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.
I completely agree! We need to know it’s important and what their role is in society when they become old enough!
And it does not matter which country you are in. It is important to teach your children about the electoral process. We a re in Canada that uses a parliamentary system. It is a case of who wins most seats.
Yes! And the constitution! I have seen so many terrible comments like our courts make the laws. I had to get off FB that day. lol
YEAH!! Love this I totally agree with you… thank you for sharing your inspiring thoughts!!
100% agree!
I agree 100%! I nanny elementary school aged kids and I taught them about politics and the different Presidential candidates before we toured our state capitol building. It’s so important!
I agree! I always feel it my civic duty to vote and want to teach my kids the same thing.
I also think its important for kids to unerstand the voting process.
Thanks!
You are right, kids do need to know about our election process an what it means, and I think that is one thing that is being over looked a little bit. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Such good points without being political!
We have a board game called Election Night that I play with my kids that helps teach them about the election process. We love it, and I agree, it’s important for your kids to understand how this process works in our country and why it’s important to all of us.
I agree completely. It is important and vital to our future.
I couldn’t agree more! I am very sad at how Civics has disappeared from school curriculum. Equally worrying is the lack of understanding regarding the separation of power through three branches of government.
This is so important! I am not hugely into politics and I don’t follow it much, but I have core values that matter to me. I grew up in Ohio where I felt like this was taught and explained well and American history is so important there and everyone knew all about it. Now that I live in California I don’t get that same sense or feel like people have that same passion or understanding. Maybe they do and they just don’t outwardly express it. Something to think about for sure.
Great points! My son turned 18 a couple of months ago. I keep telling him he needs to brush up on certain things before casting his vote.
And not just voting! There are so many crucial things young adults need to know and they just aren’t being taught (at least in public school.)
I couldn’t agree more. No matter your stance, it’s important to stand! Thanks for the awesome reminder to include our kids in learning more about the process.
Absolutely!
I agree and I could probably use some education on the process as well. I mean, I know how it works, but the whys are a bit mysterious!
Indeed! I learned so much when I taught it for a co-op class in 2016!
Yes, this is so important and I’m sad that a lot of schools don’t teach this. It’s good to see you put this out here as a reminder.
I 100% agree that kids need to understand how elections work. I also believe that as they get older, they need to know how to find reliable sources to find out about the candidates. I love having conversations with my kids (now 14, 20 and 25) about the different candidates and what we have discovered. We don’t always vote for the same candidates in my household, but we do have good discussions about where each one stands on various issues and I know that they are voting for what they believe in.
We were never taught of this in school and just learned about the process when I reached the voting age. I guess this is also why my interest in politics is very low. By teaching kids the election may also increase their interest in the topic. Totally agree with you.
Our right to vote is a gift and one we should cherish & pass on to our children. Great resource for teaching them.
You’re so right…I remember learning about the election process when I was a kid, Even though I didn’t completely understand at the time, it was important to learn about this part of our country’s history.
We so go through the election process with our kids each year. They watch us “vote” via mail too!
The history of our election process is vitally important. Well said.
I completely agree! I homeschooled my three kids through high school and election years provided valuable opportunities to learn about our government and the whole election process. I have memories of my kids on election night, a map of the US before each child. They colored in the states, red or blue, as votes were tallied.
This is a great idea!!!!
I love ALL of this! I have had my kids involved since they were little. Thankfully my parents and grandmother raised us around politics and the best part is that one parent is a republican and the other a democrat – always two sides to the issues and the voting. Nice that we had this, and happy to report BOTH parents have voted for the best candidates, not just their party. Important to impart to kids that you have to listen to everything – not just the letter behind the name!
Very great thought!!
I agree 100%. We should all teach our children that voting is the right thing to do. We need to speak our voice and vote! Especially our girls. Women fought hard to be able to vote so more so we should ALWAYS vote in honor of the women of the past and their sacrifice for us.