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Voting is an important part of our democracy. During an upcoming election, there are signs of voting all around us. We can help children notice and learn about voting.
Teaching Children about Voting
Children may be curious about what it means to vote. In simple terms, we vote to make a choice. We can only choose one thing. Everyone gets an equal chance to vote. Adults get to vote for leaders in our community, state, and country. During times called elections, adults spend time deciding who they want as a new leader.
Teachers can have children “vote” by asking them to select a favorite item between two and displaying choices on a chart. “Do you prefer apples or grapes?” Each child votes. Everyone counts the choices for each fruit to see which one “wins” the fruit election.
Adults Vote in our Community
Adults can vote for leaders in two main ways. They can vote by mail, where a ballot is mailed to your house. Then the adult fills out the paper to vote and mails it back to the election center. Or an adult might travel to a voting location. This could be the community center, a school, or even a fire department. There the adult checks in with a poll worker, gets a paper to vote, and fills it out at a small station that sometimes has curtains for privacy. Both ways count to vote.
Children may accompany their family members to poll locations or watch their parents as they vote-by-mail at home. In either case, it is helpful to explain to children what you are doing as an adult. The experience of being with a parent or family member while voting can become an important memory for children, and it may even help them to become a voter as they grow into adolescence.
Signs in our Community
Signs are up all over the neighborhood. This is a great time to spark up a conversation about voting with the children in your class. You might ask, “How many of you have noticed signs in neighbor’s yards or windows?” Sometimes adults put out signs to show who they are voting for. They want to show support for a particular leader. Children may notice election signs while on a neighborhood walk or while riding in the car. When you see election signs, it is likely that an election is coming up.
Recognizing our Leaders
Teachers can help children learn about local and national leaders. Discuss with children who the current leaders are (president, governor, mayor). Teachers can create a visual display in the classroom with photos of each leader labeled with their title and name, so that children become more familiar with these leaders. Young children are more apt to have better recognition of leaders in their very local community, like their school. So don’t forget to add Principal Jones to your leader display!
IEL Resource
- Resource List: Voting and Elections with Preschoolers