Whether you are a classic homeschooler whose kids have never stepped foot in a traditional school or you are a reluctant parent facilitating your child’s education at home during this crisis….
Whether you have precious early elementary kids or moody teenagers nearing adulthood…
Whether you detest politics or live and die by Fox News…
Whether you cried when Obama‘s second term was up, voted for Trump in 2016, or have been burning for Bernie for several years, doesn’t matter. Your kids need to understand the election process.
No matter what you believe or how you feel about the 2020 presidential candidates, your kids need to understand our country’s election process.
And here are three simple reasons why…
ONE: KIDS NEED TO UNDERSTAND OUR HISTORY It wasn’t until I started homeschooling my own son that I developed an understanding of the value of our country’s history. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always been patriotic and knew basic facts about the founding of our country but I never truly appreciated the need to understand our full and complete history. Our history is one of both planning and perseverance, and the process by which we elect our presidents is a testimony to both. The concept of the Electoral College was not accidental. The age at which the president can be elected is not arbitrary. The allowances that different states have to run their elections is not incidental. All of that was planned. And it was all planned for a reason. And our kids need to understand all of it.
TWO: KIDS NEED TO KNOW THEIR FAMILY’S VOICE IS BEING HEARD Especially in the unprecedentedly uncertain times of today, our kids need to know that we are not voiceless members of a tyrannical society. Our kids need to know we live in a democratic country where every citizen has a say. Understanding the election process not only teaches how we can each use our voice appropriately and effectively, it can also lead to an understanding of the legislative process of our government. We vote to put the lawmakers into place. Our kids need to know that their families have a voice and that those voices are being heard.
THREE: KIDS WILL VOTE SOMEDAY As adults, we need to recognize that we are raising voters. When I taught a Presidential Election class for our co-op in 2016, we did quick math to figure out in which future election each kid would get to vote. The kids probably felt that four, eight or twelve years away was an eternity, but it really brought home to ME that the responsibility of voting was just around the corner for our kids. I remember my first time voting. I was excited. I was proud. But, I did NOT, in any way, shape or form, understand the severity of that responsibility and all that it entailed. I guess I was more preoccupied with getting the attention of Billy Barry during my US Government class in public school than I was focused on understanding the process by which we elected a president…or even what that truly meant. We are raising voters and it’s never too early to teach them about the election process.
And, believe it or not, Election Day 2020 is less than 200 days away!
So, whether you are a classic homeschooler or a pandemically-induced parent facilitator…
whether you have First Graders or Freshman….
whether you watch CNN, Fox or no news….
whether you love or hate Trump doesn’t matter.
Your kids need to understand our country’s election process.
If you’re needing a fun and easy way to teach your kids about our country’s election process, you might want to check out this highly rated Presidential Election Fact Pack.
It’s a very simple, yet thorough way to teach about the Electoral College and the entire process by which we elect our president. I have used it with ages ranging from 6 to 14 with great success and loads of fun! It’s available through Teachers Pay Teachers using this link: Presidential Election Fact Pack.
