I so agree with your article Karen. I think we need to teach our kids early about the benefits and process of voting and it can be done without bogging them down in political speak. Show by example.
And I love the book suggestions. Accomplish two things: family time together reading and learning about voting and Canada's history.
Thanks for sharing this. So excited to see how big MomTheVote is getting. Great job!
Parenting Advice Articles
Mom The Vote – Take Your Kids To The Polls!
- Details
- Category: behaviour
- Published on Tuesday, 26 April 2011 06:38
- Written by Karen Green
- Hits: 1338
In October, 2008, a federal election took place in Canada, and 10 million eligible voters stayed home.
The lowest voter turnout in history saw only 58.8% of voters head to the polls, and of those, only 55.6% of eligible women voters, age 35-44 cast a ballot. The only group with worse turnout results was voters age 18-34. Recent polls suggest that the 2011 election could net similar results.
So how do we make that better? How do we combat voter apathy in young people before we see lower and lower turnouts with every election? I don’t think we start with the newly-minted 18-year-old voters; I think we have to start much younger than that, and there are some easy ways to do it:
1) Be a good example
You are your child’s greatest role model, so show them how to be involved. Whether municipal, provincial or federal, demonstrate the importance of casting a ballot. Even bringing them with you to a parent council vote is still imparting the importance of a democratic system.
2) Use your words
Talk to your children about the election: talk about the signs on the lawn, about the different parties and how the government works. Ask their opinion, get their feedback. Try to be non-partisan when explaining how the electoral system works, but don’t shy away from involving them in discussions that are opinion-based – just keep it relevant to the age of the child; it should be about understanding, not indoctrination.
3) Bring politics home
Whether in the car or at the kitchen table, use the situations around you to demonstrate how voting works. Little kids will delight in ‘voting’ for their favourite cereal at the supermarket, while older children may appreciate having a say in how the family spends a Saturday afternoon: ask them to put forth their best family day ‘platform’ and have the rest of the family members vote on their idea – but be warned you may be spending your afternoon at the arcade or the mall.
4) Talk to the teachers
If you have school-aged children, find out if they are learning about the election at school. If they are, continue the conversation at home by asking your child what they’ve been learning and how feel about the subjects they’ve been covering. If they’re not covering the election at school, ask the teachers and administrators why that is the case.
5) Hit the library
We don’t have to know it all, so check out this list of children’s books on Canadian history and politics.
It’s up to you to teach your children how to get excited about voting – because this isn’t kids’ stuff.
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