Dr. David J. Childs, Ph.D.
Northern Kentucky University
An I-Civics article entitled “Civic Learning Resources for Elementary Students” states:
“All students can be civic learners. For many, the elementary school classroom is the first civic space they encounter as they speak up about fairness and engage in other classroom activities that model democratic processes…”
When it comes to elementary age students many people do not expect them to understand how a democracy works and what rights they have. Furthermore, it may be difficult to imagine how they can be civically involved. But we provide some resources for elementary teachers that can get their students civically involved. Check out these ideas:
Voters From Around The U.S. Share Their Election Day Stories By NPR November 6, 2018.
1. Children of all ages can be civic learners. Here are some great examples of civic lessons for young learners that can keep 7-to 10-year-olds occupied on their summer break!
2. Here are some ideas discussed on an I-civcs blog page entitled Citizenship and Elementary Education- how do you teach that? The site states that “while elementary school students may not fully understand federalism, they can learn the basic principles behind citizenship and the role they play on a smaller scale.” Listen in as an elementary school teacher (Alyssa Messier) shares “tips on using classroom democracy to teach the power of a voice and the improvement of being informed.”
3. In the article Raising little citizens: Civics lessons for K-5 Kids a homeschool parent and former teacher (Amber Coleman-Mortley) “shares her experience in developing civility and civic responsibility in her elementary-aged children at home. This resource offers advice that can be incorporated into the classroom as well as ways for families to grow closer through civics education.”
4. KidCitizen (supported by the Library of Congress), teaches concepts of history, civics and government to K-5 students using primary source photographs. The resources on the site allow students to engage with the primary sources and concepts through a number of interactive videos.
5. We the Civics Kids site, created by the National Constitution Center provides fun and engaging civic lesson plans for every grade level. The site allows one to choose state standards that align with specific grade level finding developmentally appropriate resources.
A 2nd-grade student votes during a mock election at his school in Gainesville, Florida, November 3, 2020. Photo by Brad McClenny/Reuters.
Click here to check out many more lessons, activities and resources designed to teach civics to children in elementary grades from Edutopia.
I wanted to read more about how we can get younger students to be more civically engaged in and outside of school. I believe that many educators think that this topic could be too much for students to handle or think about, but the resources provided in the article opened my eyes to the little things we can do as educators to help our students with this. Growing up I school, we would be able to vote for different things around the school and I think this is a perfect way to get students more involved and know how important voting can be. It also allows students to know that their voices are being heard and that their opinion matters. I enjoyed getting to see the interactive games students could play during free time in the classroom or even at home. This article gave me more confidence that I can teach students to be more civically engaged.
I like that this article provides resources for teachers. One article teaches students citizenship by role playing. Role playing is such a great learning tool for younger students because it gets them in the mind set of whoever they are playing. Another resource provides pictures and videos to give students a visual representation of citizenship. I think these could definitely be some resources I could use in the future as a teacher since this topic is important to teach in the classroom.
The resources within this article are interesting and beneficial for the classroom! As a future educator, I want to promote civic engagement and teach students about voting and the power of a voice. I liked the website, KidCitizen, where students can watch engaging videos about history and important figures such as Rosa Parks. These resources can even reach students who are homeschooled and can help educators who are teaching those students.
As a future elementary teacher and current mother to two young children, I was instantly pulled to this article in hopes of learning ways that I can encourage and promote civil engagement. Upon opening the article, I immediately I read, “For many, the elementary school classroom is the first civic space they encounter as they speak up about fairness and engage in other classroom activities that model democratic processes…” this statement highlighted just how important my role is in facilitating a classroom environment that promotes these conversations and experiences for my students. I loved the ideas provided in this article specifically, KidCitizen website. I found the episodes fun and engaging for young students while providing a lot of great information. I also enjoyed the image of the child “voting”. I think this is such a fun way to begin conversations about elections and the importance of voting and could already envision some fun voting lesson that would be engaging for students while also intersection with other subjects.
All elementary teachers should read this article. It is important to educate children on civics even in elementary school.
What a great list of resources! I particularly liked KidCitizen, because it had age appropriate, interactive, videos that are free and also incorporated lesson plans complete with a teacher’s guide. Teaching children to think critically and to exercise their voice in a productive manner is so important for the future of our society.
getting children involved in voting at a younger age will help when they get older. Many people don’t vote because they don’t know how or haven’t done enough research. However, if we can combat this issue early, there will be no reason no to vote.being involved in civic engagement early seems to be able to help you I understand the motions as well as being able to form your own opinion.
I think it is a good thing that they are teaching young kids how to vote. It will be very beneficial by the time they are older because they would know how important it is to vote, they can learn the basic principles about citizenship and the role they play in society. A lot of schools don’t teach you about how it is to be a citizen and the roles that come with it so I think it will be nice that they learn about it early on so it won’t lead to confusion later on.
Getting children involved in civic engagement at an early age creates an atmosphere for them to think critically as well as learn the importance in voting. I also think think that activities such as this should expand to more schools and different age groups.
I believe what is going on here with the Kindergartner’s is something that they should continue to do all around. In the image below they are doing a fake election, and I believe doing things like this even at a young age can just show them the slightest knowledge on voting, but the knowledge on voting will only go up as they get older.