Abstract
Young children’s perspectives of older adults are often direct reflections on societal structures and influences, such as family composition and relations, literature, and media. This chapter begins with a critical review of the literature on young children’s perspectives of older adults through their words and drawings. As the literature has matured, we have found that young children may hold stereotypical views of older adults, but that these views are often both positive and negative and may not be ageist in nature. We have also found that children’s views of older adults can change during development and that their views are influenced by several factors, including their exposure to and personal interactions with older adults. The chapter then discusses programming and interventions designed to increase social interactions between young children and older adults. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research and suggestions for fostering a society where young children and older adults live with and learn from each other.
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Anderson, K.A. (2021). Capturing Children’s Perspectives: Older Adults in Images and Words. In: Renck Jalongo, M., Crawford, P.A. (eds) Intergenerational Bonds. Educating the Young Child, vol 18. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81965-1_3
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