Homework Gnome: Religion
Help with primary-school religious studies homework
In primary school children are introduced to many different faiths. Religious education (RE) in primary schools is not part of the National Curriculum, but it is compulsory for all (maintained) primary schools to teach RE in KS1 and RE in KS2.
Religious Education invites children to think about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about a higher power, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong, and what it means to be human. It aims to help develop pupils’ knowledge of the world's principal religious traditions and worldviews and promote tolerance and understanding.
For primary-school RE homework, your child will often be asked to find out facts. As parents, you'll be encouraged to help your child do the research. As anyone will know who has done a search of the internet, you can never be sure whether the sites that come up are suitable for children. But with the Homework Gnome, you don't have to worry! Every religion topic is covered in an age-appropriate style, with information, images and videos suitable for primary school children*.
To get started, just look through the list below to find the topic your child is studying at school now.
The world's main faiths explained for children
Buddhism
Buddhism is the fourth-largest religion in the world; Buddhists follow the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as the Buddha.
Christianity
Almost a third of the world’s population are Christians. Like Jews and Muslims, Christians believe in just one God who created the world and all that is in it.
Confucianism
Confucianism is the name given to the set of beliefs taught by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who wanted to teach people how to live in peace.
Hinduism
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It has no standard set of beliefs, so the Hindu faith is followed in different ways by different groups of people.
Islam
Islam is the world’s second-largest religion. People who follow the religion of Islam are called Muslims and are monotheistic, which means they only believe in one God.
Judaism
Judaism is the oldest of the world’s monotheistic religions, dating back over 4000 years. Today Jewish people live all over the world.
Shinto
Shinto is the ancient religion of Japan. Shinto is based on the belief that spiritual powers exist in the natural world in things like trees, animals, mountains and people.
Sikhism
Sikhism began over 500 years ago in India, founded by a man called Guru Nanak. There are over 25 million Sikhs all over the world, although most still live in India.
Jainism
An ancient religion, Jainism has been practised in India since the sixth century BC. Find out more about the faith that six million Jains still follow today.
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*Please note: the Homework Gnome features a number of links to external websites, chosen for their editorial relevance of the topics and suitability for children. External links are selected and reviewed when the page is published, but TheSchoolRun cannot be responsible for the content of external websites. For more details see our Terms and conditions.