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Happy Star Wars Day! When is Your Child Ready to Watch This Classic?
When Are Kids Ready for Star Wars?
Happy Star Wars Day! Yes, May 4th was been deemed the unofficial day to celebrate all things Star Wars. Why May 4th? Well that’s easy to answer. It’s a pun based on the iconic phrase “May the force be with you.” Get it? May/force = May/fourth. Will you be celebrating the day with a viewing of the film? And will your kids watch too? If so, when is the right age to see Star Wars for the first time?
One thing about Star Wars, kids, they love it. And they have for the last thirty years. We played Star Wars when I was a kid and a generation later, at my daughter’s preschool the boys play Star Wars pretty much every day. Seriously, every day! But what I find interesting, not all of these boys have seen the film but some have seen it a dozen or more times. Those who are well versed in the lore of Star Wars pass on their Jedi knowledge to those uninitiated. Not unlike a Yoda to a Luke.
But is Star Wars appropriate for young children? That is ultimately a decision that is best left to the parents so there is not right or wrong answer. Many see the violence and the complex and adult concepts as being too much for a young mind and opt to wait until they are older. Other parents are so in awe of the Star Wars films that they just aren’t patient enough to wait until their kids are older. And some, they cave in to the pressure of their offspring who beg and plead to see the film since ALL the kids are preschool or elementary school are talking about it and playing it. Our own Rebecca Odes (along with Ceridwen Morris) talked to a child development expert and professor of psychology to get their suggestion on Star Wars readiness which you can find right here.
How old do you think a child needs to be before they see Star Wars?
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2 Comments
Ali commented on May 04 11 at 5:01 pmThe REAL question is: In which order do you show them to your kids? A New Hope-Empire-Jedi THEN the prequels? Or Episodes 1-6? Our four year old daughter has seen all of A New Hope and part of Empire, and knows her characters, but hasn’t grasped the entire story. The prequels are more kid friendly, but the way when you SPOILER ALERT :) find out Vader is Luke’s father….that’s just awesome and chill-inducing!
And we’re gonna really sit down with her and watch em this summer, so I’ll say age 4 or 5?
Nevada commented on Jun 22 11 at 4:17 amI don’t know when I first truly watched Star Wars. I remember watching it with older brother at about age 3 or 4, but I couldn’t completley grasp it. After watching them, I think that is truly up to the parent. There is some violence, but I don’t remeber that. I just remember learning that leia was cool, Luke lost a hand (big deal, he got an awesome robot one! as put by my son) and nothing else really.
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