Talking With Your Child About the Presidential Election

Teaching our children about the importance of voting is a role as parents we need to embrace and educate our children about.  Many have fought before us and continue to do so around the world to ensure that we have our voting right as a United States of America Citizen.

That being said, this presidential electoral year has been quite a year to try walk through with your impressionable children due to some of the topics that are being addressed in political campaigns. I imagine our parents probably felt the same way year prior but had no idea how interesting it could really get over time with the additional of social media and 24/7 news coverage.

Regardless of the candidate you’re supporting, it’s important to teach our children about the process of it all.  I think as young adults many of us didn’t even understand how it all worked until the election between Bush and Gore and the Electoral votes. Living in the state of Florida made me personally ever so more aware of how it all works. Educating our children about it now will help them to understand for their future choices and perhaps political campaigns focusing on how our system works in the United States of America.

Presidential Election Resources for Kids

I’ve put together a few resources for you to use with your children this presidential election year.  This week take the time to share with your child so that they are getting the information from you and not a peer at school who’s created their own opinion as such a young age based on what they think they’ve heard in their own home.  I’m frankly quite saddened to hear some of the songs that my child’s peers have made up and shared at school as a 5th grader.  Education is empowering, educate your child with the facts and how the whole process works.

You might want to even make your own Electoral College Map to track together and away from the news.  The less they watch the better to be honest and get their information from you.  Or consider using a site that’s kids friendly like Scholastic.

Source Scholastic Electoral College Map

Recently Scholastic reached out to me to share about the books they had created for the upcoming election in a special Reading Club VOTE FOR READING campaign.  I shared about it on instagram HERE.  Actually I was blown away by the amount of resources that were available on their website.  I turned to Scholastic for many years in my classroom and sometimes forget as a parents it’s a great resource for education our children at home about current events.  Below I’ve listed some helpful links as you shared about the Presidential Electoral Process in the United States of America.

Resources for Teaching Kids About the Election 2016

• Understanding the Electoral College Map
• Meet the Candidates 
• Interactive Road to the Whitehouse 
• Election Vocabulary 
• Latest Election News for 2016 
• Scholastic Online Videos About the Presidential Election
• How to Hold a Mock Presidential Election 
• Election Day Lesson Plan 
• Election Time Printable 

VIEW NOW: RESOURCES for Teaching Kids About Election Day

Election Day Resources for Kids

• Simple Fun Election Day Activities for Toddlers
• Resources and Books for Teaching Kids About Election Day
• Election Printable Ideas  from Hip Homeschool Moms
• If I were a President Printable from Sweet Integrations
• How to Make a Kids Voting Booth by Creekside Learning
• Emergent Readers about Election Day  from a Dab of Glue Will Do
• Voting Images from MyCuteGraphics.com
• Election Day Bingo from Growing Book By Book
• Election Day Crafts from Kids Activities Blog
• How to Learn about Government and Elections from How to Homeschool for Free
• Election Unit for Kids from The Unlikely Homeschool
• President’s Song  from Kids Learning Tube
• Election Day VOTE Cookies from Premeditate Leftovers

I made this printable for the Election for my girls and thought you might like it for your child as well

DOWNLOAD If I Were President Printable 

PRINT: If You were the President Printable

Books for Kids about the Election

Are you trying to find the right way to talk to your child about the elections? Find a great book! @scholasticreadingclub book experts pulled together a special edition “Vote for Reading” that features books that can help children better understand the elections, the voting process and civics. Here’s a few that a featured… Do you have a favorite?

Did you know you can also have your child’s class vote at scholastic.com/vote?

DISCLOSURE I received a packet of election themed books and flyer to share about with you on The Educators’ Spin On It.  

Here’s my photo I shared on Instagram…go leave me a comment on your favorite book about the elections!

Scholastic Teachers ‏has everything you need to #TeachElection16. Head over to Election Central for interactive lesson plan ideas.

May the best candidate for our WIN!  Many thanks to all those who are volunteering their time to make our political system work in our voting booths. GO VOTE!

I’m Kim Vij, mom of 3 kids, wife to a legally naturalized citizen, and I approve this message.  

**This is not a sponsored post, I’ve used scholastic as my go to over the years for teaching election concepts and though that other parents would enjoy knowing about this resource they provide to teachers and parents.