By Kitty Felde
It’s hard for a child to ignore the fact that we’re in the midst of an election.The ads are everywhere. The presidential race is always at the top of the news. Mailboxes are flooded with campaign fliers.
It’s the perfect time to use the election as a reading tool.
Political Mail
Let’s start with those flyers. Ask your child to collect them. Once a week – or more often – sit down together and have the child read them aloud. You can explain the difficult words and concepts. Ask your child to sum up what a particular candidate is trying to say to a voter. And ask them what issues are important to them. Help them to research a particular candidate’s position on that issue.
Ballot Propositions
There is a single ballot measure on the ballot for voters in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. (Pity the poor voters in California who must sift through ten ballot propositions!) These measures are difficult, often written in legalese, and yet, they provide the perfect opportunity to decipher new language. Read the ballot measure together. Untangle the description. Look up new words. Ask the child how they would vote on the matter.
Election Day
Take your child with you to the polls so that they can watch you vote. Or fill out the mail-in ballot together and make a trip to the mailbox or ballot drop-off center.
I’ve served as a poll worker and watched how kids take in the entire process with awe and excitement. Though, they might be more excited by getting the “I voted” sticker at the end.
And if you want to expand the civics lesson, check out the Fina Mendoza Mysteries series of books, podcasts, teachers’ guides, and Facts Behind the Fiction blog and newsletter.
Kitty Felde is the author of “Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza.” (Chesapeake Press)