Election Day is coming up. Everybody is talking about the issues and kids want to participate in some way. But many don’t fully understand and they wonder, “What is voting all about?” This topic is on our social studies radar, so finding Election Day activities has made its way to the top of our teacher to-do list.
One of the best (and easiest) ways to create a basic awareness can be found in your library. These are our favorite picture books on the topic, but your media specialist can suggest even more.
- Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
- Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio
- If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier
- Your Voice, Your Vote by Leah Henderson
Doreen Cronin’s book, Duck for President, is our favorite one to read first. It’s a little silly, but that’s what makes it a good starting point for introducing the idea of elections and what leads to them. Farmer Brown’s animals are disgruntled and they’re ready for a change. Duck nominates himself but quickly learns he may not exactly be qualified for the job.
If you’re toying with the idea of holding a mock election in your own classroom (more on that later), Grace for President needs to be on your read-aloud list. The story takes place in an elementary school setting, so it’s a great example of what it could look like to organize your own.
Leah Henderson’s picture book, Your Voice, Your Vote is so beautiful. The story follows a little girl, her mother, and her grandmother as they walk to the polls to cast their votes. The author’s purpose is clear in this one. The freedom to vote is a right. And it’s a responsibility voters must exercise.
ELECTION DAY ACTIVITIES FOR THE CLASSROOM
Children’s picture books are an important piece in our lesson planning. But, eventually, we’ll want books the children can read, work with, and keep for themselves.
This year, we created two social studies books for kids, each with an option for differentiation. The first one answers the question👉 WHY DO CITIZENS VOTE? by explaining that citizens who are registered voters have both the right and the responsibility to vote in elections. (Simple version pictured.)
The second text explains what happens on Election Day, from going to the polling place, to casting a vote, to waiting for results. Throughout the text, key vocabulary terms are introduced, such as: ballot, booth, candidate, cast, citizen, democrat, election, party, polling place, privacy, republican, and voter.
Like the previous book, this text also has a differentiated version. This one shows the simpler option. The other version has a higher level of text difficulty and more complex text features in the illustrations. You can preview the full resource here.👉 ELECTION DAY IN AMERICA.
HOLD A MOCK ELECTION
Of all the Election Day activities, organizing a mock election is one of the most tried and true. Using Grace for President as a model, you may want to try something similar in your own classroom. Search the Internet for details, but a general outline looks something like this:
- Introduce Kids to Elections – Explain the basics of elections and why they’re important. Make it relatable by using examples from the picture book.
- Accept Nominations – Allow students to nominate themselves or a peer for president. Each nominee can prepare a short speech or video ad explaining why they should be elected.
- Schedule Campaign Stops – Give candidates and their teams time to create campaign materials such as posters, pins, and mailers. This is also a good time to deliver speeches or air campaign videos.
- Register Your Voters – Create a registration form for students to fill out, asking for simple information such as name, age, grade, and school. In return, give them a voter ID card for Election Day.
- Let the Voting Begin! – Set up private voting booths with ballots. Each student can cast their vote before placing it in the ballot box to be counted.
- Count the Votes – Count and verify the votes together as a class.
- Share the Election Results – Announce the winner and celebrate the process. Discuss how everyone’s vote matters and review how a democracy works.
This process can be as simple or as involved as you’d like to make it, but it’s always a fun way to tie a real world event to social studies work. Depending on how deep you want to go, you may need to reserve a full week to do it well from start to finish.
Happy teaching!
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