The Education of Children with Human Design

Do you want to understand the unique being you are educating? Educating children through Human Design is a simpler, yet no less challenging, task. Human Design was created to be used from birth so that we can all, from the beginning, live the life we are meant to live.

Children are the future of a nation. We’ve all heard this phrase. We live in a culture where nothing is ever enough, there’s always a need for more. You have to chase success (something unnatural for 91% of the world’s population who are not designed to initiate according to their Strategy and Authority), you can’t just sit on the couch waiting for your future to fall into your lap—you have to fight and keep moving.

What parent or educator wouldn’t love to have a manual on how to raise a child? A colorful guide with bullet points and answers to every question, all parent-approved? There is no single way to educate. Every child is unique, and what works for one might not work at all for another. Still, all parents or educators want from a parenting expert is a method, for example, that helps their child sleep through the night so they too can get some rest, and a way to unlock the secrets of raising a child according to their individual and unique needs. Educating children with Human Design includes all of this and provides a map to navigate the world of early childhood and the subsequent developmental stages.

Differentiation in Education with Human Design

The challenges and uncertainties of parenting can give rise to emotions ranging from frustration to the terror of sleepless months. Many fall into the trap of buying books with ready-made solutions and methods, but these are not tailored to each child and do not take into account individual contexts.

Moreover, how many couples have experienced a first child for whom everything goes smoothly and easily, only to find that with the second child, nothing that worked with the first applies? How do you explain that, when they did exactly the same things with both children, the outcomes are so different? In the context of Human Design-based education, this possibility is always taken into account because we are all born different, with different needs and rhythms.

For example, imagine the first child is a Projector with a Simple definition—this child, despite all their natural dependencies and needs for shelter, safety, and food, will likely have a calmer demeanor. With the right stimulation, they will want to dive deeper into “systems” (which, in this case, means their games and play) and will enjoy being in their own aura.

Now imagine the second child is a Manifesting Generator with a split definition—this child doesn’t stop for a second, needs to play with others, and now wants to play with Legos but gets bored after five minutes and wants to do something else entirely. This kind of behavior can leave any parent feeling confused, frustrated, and above all, physically and mentally exhausted.

These are just examples without a complete picture, and therefore they should not be seen as absolute truths. There are always important nuances—not just in the child’s Human Design Chart but also in the parents’ charts and their interconnected influence, which in Human Design is called the Family Penta (an energetic field formed by 3 to 5 people that functions in a unique way, as the Penta takes on a life of its own).

Our human need for certainty becomes a dangerous path when raising a child. This constant search for “How-To-Raise-A-Child” is a sensitive topic because certainty creates absolutes, intolerance, and judgment. It’s one of the reasons why parents can be so critical of one another. It’s very easy to cling to a method that worked for one child and try to impose it on another parent. When this becomes reality, we fall into the trap of looking at other parents’ choices that yield practical results and start doubting ourselves, becoming full of self-criticism.

The Different Stages of Brain Development

If we look at the frequencies of our brainwaves, we can see that children, during their first 12 years of life, are in a programming state in which much of what is said to them won’t have much impact because they are little imitators—hence the saying that they are our mirror.

From birth to age 2, children are in the Delta wave phase, during which they absorb every gesture from a parent—whether it’s a smile or a frown. This is the state they already experience in the womb, which is why they recognize voices when someone talks or sings. Then comes the Theta phase from ages 2 to 6: the inner world they live in, filled with imagination and daydreaming. It’s a dangerous state for parents, but we can choose to see it more optimistically. This is when they are in a super-learning phase and are like true sponges. It’s when they are most open to suggestion, which is why one must be especially careful about what is said and done around them, as they may take things as absolute truths and deeply root them into their subconscious. For instance, frequently hearing from parents that “there’s never enough money” can plant a mindset of scarcity. People in Theta state are in the same brain state as those under hypnosis, which helps us understand the power of suggestion.

We then move into the Alpha state between the ages of 5 and 8. This is when analytical thinking begins to develop, and children start interpreting and drawing conclusions about their environment. However, their inner world of imagination still feels just as real as the outer world. At this stage, they usually use both brain hemispheres and are connected to both worlds. This is the same state people reach during meditation—one of relaxation, where inspiration and ideas emerge. It’s a time of creative brainstorming, which is why it’s so important for schools to recognize the need for children to learn in a calm and relaxed state, as they learn best when they are relaxed and having fun.

Finally, we reach the Beta state between the ages of 8 and 12—the realm of conscious awareness. The mind is alert and awake, capable of logical thought, and this is where most adults spend the majority of their day.

So, it’s essential to be mindful of what we do around children aged 0–6, as they absorb everything. During this time, it’s especially important to teach and instill healthy habits and positive reinforcement. It’s crucial to understand that comments like “Your sister is smarter than you” are harmful and can leave lasting impacts. Instead, it’s important to help build positive beliefs and clear messages that affirm the natural ways a child behaves as being the right path to follow and nurture. Beliefs are just thoughts, but they are thoughts we keep thinking. If the thought is positive, it eventually becomes a part of your personality, and thus, who you are. If the behavior they observe in their parents is negative and happens daily, that is what they will take with them, because during the early years of life, they absorb it all without realizing it.

In education through Human Design, it becomes even more important to observe which factors may most influence a child’s behavior. Is it a child prone to emotional outbursts? Someone who loses energy easily? By accepting our children’s traits and how they function, it becomes easier to move away from comparisons and criticism. This becomes even more relevant during adolescence.

When adolescence begins, communication and connection become crucial because shame becomes more visible, and parents may confuse shame with guilt. For example, if a child gets a bad grade in math and the parent says, “You’re terrible at math. Why can’t you be like your brother?” instead of “You got a bad grade, but you can improve—and if you need help, I’ll help you. I also struggled with math in school.” Not only are we being empathetic and recognizing that it was just a moment that didn’t go well, but we are also teaching while leaving the door open by showing our own vulnerability. It’s about embracing imperfection and practicing compassion—and if children see this in their parents, they’ll imitate it in their own way. That’s why it’s so important for those who raise and care for children to also take care of themselves and make time to recharge. If it were easy, everyone would do it—but good habits are born from something small, enjoyable, and easy. If we make it too complicated or try to enforce a rigid family habit, it won’t last long and won’t have started the right way.

Education Through Human Design

How can Human Design help in a broader way when it comes to raising a child? To begin with, you need to know what type of energy your child has, and from there, we divide them into four types.

If your child is a Generator or Manifesting Generator, it’s important to recognize that they have a defined Sacral center, and from the very start, you should accept that if they respond with an “uh-huh” for yes and “huh-uh” for no, it is completely natural. There is no reason to condemn or say it’s impolite to use sounds instead of words. Forcing a child to express themselves in ways that don’t align with their correct decision-making method can cause them to lose touch with the truth of their Sacral response, breaking a genuine connection to self-esteem and self-love. Parents should instead learn, respect, and most importantly, encourage their child’s Sacral sounds. A Generator child is designed to stay busy and active until all their Sacral energy is used up and they collapse into bed, exhausted. Trying to force naps before they are tired will likely result in resistance and frustration on both sides. You may have noticed in schools that not all children nap—and some parents already understand this, knowing that their child is a Manifesting Generator who needs to burn off energy and have their unique design respected.

Children with Manifestor energy types are the most misunderstood, given how rare they are. They have an aura with a repelling quality that can be felt from birth, putting parents on alert. From early on, it’s essential to understand and respect that these children will energetically demand to be treated as Manifestors—something that needs to be introduced gradually and healthily, while granting them the freedom they so strongly require. It’s very important to teach them their strategy early on: that informing others in a respectful way will help break the invisible barriers that arise when they act without informing first. More often than not, they will need to ask for permission to do something—and that permission may be denied. In these cases, parents should pay attention to what is being denied, only stepping in when it’s a matter of safety or has consequences for others. Too much control over a Manifestor child can lead to rebellion or passivity. These are the kinds of children who may be ready earlier to have house keys or even a mobile phone, given their natural independence.

For children of the Projector type, parents must be their allies and understand the best way for them to manage their energy and relate to those around them. Teaching a Projector child to recognize themselves and to identify when they are being recognized by others opens the door to receiving the right invitations. These invitations must be felt correctly by the body—not every invitation should be accepted with a “yes,” but understanding that this process is their path to success in life. Parents and educators play a fundamental and active role in encouraging and practicing this strategy, helping the child feel seen and valued in their uniqueness as a Projector. These children often have the ability to give advice and opinions even to their parents and relatives—something often dismissed because they are “too young.” It’s important to listen carefully to the wisdom that comes from these children.

Lastly, we have Reflector children, a sensitive subject for parents who are unfamiliar with lunar cycles. The most important thing is to encourage them to develop at their own pace and not try to make them adapt to their parents’ rhythm. It is critical not to rush a Reflector child, but rather to allow them to evolve naturally. Over time, they will become more comfortable waiting for a lunar cycle to pass before making important decisions. Reflectors are children with great openness and are highly sensitive to their surroundings. Parents must understand that the school environment can greatly impact their development, which is why both children and parents should be actively involved—and teachers, too. These children have a very unique and particular way of learning and often act as the emotional barometers of their community—whether at school or at home—they absorb and reflect exactly what’s happening around them. Parents need patience to teach these children how to protect themselves from absorbing too much. They deeply feel and take to heart the injustices around them, often absorbing others’ pain and wanting to act to defend them.

As with everything in life, if we want to learn to swim, we have to get wet—the first step to educating is being present. There is no single path; the path is made by walking it. Human Design offers the opportunity to understand our children even before they know how to express themselves, and even before they begin to be affected by external conditioning. In education with Human Design, a pattern of acceptance and respect is built from early on for that little being who is already so individual but still needs to be guided.
Being able to reinforce and establish their Strategy and Authority from an early age allows children to flow with their Human Design from the moment they are born. This increases the likelihood that they will grow into adults aligned with their Purpose and their Authentic Self.