Tips for Teaching Your Kids About Presidential Elections

These tips for teaching your kids about presidential elections are going to come in handy as we head into an election year once again. Children may not be old enough to vote, but they can begin learning at an early age how the election process works. Understanding how basic election processes begin, as well as what is important in a president is important for them both now and in the future. The goal with these lessons is to help your child understand that when they are old enough to vote, their vote will matter.

Tips for Teaching Your Kids About Presidential Elections

Give them one topic or issue to research that is important in an election. Electing a president isn’t just about picking the person you like to hear speak, or who is a part of the party you prefer. A president has many responsibilities, and has many positions to consider. There are often social issues that become the focus of presidential elections. While those are important, it is also important to consider the big picture that will create ripple effects in your finances and long term stability. Assign your child a topic to research and find out where each candidate stands on that topic. I suggest assigning things like climate control, balanced budgets, health care or education.

Explore the electoral college and how it can change the outcome. Many people will say that their vote doesn’t really matter when the electoral college is how the president is really elected. Spend some time talking to your kids about how the electoral college may change the outcome, but that their vote will always count. The electoral college is closely aligned with the popular vote and often swayed by the popular vote. The Bush vs. Gore election of 2000 is a great one to study and learn from regarding the idea that the popular vote may not always be the winning vote.

View old videos from national debates and conventions. One great way to see how candidates can be evaluated is to actually watch the debates and take notes on points made, contradictions in statements and fact checking that should be done. You can watch current debates with your child, or go back to past election years and look up videos from those debates. Watch and compare notes to see what your kids have questions about.

Go to a rally together. Just because they can’t vote doesn’t mean they can’t attend rallies to hear candidates speak. Don’t stick with just your traditional party side either. Go to rallies for all political parties then talk about the speeches, platforms and how things were presented. Compare notes and chat with your kids to see their view on what the candidates said. This will give you amazing teaching moments that allow you to explain things your kids don’t understand. It will also show you were various politicians are playing a game to fool those who are ignorant to facts.

These tips for teaching your kids about presidential elections are all about getting them actively involved in the process. You can read facts and figures in a book all day long, but without hands on education it is hard to understand some things. This is one educational process your kids may need some hands on work to understand.