Talking with Children About Voting
Source: The Fred Rogers Institute
It is election season and this is a tricky one for many parents.
I’ve started to see political signs in many yards and windows in the last few weeks. Young children are keen observers - they notice these details. And they need our help to come to greater consciousness of what they mean.
What to say about this election season? How much to include? What not to mention?
A good resource for talking with children about politics is the Fred Rogers Institute - and specifically these guidelines. I definitely suggest you take a look and consider implementing this approach.
Let’s consider voting through a learning-centered lens.
Firstly, young children are in the process of adapting to their culture - and voting is a significant aspect of being in American society.
So welcome them into the conversation in an age appropriate way.
And start now, so you have plenty of time to explore this topic in the month ahead.
This means having regular experiences of and conversation about making choices, both small and large, and about the nature of interdependence. This also includes dialogue about leadership and what makes a skillful leader.
Many parents take their children to vote - and these children proudly wear their stickers. I love that - please do that. But that visit to the voting booth is just a brief moment in time.
It is even more critical that you offer your child the opportunity to develop experience with choice-making and awareness of what leadership means through consistent interchange on these topics in the coming month.
Making Choices
Practice voting at home so that your child can experience the cause and effect of choice-making. Some simple ways:
A vote on pizza toppings or type of dinner dish
A vote on going to visit one playground vs another
A vote on a particular walk or hike
A vote on a type of baked good to make
A vote on a storybook to read
A vote on a weekend outing destination
Repeat, repeat, repeat so your child sees this play out multiple times this month, before the election.
Take the time to talk about the outcomes. Perhaps your child enjoyed the choice, but a sibling - or you! - did not enjoy it as much as your preferred vote. Perhaps your child did not vote for the final outcome, but was surprised by their ability to appreciate it.
Talking About Leadership
I do not recommend speaking in binaries as you discuss individuals and choices - good and bad, right and wrong. Avoid disparaging and divisive language - including when you are speaking directly with your child, as well as the language they may overhear adults using during family dinners, phone calls, having the news or radio on in the background, etc.
Some language I can suggest to describe leaders or choices: experienced, skillful, wise, capable, informed, reliable, contributive, intelligent, insightful.
You can clearly articulate your values and why they matter to you and to your understanding of the greater good without using divisive language.
Talk with your child in concrete ways about what can make someone a skillful leader. Offer some relevant examples in your life, unrelated to politics. Describe the types of choices elected officials are involved with in ways your child can appreciate. As your child grows older, you can offer some current or historical examples that are sensible and age-appropriate - significant examples of public funding and policy changes that have shaped our systems today.
And young children need to hear you describe what is important to you, and why. They depend on you for some insight and context when it comes to leadership. Highlight the attributes that you feel make someone a capable or skillful or dependable leader, and why. Describe what you feel would not make for a beneficial leader, and why.
Do let your child know that this is your perspective, based on the knowledge you have gathered.
Communicate that you know and accept that others feel differently. You can offer some examples of friends or loved ones who have other perspectives, to show that you are able to maintain relationships even when people have different ideas.
Let your child know that your perspective may change as you learn new things, and that you consistently prioritize taking the time to learn and be informed. Talk with them about how you continue to educate yourself.
When you do this, you support your child in developing the capacity to make more conscious and informed choices, to be a critical thinker, and to appreciate multiple perspectives.
This election season presents you with an opportunity as a parent - to engage your child in thoughtful experiences and conversation, to welcome them into and prepare them for their place in society from a young age, and to share your values while acknowledging the perspectives of others.
How will you take this opportunity and make the most of it?