Children and Election 2008

If you don’t think kids have their fingers on the pulse of the nation, check out Nickelodeon’s Kids Pick the President page. Nick simulated the primary vote for kids and Barack Obama and John McCain were the kids’ choices to be the presidential nominees. In addition to allowing children the opportunity to cast their own vote, Nickelodeon has posted videos, candidate dossiers, and general information about how we elect our presidents.

Another internet resource to look at with your children is Scholastic’s Election 2008 page. Although the site falls under Scholastic’s pages for teachers, there are plenty of articles, videos, and activities that parents can look at with their kids at home.

But don’t rely on just the internet to educate your children. Chances are that your child already knows a thing or two about the elections from overhearing conversations or new coverage. Ask him what issues he knows about and what is important to him. Open a dialogue that allows your child to express his opinion on some of the major issues facing our country today, whether it’s health care, the economy, the environment, or the war in Iraq.

The issues you discuss and the depth into which you discuss them should depend entirely on your child’s age, of course.  If you have older children, you may even be able to help them correlate their opinions on the issues with the candidate whose platform best reflects their interest.  You can get more information about each candidate at their respective websites:  Obama for America or John McCain 2008.

We live in a time that voter involvement is at a shocking low in spite of the fact that we have so much at stake during this election. By opening the discussion with our children, we can help them see the importance an active citizenry plays in the health of a democracy. We can also help them to understand that the here and now is what will make the history that they will tell their children about someday.