issue with a broader societal challenge. In doing so, it makes learning more meaningful and helps pupils relate their classroom experiences to the realities of the world around them.
Development?
A rigorous development process grounded in Swiss standards
The collection is developed by a multidisciplinary team of educators, psychologists and field experts.
It is aligned with the Plan d’études romand (PER) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also benefits from institutional recognition: it is recommended by the PSPS Unit of the Canton of Vaud, incorporated into teacher training at HEP Vaud, and has been evaluated through a study conducted by HEP Valais.
Measured impact
Measured impact?
At school
Trained teachers observe a calmer classroom climate, improve quality of classroom interactions and a reduction in daily tensions.
In students
Assessments show a marked improvement in self-esteem, empathy, cooperation and critical thinking.
The collection in figures
1’787’120
children reached
44’678
teachers trained
When children feel heard, respected and trusted, anything is possible.
Additional resources
Two books to extend the work begun with the collection, available from our online shop:
PAX! The comic book that helps prevent violence
A fun, educational comic book for children aged 8 to 12, created by around ten French-speaking Swiss illustrators to help young people move from violence towards peace. Available in five languages.
35 workshops for inclusive schools
A guide featuring 35 activities to explore diversity, strengthen cooperation and bring inclusion to life for pupils aged 6 to 12, through playful and reflective approaches.
Ideas for the classroom
Mini practice
#1
What is authority?
An activity in which students reflect on authority and the people who embody it.
- Discussion about who is considered an authority figure.
- Individual creation of of a poster featuring the chosen authority figure.
- Voting for those who best represent authority at school, in the family and in everyday life.
Objective:
To understand authority and the rules that govern it and use voting to designate authority figures.
Mini practice
#2
The Ant Hill
A cooperative game inspired by ants.
- Two groups: nurse ants and worker ants.
- The worker ants build three paths using crates that lead to the nest.
- The nurse ants cooperate to carry objects from crate to crate until they reach the nest.
Objective:
To experience and understand the importance of collaboration in achieving a common goal.
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