Democracy For the Kids, By the Kids

by Kelly Saunier
Categories: Middle School

If your tween wants to fight for her rights, don't get in her way - she's exercising the democratic principle of free speech, and that's a good thing! Okay, well maybe not quite so loud.

To channel your child's revolutionary ambitions, introduce her to the political process, and encourage her to campaign for her cause! This fun-filled activity will not only polish her political chops, it'll keep her busy long enough to forget about the "Unlimited T.V.!" campaign she was planning.

What You Need:

Newspaper
Television – any news channel
Internet (optional)

What You Do:

Preparation: Have your child and a sibling or friend come up with something that they often have a hard time choosing, preferably something that they disagree on. For example, perhaps they can’t come to an agreement on which movie to watch or game to play.

Step 1

Explain the election process:

A candidate announces that he or she will run for president.
The candidate campaigns to win delegate support, as well as representatives to back them.
There are mini-elections held allowing the general public to vote. These are called caucuses (debating issues) and primary elections (voters voting). One of these occurs in all 50 states.
The nominee for president for each political party is announced at the National Party Conventions.
The first Tuesday in November is Election Day, when voters cast their votes for a candidate.
Electoral College – each state has a different number of electors which depends on the population of that state; whichever candidate gets the most votes from the people, they get that number of electoral votes.
President of the U.S. is announced and he or she is inaugurated on January 20th.