Teaching Our Kids How to Choose a President

Kids ask a lot of questions.  And lately I have been getting a lot of questions from my soon to be 12 year old and 10 year old about my choice for President in November.  They have shown a keen interest in this year’s election partly because they are now old enough to understand some of it and in part because they want to understand where I stand on the candidates, issues, and my reasons why.  I love their enthusiasm and look forward to their questions every day, but I have to admit sometimes I can’t answer their questions and I come away feeling like I haven’t given them or this election 110%.  So because I believe firmly in walking the talk, I have come up with hopefully a creative fun way of discussing the candidates and their stance on the issues as a family with a Presidential Issue Board.  I am doing it in part for them and in part for me.  For them so they can learn about the issues, candidates, and our election process, and for me so that I can honestly say when I go to vote on November 4^th that I understood the issues, where the candidates stand, and that I exercised my right to vote with 110% effort.

So if you are facing similar discussions at your home, join me and my family by making a Presidential Issue Board.  Here is how to make yours:

Things You Need

Cardboard Foldout Display Board

Access to the internet or newspaper clippings

Markers or computer program such as Microsoft Word to make titles

How to Get Started

To get started, design the layout of your issue board.  On our board we chose to have the center piece highlight the issue we are currently discussing and the wing pieces are a summary of each candidate’s stand on the issues so we can refer back to them in the future, general facts about each candidate, and any other information we found useful or interesting. 

Using a marker or a computer program such as Microsoft Word, go ahead and make titles for each segment of your board.   Be sure to make them colorful and let the kids add their own flare and style.

Once you have the layout of the board designed and set up, head on over to the internet and start tracking down where the candidates stand on the issues.  Here are some great websites to help get you started:  John McCain, Barack Obama, Wikipedia Guide to the 2008 Presidential Election, New York Times Election Guide, Washington Post Presidential Guide, and FactCheck.org (if you know of any other great online resources to use, please include them in the comments). 

Don’t overload yourself or kids with trying to take on too many issues at once.  Pick one that is particularly important to your family or easier to understand and start with that one first.  Print off a definition of the issue and where each candidate stands on the issue and their proposed policy for addressing the issue.  Tape your findings under each respective candidate’s name. 

Once you have your issue board set up it is just a matter of finding a time to talk about it as a family and updating it a couple times a week with a new issue for discussion.

Some Things to Keep in Mind

Don’t try and rush through all the issues.  Pick the ones that are most important to your family and focus on those ones first.  It is more important to give yourself and your kids’ time to think the issues over and fully understand them rather than rushing through them. 

Pick issues that your kids are ready to learn about and can emotionally handle.  Issues such as war, abortion, and treatment of prisoners are heavy issues that not all children are ready to discuss or understand.  Don’t scare them by trying to take on anything they aren’t ready to emotionally handle.

Get the kids involved by letting them do the research on the issues and updating of the issue board. 

Work to ensure its success by picking a time such as during a family meal, family night, or family meeting that works well for your family.  You will have much more success with this by incorporating it into your regular routines rather than trying to create something new. 

Good luck!