Teaching Kids to Value Sources: The Start of True Wisdom
Have you ever watched your child ask Siri or ChatGPT a question and wondered, “Where are they learning this from?” Whether it’s “What’s the capital of Peru?” or “What is a woman?”, our kids are asking big questions, and often getting answers from voices we didn’t invite into the conversation.
We live in a world flooded with information. That can be a gift, but only if our kids know how to swim in it without being swept away. That’s why it’s essential we teach them to value their sources.
This isn’t about limiting curiosity. It’s about guiding it toward truth.
“Mom, Who Said That?”
A child once asked, “Dr. Kathy, is it okay to get answers from the internet?” she smiled and replied, “It’s okay to start there, but let’s talk about where the internet got its answer!”
You see, sources matter.
I want parents, grandparents, and teachers to remember that our kids are learning how to think just as much as what to think. When they learn to ask, “Who said this?” “Why did they say it?” and “Should I trust them?” they’re building the mental muscles that lead to discernment.
We can model this. When we read the news, scroll through social media, or discuss a story we heard, let’s talk out loud. “Hmm, I wonder what their background is?” “That seems like an opinion more than a fact.” “Let’s compare this with another source.” It might feel clunky at first, but it creates a culture of thinking, not just reacting.
Some Answers Require A Face, Not a Feed
A quick search engine result can tell your child when Abraham Lincoln was born or what a quadratic equation is. But it cannot replace you when your child asks a question about identity, faith, belonging, or what it means to live well.
In the Celebrate Kids Podcast, I told the story of a student who had her paper discounted in college because her source was her grandfather. Her professor said, “Family stories aren’t valid sources.” But her grandfather was a primary source—someone who lived through what she was writing about. There’s richness in that. There’s history. There’s heart.
Our kids need to know that truth doesn’t only come from screens—it comes from stories, mentors, relationships, and people who’ve earned our trust.
Asking Better Questions Builds Better Thinkers
To help our kids value sources, teach them to:
Ask: Who wrote this?
Wonder: Why did they write it?
Consider: What’s missing from this story?
Discuss: Does this match what we know from God’s Word, history, or trusted mentors?
This isn’t about becoming skeptics. It’s about becoming wise. Wisdom leaps when we slow down, dig deeper, and invite others in.
Don’t Just Google—Gather
Do you want to raise kids who know how to think, not just what to think? Help them gather perspectives.
Maybe that means listening to a podcast together and asking what the speaker believes. Maybe it means reading opposing views on a topic and talking through both. Maybe it’s inviting a grandparent to share how they experienced a moment in history. These practices deepen understanding and grow discernment.
Even disagreements can teach. One mom I know watches the news with her middle schooler—then they turn it off and say, “What do you think? What do you think God says about this?” What a powerful practice.
Let’s Talk About Bias (Because It’s Everywhere)
Here’s the truth: Everyone has a bias. We all bring our beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences into what we write, say, or share. That’s not a bad thing—but it means we need to be aware of it.
Talk to your kids about the “why” behind someone’s perspective. A book written by a historian during wartime? That’s going to sound different than one written in peace. A blog written by a teenager? That’ll read differently than one by a grandma. Bias doesn’t cancel out truth—but it helps us understand the lens the truth came through.
Even in friendships, our kids can begin asking, “Is this person helping me see clearly—or clouding how I see myself?”
Let’s Celebrate the Journey
Learning to value sources and discern truth isn’t a one-time lesson. It’s a lifelong skill—and we can start building it now.
Try This Together:
Compare Sources – Watch a short news clip, read a few headlines, or look up one event from two perspectives. What’s the same? What’s different?
Talk It Out – Practice saying out loud, “That’s interesting. Let’s find out who wrote that.”
Explore Together – Let your child ask a question, then help them find answers from three different kinds of sources: one digital, one relational (a person you know), and one biblical.
Engage the 8 Great Smarts
To make it stick, activate your child’s smarts:
Word Smart – Have them write or tell a summary of what they learned from different sources.
Logic Smart – Compare facts. Which are more consistent? Which leave questions?
Picture Smart – Draw a “source ladder” ranking info from most to least trustworthy.
Music Smart – Create a fun rhyme or chant to remember source questions.
Body Smart – Role-play “source detectives” looking for clues in a news story.
Nature Smart – Talk about how scientists use observation and repeated testing to verify truth.
People Smart – Discuss how we evaluate if a person is trustworthy based on patterns.
Self Smart – Ask: “When have you believed something that didn’t turn out to be true? How did that feel?”
Let’s raise kids who think deeply, discern wisely, and seek truth with courage and joy.
Because when they know how to listen to the right voices, they’ll be ready to be the right voice in the world.