About
Big Ideas. Little Thinkers.
The Prindle Institute is honored to partner with Thomas Wartenberg as the digital home for the Teaching Children Philosophy library. Our K–12 programming is shaped by a deep belief in the power of stories to spark big questions—a commitment inspired in no small part by Wartenberg’s groundbreaking work. As we steward this growing resource, we’re excited to connect with the many communities Teaching Children Philosophy has touched and to build on the decades of insight and creativity Wartenberg has made available.
A Brief History
Philosophy for Children (often called P4C) is a global educational movement that helps young people explore life’s big questions—about fairness, friendship, knowledge, courage, identity, and much more—through thoughtful conversation. At its core, the movement is built on a simple but powerful idea: children are natural philosophers. They wonder, they puzzle, they challenge, and they dream. Rather than leaving these questions unanswered or treating them as “cute,” Philosophy for Children takes kids’ ideas seriously and provides a structured way to explore them together.
The Teaching Children Philosophy resource collection was created by philosopher Thomas Wartenberg, Professor Emeritus at Mount Holyoke College. His book Big Ideas for Little Kids (2009) showed how picture books—already a central part of children’s lives—could open the door to rich philosophical inquiry.
Wartenberg began the project in the late 1990s, first collaborating with local teachers and then creating a Mount Holyoke course where undergraduates developed book modules for use in elementary classrooms. Supported by the Squire Family Foundation, the program grew into a widely used website, later featured in a PBS documentary and expanded internationally through a Fulbright fellowship.
Over time, faculty and students at other colleges joined in, and today the site includes more than 200 book modules and reaches over 50,000 visitors each month. In recognition of his work, Wartenberg received the 2011 APA/PDC Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs and the 2013 Merritt Prize for Distinguished Service to the Philosophy of Education.
Since 2019, the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University has stewarded the library, hosting workshops, a now-annual summer camp, and a refreshed digital collection that continues to grow—including new multilingual discussion modules. The library carries forward Wartenberg’s vision: to make philosophy with children widely accessible, integrated into reading, and rooted in children’s natural curiosity about life’s big questions.
