The Child and Philosophy Education: The Right of the Child to Contemplate, Practice Critical Thinking, and Explore Philosophical Curiosity. The child and philosophy

Philosophy is often included in educational curricula only at the secondary school level, whether in Arab or Western countries. This raises numerous questions about the ab-sence of philosophical thinking and philosophy as a subject in earlier educational stages, especially in primary school. At this stage, children naturally develop a sense of curiosity and a strong capacity for asking philosophical and logical questions. These questions stem from the ambiguity that domi-nates their thoughts. For example, a child might wonder: "How did I come into this world?" "Who is responsible for our existence?" "What does God look like?" "Are angels like us?" or "Are cartoon characters real beings we could meet?" Such profound and logical questions reflect a child's innate ability to engage in philosophical thinking, particularly during their early years. However, these bold and challenging questions—often considered too sensitive for even adults to answer—remain unanswered or dismissed. Despite these clear indicators of a child's capacity for philosophical re-flection, philosophy as a discipline continues to be marginalized and absent, leaving children with-out proper guidance to explore the nature of life and existence during their formative years. In Al-geria, philosophy is only taught during the later years of secondary school, starting when students are already in their teens. However, philosophical practice can and should begin much earlier. A child has every right and ability to engage in philosophical inquiry, asking questions about them-selves, the world, and knowledge without fear or hesitation. This is emphasized by the French phi-losophy teacher, Edwige Chirouty, who advocates for incorporating philosophy into children's edu-cation to help them develop critical thinking skills. This presentation aims to emphasize the im-portance of philosophy in Arab countries, particularly in Algeria, and to advocate for integrating philosophical thinking into primary education curricula. Children urgently need philosophy as a tool to foster freedom of expression. The significance of this lies in its ability to nurture a child's capacity for critical thinking. Many psychologists have highlighted that a large percentage of chil-dren ask questions with often ambiguous answers. This underscores their active cognitive process-es and innate ability for philosophical thought.