5 Simple Ways to Guide Your Kids through Faith and Politics

5 Simple Ways to Guide Your Kids through Faith and Politics

Introducing kids to the Christian faith is something that can be started when they’re still babies. There are quite a few age-appropriate children’s Bibles, as well as Christian children’s books about a variety of Bible stories that parents can purchase. Most babies, toddlers, and young kids love it when their parents read to them. Other ways to introduce them to the Christian faith include taking them to children’s churches, investing in streaming services that have children’s programming, listening to podcasts, and listening to Christian radio stations that have some children’s programs and other faith-based teachings available. 

Laying a foundation of Biblical principles and family values for our children is one of the most important aspects of being a Christian parent. It’s critical that this foundation is in place when talking to them about many other topics, especially politics. Here are 5 simple ways you can guide your kids through faith and politics.

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    1. Make Election Night a Family Fun Event

    Since politics are typically more complex than faith, most kids probably won’t really begin to be able to understand until they’re eight or nine at best. In a Focus on the Family Daily Citizen blog, author Paul Batura says his family likes to make viewing the election a family event. He doesn’t detail exactly what that looks like, but a fun evening that includes bowls of popcorn, a later bedtime, and sleeping bags on the family room floor as news about each precinct is announced comes to mind. This can be an ideal time to talk about how voting is an opportunity for Christians to vote for their values (in general) and that they can influence the direction of the country. Dr. Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, connects voting with Christians being faithful in the “stewardship of influence,” according to MyFaithVotes.com. 

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    2. Keep it Simple and Basic for Elementary School Children

    Since we’re living in an age of 24/7 news media, kids are subjected to more political content than even just a generation ago. Indiana Youth Institute suggests that when the questions start rolling in from curious young children between the ages of 5-8, keeping things simple and basic is best. For example, discussions might be limited to the roles of the president, Congress, and Supreme Court. Real-life examples to which they can relate may be helpful in their understanding, such as how school council elections work and comparing and contrasting that with a national election. 

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    3. Encourage Questions while Cultivating Critical Thinking

    Election issues can also be a convenient way to help children sharpen their critical thinking skills. So encouraging questions and asking children to articulate their understanding of an issue and what they think about it can make for some great discussion when adapted to their age and developmental stage. 

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    4. Teach Respect and Agree to Disagree

    Election season is an ideal time for parents to help their children understand that while they may have developed a dislike about a candidate, they can still respect the office that a candidate holds (or is running to hold), according to Beech Acres Parenting Center. In addition, helping them to realize that while they may not agree with someone else’s opinion about a particular candidate (or their views), that other person’s opinion doesn’t make that person bad. It’s okay for people to agree to disagree.

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    5. Help Children Feel Secure

    It’s also important to maintain the sense of security of children. It can be easy to get caught up in personal views and fear of the future over a particular possible outcome. Talking about the system of checks and balances that were written into America’s Constitution can help children to understand the efforts that were put in place long ago to help prevent a tyrannical government. 

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    Elizabeth Delaney Author HeadshotElizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.