Guidance for Speaking to Kids About the Election

Once again we are in the final weeks of an extraordinary presidential election that’s an emotional rollercoaster for parents and kids as well. The campaign is not just topic A on television and social media, but is dividing friends and family members and causing anxiety. Kids can’t help being exposed to disturbing language, shocking images, insults and dire predictions for the future.

It might be tempting to assume that children are too young to be touched by this and needn’t be involved in conversation at home around the election. But it’s important to engage your kids in discussion around elections to help them process information they’re hearing.

Whether or not we are proud of the state of our democracy and the 2024 election, kids need to understand why it’s happening, and form an understanding of the significant role each citizen has in our democracy.  Learning early that one day it will be their civic duty to vote for the candidate they feel best represents what they believe in is a powerful lesson for a child to understand.  

Here are a few key things to recognize as we move toward election day:

Having discussions early and continuously about a fundamental principle of our democracy teaches kids about civic responsibility.   “Having these conversations teaches kids about the importance of making critical and informed decisions,” says Janine Domingues, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute.  “This investment has long-term benefits with engagement in civic duty because children who learn that voting matters are more likely to vote when they are older, and engage in community activities.” 

These talks encourage kids to be critical thinkers in evaluating what’s important to them, their family, and  the larger community. It also teaches them to consider where and how they receive their information.  Children benefit from hearing discussion of differing points of view, and understanding that dialogue between competing ideas is the basis of democracy. “It’s helpful to discuss ways in which people can respectfully, and thoughtfully, converse around different points of view,” Dr. Domingues explains. As they get older, they can hone their own discussion skills. 

Of course parents also need to monitor how much information kids are absorbing, and from where.  “Anxiety can build from the “doomsday” message that some news outlets, and social media, have a tendency to emphasize,”  Dr. Domingues notes. And monitoring the message you are sending is also important:  You don’t want a highly anxious child losing sleep worrying that the family is relocating out of the country if their preferred candidate loses.  

Another way to ease concern is to get active on the local level. “Local level involvement helps kids feel like they have influence on their communities. That sense of doing and action can be helpful when anxiety is based in feeling like things are out of control or too big to make a difference,” says Dr. Domingues.

Many parents may find behavior and language from candidates and their surrogates to be inappropriate or objectionable at times. Let your kids know when you think campaign rhetoric crosses the line. Children need to hear from parents that our standards of behavior at home and at school don’t change because of politics.  The vote is wonderful because we have the right to express our opinion, not because we always win. Elections are always good times to model fairness, graciousness and resilience.

Elections, particularly contentious ones, are a great opportunity to encourage engagement with the democratic process and empathy with our fellow citizens who have different opinions.  Children take guidance from their parents, and other adults in their lives also have a significant role to play in demonstrating these values.

Cutting through the campaign noise, the goal is to direct a child’s focus to the importance of elections and how they provide us with an opportunity to express what we value through casting our vote on Election Day.