🗳 How to talk to your kids about the election
A complicated topic has become almost unbearably so. We tackle how to explain it to the kids and how to get everyone involved.
👋 Intro:
The election is just 15 days away, and kids are noticing lawn signs, picking up on news items, and talking about it in school. Here are some tips for discussing tricky topics and getting your kids to join in on the civic engagement.
💡 Election 101:
Get ahead of the conversation: Even preschoolers are often aware of politics. Talking to them about it yourself means they’ll get the right information in a safe place.
Focus on issues you care about: Rather than getting personal about particular candidates, help kids understand the causes each candidate is championing and why you believe they’re important.
Pick kid concepts: It’s okay if you’re not sure how to explain gerrymandering to your five-year-old. Kids of all ages can relate to discussions around fairness, honesty, personal rights, and safety.
Teach respectful disagreement: Help counter candidate bullying and model healthy debate by welcoming all perspectives and encouraging kids to find reasons for their opinions.
Take it down a notch: Watch for extremes in your talk and in political speech and ads. Explain to kids that politics get emotional and politicians use people’s emotions to get votes.
✨Your Options:
Vote together: Have your child help you fill-in your mail-in-ballot or head to the polls with you on election day. Download a sample ballot or use the one you were mailed, and review it with your child, explaining each contest and why you’re voting the way you are. If you don’t know much about a particular candidate or proposition, have your child help you research it and find the facts.
Find kid-friendly content: You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to explain politics to your kids, and watching, reading or listening with them may also teach you a thing or two!
Advocate together: Sharing election excitement is a great opportunity to connect with kids and grow better citizens. Kids can help you make lawn signs and write letters to voters supporting different causes.
🧰The Tools:
Use this easy Sample Ballot Lookup Tool to see everything that will be on your ballot. You can also click on links to see state and local laws explained.
Scholastic Kids Press has a whole section of kid-authored articles about this election.
CrashCourse has a playlist of videos on US Government and Politics. This 5-minute Ted-Ed video explains the electoral college and for older kids. For little ones, PBS Kids has a 1-minute musical video about what it means to vote.
Vox has a 30-minute podcast explaining voting to kids, complete with an activity guide.
Vote Forward lets you sign up in minutes and gives you downloadable typed letter templates that kids can add their own brief messages or drawings
📚 Booklist:
These books help introduce and explore this topic in safe, meaningful and hopeful ways.
Sophia Valdez: Future Prez - part of the incredible Rosie Revere, Engineer series, perfect for kids 3-8.
Sophia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote - the chapter book series perfect for the 6-10 year old set.
Duck for President - a wonderful story about a duck disillusioned with his current lot in life and what happens when he sets out to change it.
Bad Kitty for President - helps to explain why not to believe everything you hear.
When You Grow Up to Vote - by the iconic Elenor Roosevelt, originally published in 1932
🎲 Bonus: Election Night Boardgame - help the kids learn important geography, civics and math with this family game.
🧐 Worth Reading:
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If you’re looking for more: