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“Let your vision be world embracing.”
- Bahá’u’lláh
4-7 Years
KS1
Under each topic below, you will find presentations, links to audio-visual material, classroom activities and in some cases schemes of work and lesson plans, as well as teachers’ notes.
Other useful resources for this age group include:
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Dayspring – a UK Bahá’í magazine for children aged 5 to 12. It seeks to nurture a love for God and humankind in the hearts of all children, inspired by the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.
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Brilliant Star magazine - a US-based magazine intended for children of Bahá’í families and their parents and teachers, but many of the materials, stories and activities would be suitable for introducing Bahá’í concepts to primary-age pupils in the classroom.
Bahá'í beliefs: God and Revelation
Bahá’í beliefs about God
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Bahá’ís believe there is one God and that all the universe and creation belong to him
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God is omnipotent, perfect and has complete knowledge of life
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Bahá’ís believe that there has only ever been one God, who is called by different names in different religions.
The Bahá’í Writings explain that the reality of God is beyond the understanding of any mortal mind, though we may find expressions of His attributes in every created thing. Throughout the ages, He has sent a succession of Divine Messengers, known as Manifestations of God, to educate and guide humanity.
These Manifestations of God—among them Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muḥammad, and, in more recent times, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh— cultivate humanity’s spiritual, intellectual and moral capacities. Following the coming of a Manifestation of God extraordinary progress occurs in the world. Reaching to the roots of human motivation, His teachings awaken in whole populations capacities to contribute to the advancement of civilization to an extent never before possible.
Teachings & Principles
Unity
A key principle of the Bahá’í Faith is unity. There are many quotations in Bahá’í scripture on this topic, and several of them have been used as the basis for songs and activities suitable for use with young children. The following lesson plan is based on an exploration of a song.
Central Figures
The Báb
(1819-1850)
In the middle of the 19th century—one of the most turbulent periods in the world’s history—a young merchant announced that He was the bearer of a message destined to transform the life of humanity. At a time when His country, Iran, was undergoing widespread moral breakdown, His message aroused excitement and hope among all classes, rapidly attracting thousands of followers. He took the name “The Báb”, meaning “the Gate” in Arabic.
With His call for spiritual and moral reformation, and His attention to improving the position of women and the lot of the poor, the Báb’s prescription for spiritual renewal was revolutionary. At the same time, He founded a distinct, independent religion of His own, inspiring His followers to transform their lives and carry out great acts of heroism.
The Báb announced that humanity stood at the threshold of a new era. His mission, which was to last only six years, was to prepare the way for the coming of a Manifestation of God Who would usher in the age of peace and justice promised in all the world’s religions: Bahá’u’lláh.
Bahá’u’lláh
(1817-1892)
In the In the middle of the 19th century, God summoned Bahá’u’lláh—meaning the “Glory of God”—to deliver a new Revelation to humanity. For four decades thousands of verses, letters and books flowed from His pen. In His Writings, He outlined a framework for the development of a global civilization which takes into account both the spiritual and material dimensions of human life.
Bahá’u’lláh suffered 40 years of imprisonment, torture and exile for bringing God’s latest message to humanity. Today, His life and mission are becoming increasingly well-known across the planet. Millions of people are learning to apply His teachings to their individual and collective lives for the betterment of the world.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
(1844-1921)
Upholding unity as the fundamental principle of His teachings, Bahá’u’lláh established the necessary safeguard to ensure that His religion would never suffer the same fate as others that split into sects after the deaths of their Founders. In His Writings, He instructed all to turn to His eldest Son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, not only as the authorized interpreter of the Bahá’í Writings but also as the perfect exemplar of the Faith’s spirit and teachings.
Following Bahá’u’lláh’s passing, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s extraordinary qualities of character, His knowledge and His service to humanity offered a vivid demonstration of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings in action, and brought great prestige to the rapidly expanding community throughout the world.
Stories about the Central Figures
Many appealing stories are told of the life and works of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Bahá’ís regard ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as an ideal example of how to live a pure and valuable life.
The following lesson plan uses a story from the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to illustrate the virtue of helpfulness. It is suitable for use with children from Reception to age 8.
Ways Of Living
Prayer
The spiritual teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, emphasise that God is all around us, and that an act of worship takes place everywhere that God is mentioned. A poetic and simple prayer, Blessed Is The Spot, demonstrates this and can be used as the basis of a lesson.
Virtues
Examples of virtues: Courage, Courtesy, Obedience, Patience, Service, Thankfulness, Truthfulness…
The Bahá’í teachings place great emphasis on the importance of acquiring virtues as we go through life, starting in earliest childhood. There are various materials available online, focussing on particular virtues and helping children to understand what they are and why it is important to practise them. The Radiant Hearts website, started by two mothers in New Zealand, has a wealth of materials intended to nourish the spirits of young children. It can be accessed here.
Bahá’í Houses of Worship
Worship can take place anywhere, but most Bahá’í devotional meetings take place either in a private home or in a Bahá’í Centre. In the future, each town or village will have its own Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, or House of Worship.
The institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, translated as “The Dawning Place of the Mention of God”, was ordained by Bahá’u’lláh Himself. It is a pivotal concept of Bahá’í community life, giving concrete expression to the unity of devotion and service.
The physical structure of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár comprises a central building—a House of Worship—along with several dependencies. While the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár forms the focal point of worship in a geographical area, its purpose is not solely to provide a place for prayer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that, through the provision of education, healthcare and other services it is also to support the social and economic progress of the community and afford shelter, relief and assistance to those in need. In this connection, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá anticipated that subsidiary branches—such as a hospital, school, university, dispensary, and hospice—would gradually be added to a House of Worship.
Each House of Worship is circular in shape and has nine doors. It is open to people of all races and of all religions or none. The architecture of some of these buildings is very striking. The most well-known are probably the Houses of Worship in New Delhi, popularly known as the Lotus Temple, and in Santiago, Chile.
Activity
After watching the presentation, children can find where each Bahá’í House of Worship is on a map of the world.
KS1 - Trafford Baháʼí community materials
This KS1 presentation has been developed by the Baháʼí community of Trafford, Greater Manchester for use in local schools. It has been created to be in alignment with the Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education in Trafford.
it comes with an introduction for teachers and activity sheets.
The Trafford Baháʼís welcome your feedback. There is a Feedback Form on the community's RE resources website here.
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Useful links
Websites
The official website for
the Bahá'í's of the
United Kingdom.
The official website for
the worldwide
Bahá'í Community.
The official website for the Bahá'í International Community at the UN.
The Bahá'í World
news service.
A photographic narrative of the life of the founder of the Faith, Bahá'u'lláh.
Celebrations for the 200th anniversaries of
the births of The Báb
and Bahá'u'lláh.
Collections of multi-faith meditations on numerous topics such as peace.
A popular blog or articles, videos and music.
The offical UK Bahá'í Children's magazine
for ages 5-12 years.
The official US Bahá'í Children's magazine
Videos & Animations
Inspirational stories of people from diverse nations whose lives have been transformed by
the Bahá'í Teachings.
The history of the growth of the Bahá'í community, from 'Abdu'l-Bahá's passing in 1921 to the present day.
Exemplar follows the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the profound effect He had
on people both past and present.
Experiences from Bahá'ís and their friends from around the world who are striving to build vibrant communities.
Young and old, in cities and villages around the world, are taking part in
a process of community building based on concepts enshrined in
the Bahá’í Teachings.
Young people from the UK discuss the problems facing the world and how Bahá’u’lláh’s message offers a healing remedy to address these issues.
We all feel the need to belong somewhere, but are the ways in which we are trying to satisfy this need actually bringing us closer together?
Communication is an important building block for society, but often public discourse is divisive and centred around conflict. Is there an alternative?