November 2016 is the presidential election month. You may already feel bombarded with media reporting on political candidates, campaigns, and debates. While this flood of political information may seem nothing short of overwhelming, they can be excellent opportunities for educating your homeschooler on political parties.
Start with the Basics
Ask your child if they would identify themselves as Republican, Democrat, Liberal, or….? If you find out they don’t know the difference between political parties you can turn this conversation into a really fun assignment. Let your kids research and explore on their own and draft what they perceive the political parties stand for. Use their information to educate your child about the parties and then ask them to identify with one.
Question Their Decision
Now that your child has an understanding of the various political parties and what they represent, they are likely to identify with a specific party. Educating your kids on the parties is only step one. Finding out why your child identifies with a specific party is an opportunity for you to evaluate their understanding and thought process. As a result, this lesson can be a wonderful bonding experience as well.
Expand the Lesson
Due to the popularity of the presidential elections, you can bring up the topic of politics easily. But don’t stop there! Use opportunities like these to educate your child on Senate, Congress, U.S. History, military, policies, and more. Let the election be a template for future discussions as you both explore government together.
Incorporate the Fun
You child can become bored with government topics fairly quickly without innovative ways to incorporate the information. Watching the debates on TV is probably the easiest and most natural tactic for the whole family since you more than likely watch TV regularly. Online videos are a great tool as well. You can even invite over some of your youngster’s friends to host your own in-home debate. The children can debate each other or the adults can debate each other while the children watch and judge. This could be a really fun debate for everyone! There are lots of great ideas and if you generate any of your own be sure to share them with us.
