Column- Meghan Leahy October 9, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT Washington Post
A parent wants to educate their 6-year-old daughter this election year but isn’t sure where to start.
Hi Meghan: I am wondering about your recommendations for age-appropriate news for kids. I have a 6-year-old daughter and the U.S. political process this year seems historic. My husband and I are pretty attentive to political news and we have just started talking about voting with her and want to talk about some of what’s going on, although we skipped the horror of the July rally shooting.
Are there any media outlets or products for young kids that make short videos we can use to jump-start conversations and share some news at the right level? My husband and I are trying to figure out how to hit the right level of detail for her to understand and absorb it, and we would love tools to help these discussions.
Is there anything like “Schoolhouse Rock” anymore? I’m wondering about both conceptual explainers and kid-targeted current news broadcasts. Thanks for continuing to take questions!
Wondering:
Thank you for this question. We are certainly in a historic time, and it seems to just keep unfolding in unpredictable and shocking ways. Your question has me a bit stymied because I really am of two minds about it. On one hand, educating our children about how people are elected and why it matters is our parental and civic duty. Americans are well-versed in social media but largely don’t understand how the government functions, and it is disconcerting. On the other hand, talking at our kids about these issues is a losing game. It’s boring and doesn’t meet them where they are developmentally. Sure, a 6-year-old could be interested in gerrymandering, but really, the average 6-year-old just wants to play.
You are headed in the right direction with fun and interesting media to share this information! A quick peek at Commonsense Media (a great resource for parents about all things media and children) yields an abundance of sites and videos, but most are geared toward children age 8 and up. This is because the typical 7- or 8-year-old is able to have more patience, consider others’ feelings with more predictability and can have sustained attention. So you won’t find too many “educational” political videos for a 6-year-old. Kids Academy on YouTube has some short and informative videos on the branches of government, the importance of voting, civil rights and Election Day. PBS Kids has a nice array of voting videos (Arthur is great), and they offer some great book suggestions.
In terms of the “right level of detail” for these discussions, this wholly depends on your child (and you know her best!). Make conversations about voting and elections, local elections especially, a daily topic and watch for when her eyes glaze over; that’s when you stop. The more you can make the topic about what interests her, the more likely she is to engage! Does she love the zoo? How are funds allocated to it? Does she love your local park? What parts of your local government help keep the park clean and open to all? Does she love to ride her bike? How does your town or city keep bikers safe? When you reflect, you’ll see that every part of your family’s life is touched by the government in big and small ways, so engage your daughter in what she cares about! And move on when she has that “I am so bored” look in her eye.
Your best bet for sharing your political interests is to live out your values, and bring her along for the ride. Volunteer in the voting process and let her see you working. Go door to door to help people register to vote and bring her along. Attend “get out the vote” gatherings and have the whole family attend. Discuss the day’s news at dinner, and make it understandable for your daughter. Discuss your own values and why they are important to you, and allow spirited and respectful disagreements to occur between you and your partner. Ask for your daughter’s opinion (if she seems interested), otherwise just model healthy debate and fact-based language. It may not “feel” like much, but children are keen observers.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2024/10/09/meghan-leahy-educate-kids-politics/