The Moral Intelligence of Children

Robert Coles is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

This volume explores the question of how to raise a child whose moral intelligence and strong values will be the basis for a balanced and happy life. It shows how character develops from the earliest years, moulded by the often unselfconscious guidance of parents.This volume explores the question of how to raise a child whose moral intelligence and strong values will be the basis for a balanced and happy life. Drawing on his experience as a teacher and child psychiatrist, and pivotal events in his own life, the author shows how character develops from the earliest years, moulded by the often unselfconscious guidance of parents. The book also aims to illustrate how the shared, daily experience between emotionally-connected adults and their children is a crucial factor in instilling moral sense, and how children can be taught to develop moral intelligence through witnessing the conduct of others. It then examines how values are born and shaped during the "moral archaeology of childhood". In infancy, the author explains, there is moral life that precedes language, and he considers how to stop a baby being a bully, and how to teach a toddler to act well.