Are your kids thinking, talking, and asking about the presidential election? Here’s how parents can respond to their kids’ curiosities!
Kids absorb everything they hear, see, and sense. While people are buzzing about the upcoming election, kids pick up on the importance of the event. Whether they hear comments from their peers, learn about the branches of government, or see presidential candidates on television – they might end up with a few questions about the upcoming Presidential Election and election process.
Here’s a parents’ guide to talk to your child about the elections.
What does the president do?
Depending on the age of your child, the government might still be a complicated system to understand. If your child hasn’t learned about the branches of government yet, try using the school as an easy-to-understand analogy.
Compare the president to the principal of your child’s school. Talk about the powers the principal has at the school. The principal decides how to spend money on supplies, what concepts the teachers should include in lessons, and which after-school activities kids can participate in.
Talk to your child about qualities a principal should have. Do principals need to be smart? Do they need to be understanding, fair, a good listener?
Why does voting matter?
The importance of the principal might be easier for kids to understand, but then kids might ask, “but why does voting matter?”
Using the school principal comparison, you can talk more about who the principal makes decisions for. It is the principal’s responsibility to represent the wants and needs of all of the kids at school.
For example, perhaps the kids at your child’s school love to play basketball, but there are no basketball hoops on the school campus. The principal will need to decide whether to spend the school’s money on basketball hoops – as opposed to something else, like volleyball nets, that might not be wanted or needed. The kids want a principal that makes the best decision for the kids at the school.
If your child is fascinated with voting, or still doesn’t quite get it, you can use educational tools that teach kids about the right to vote.
Involve Kids in Discussions About Voting
Leading up to the 2016 presidential election, kids across the country are discussing the candidates and their performances at the debates.
Here’s a few great examples of kids discussing the presidential race and elections. Let these questions and talking points guide you when it’s time to talk to your child about the presidential elections.