How To Get Your Child Interested In Politics

Don’t let the title of this article put you off. When it says get your child interested in politics, what it really means is to make them aware of how politics, at all levels, plays a role in their lives, from local to international. Something that they can participate in (or even run for office) for the rest of their lives. 

Living in a democracy comes with many advantages, but also required the participation of the people to make it work. 

Talking To Young Children

Trying to explain the democratic process of government to a small child isn’t really going to work. They won’t have a clue what you’re talking about. But it is a chance to introduce concepts such as fairness, justice, and responsibility. These are terms that can be talked about in a very broad way when they are young. 

When making decisions as a family, why not have a family vote to decide what you’re going to do that evening. This will teach them that everyone gets a say, but the majority wins. 

Introduce Discussions During Elections

In the run-up to any local or national election, talk to your child about what is going on, how it works, and what your family believes in. You could take them to a museum of a political building for a visit. 

It can sometimes seem like a bit of a disconnected reality to children if the people involved in politics are different from you in terms of background, race, or religion. Try showing them examples of diverse candidates such as Councilman Antonio Brown, to show them that everyone has a place in politics. 

Showing your child that it’s important to make your democratic voice heard is an amazing experience. Share this experience with them and take them to the polling station with you. Get them and I Voted sticker and make a big deal of it. It’s experiences like this that kids remember for the rest of their lives.

Get Them Interested In History

Kids love learning about history, it’s like a really exciting story to them. You can use this as a way of them about politics and civics and what can be achieved. Don’t focus on solely the bad bits of history, such as wars, but on the good parts too, so they can see that social change can be achieved through political action. 

Encourage Them To Ask Questions

If you’re in the run-up to an election, or there are a lot of major political stories on the news, kids will pick up on this, and ask questions. Try to answer them as best you can, in a way that’s appropriate to their age. Not answering their questions or brushing them off will only discourage them from asking further or lead to misunderstanding about what they are seeing and hearing. 

Final Thoughts

It’s important that kids know how politics affects the world around them. Getting them interested in it from an early age is a great way to ensure we end up with a society that gets involved fully in the democratic process.