Here are some fun activities to introduce kids to the idea of voting and to show them that voting is fun AND important!
You can download the activity pages here to print & color!
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There are lots of fun options and you can pick what works best for the ages and interests of the children or young people with you. For instance, you can make voting-themed crafts, create a voting-related story, or hold a mock election and let the kids vote. If the kids are older, you can talk over snacks about the issues that matter most to them, ask if they have thoughts on the candidates or issues being discussed in the election season, and answer (or look up together!) any questions they might have.
Here are a couple fun kid activity ideas along with how to make them happen:
MAKE A CAMPAIGN POSTER
• Let the children make their own campaign poster or hold an imaginary election for snack choice, story time, or anything that can be voted on to decide. Children can also create a campaign poster for an actual candidate if the child has a favorite -- or make a campaign poster for themselves as if they are the person running for President!.
• Give them construction or printer paper, markers, crayons, stickers, and let them get to work!
• You might want to make one ahead of time that they can use as a guide.
CREATE A FLAG
There are a lot of ways to create a flag craft, but here are two:
• For a US flag: Using washable paint, paint the flag on the child’s hand using the palm for the blue area and the fingers for the stripes. The child can then stamp it onto printer paper. Decorate the blue with star stickers or chalk when dry. Then secure with tape on a popsicle stick, dowel rod, or straw.
• Variation for any kind of flag: Create their own flag for an imaginary nation! Use chalk to trace your child’s hand onto a piece of construction paper of any color approximately the same size as their hand. Glue a small piece of paper of another color in the corner and decorate with chalk. Secure to a popsicle stick, dowel, or straw with tape. Stickers can be a fun addition to a flag for an imaginary nation too!
STORY TIME
Your local librarian may have other fun suggestions – here are a few books to get you started.
ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH OLDER KIDS
STICKER CREATION
Get full page label sheets and cut them the long way to create a sticker approximately the size of a bumper sticker, computer sticker, water bottle sticker, or other fun sticker location. Encourage the kids to come up with an issue that matters to them and a slogan to get people to care about it. Challenge them to design their own bumper sticker to get their message across.
KID PRESIDENT - WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Ask the kids what they would do if they were the President in charge of our country. What would the rules be? Encourage them to write their own rules on a poster board -- or you can write their rules for them as they dictate. You may be surprised by what they come up with!
INVOLVE YOUR CHILDREN IN VOTING WITH YOU
If you’re voting at home (maybe even on your kitchen table!) and mailing your ballot in to be counted, then you can invite your kids to a mini-voting party at home and make filling out your ballot a fun family activity. (Be sure to fill out and mail back your ballot as soon as you get it so there aren’t delays).
If you’re voting in-person you can bring your kids to let them watch you vote. This works best with kids who are able to wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, and can wait in line with you. Remember to bring snacks, drinks and toys!
• Depending on the rules at your voting location, children may be able to help put your ballot in the scanning machine and get their own “I voted” sticker.
You can download the activity pages here to print & color!
¡Descarga aquí en español!
You can download the activity pages here to print & color!
¡Descarga aquí en español!
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