How the Children’s Word of the Year has changed in a decade and what it means for kids
Over 6,000 children aged 6 to 14 across the UK have taken part in the annual Oxford University Press (OUP) survey – with over half (61%) selecting “kindness” as their 2024 Children’s Word of the Year.
Runners-up include “artificial intelligence”, which was chosen by 25% of the children asked, and "conflict" (7%), as well as “slay” and “sigma” – referring to someone who is metaphorically killing it and men who are successful and popular but lowkey, respectively.
The top result, according to the team who conducted the research, not only indicates how children value kindness, but also their desire to see more of it in the world.
So, what can we glean from these results and those of the past ten years?
Global events and themes of politics
Since the initiative launched in 2014, there have been a notable number of political terms in the mix, as well as phrases that encapsulate contemporary events. For example, in 2023 the word of the year was “climate change”; in 2020 it was “coronavirus”; in 2019, “Brexit”; and in 2017 it was “Trump”.
According to educator and linguistic expert Rebecca Leigh, there are a number of reasons as to why this is the case.
“Words capture group attention when they represent what members think about and strive for,” she explains to Yahoo UK. “The ideas that children take in come from their family discussions, television shows, and class discussions. Terms such as ‘hashtag’ [2015’s winner] demonstrate digital competency, while references to ‘Trump’ or ‘Brexit’ reveal their knowledge of global events.
“Children show their ability to sense social transformations while developing their own thoughts about the world. Young people identify complex global problems and show their desire to take active steps toward significant change. The results over the past ten years are a portrait of young minds grappling with an interconnected world.”
Children are more attune to the news than we think
She also adds that we shouldn’t underestimate how much young people absorb and comprehend. “Children understand adult conversations by sensing how adults talk and what they discuss. They learn new words by soaking up information from media sources and everyday conversations with their families and teachers. The terms ‘climate change’ and ‘anxiety’, for example, highlight young people's knowledge about important global issues,” Leigh says.
When it comes to this year’s winning word, Leigh believes it is, too, reflective of the current socio-political climate. She explains: “The word ‘kindness’ stands as a hopeful alternative to present-day societal challenges and divisions. People desire to form bonds with others and understand their feelings while creating positive change during these confusing times.”
Previous results of the Children's Word of the Year
2023 - Climate change
2022 - Queen
2021 - Anxiety
2020 - Coronavirus
2019 - Brexit
2018 - Plastic
2017 - Trump
2016 - Refugee
2015 - Hashtag
2014 - Minion
Read more about children and parenting
Conference to discuss smartphone impact on children (BBC News, 2-min read)
Hundreds of thousands of children in England may be ‘missing’ education – report (PA, 4-min read)
Bad parenting takes many forms – overindulgence is just one (The Telegraph, 3-min read)
