Talking to Kids About Politics

Politics, elections and current events can make kids feel lots of emotions including anger, anxiety and uncertainty. Politics can also impact social interactions when difficult conversations or disagreements happen.

As parents and caregivers, we can support children’s mental health by having healthy conversations at home about politics and teaching them how to have difficult conversations with others.

How do I start a conversation about politics with my child?

Children as young as 3 have a basic understanding that there are important people who help make rules for the people around them.

When considering how to talk about politics with a child, think about where they fall along the developmental path to understanding some key concepts:

• Do they understand the difference between opinion and fact?
• Are they able to understand that there are multiple ways to solve a problem?
• Are they able to understand that people can have different opinions and that is okay?

You can base your conversation with them on how much they already know. Begin by helping them understand the role of government in our country and why rules are important to keep our society functioning. This can happen through reading books, watching documentaries or online lessons.

Preschool and Elementary

In general, preschool and early elementary-aged kids can talk about concrete aspects of politics, like learning about the different offices in the government and how decisions are made.

For this age group:

• Try focusing on certain issues and responsibilities of each office rather than individuals that you do or don't agree with personally.
• Talk about voting and why it is an important duty in a democracy.
• Discuss local and state government and not just national issues. Most young children are best able to understand how policies impact things directly around them, like local schools, roads and parks.

Another helpful topic to discuss is what democracy means and that the right to disagree and debate issues is fundamental to the type of government we have. You can use an example from home to illustrate how it works.

For example:

• How does your family decide what to have for dinner?
• How do you choose what TV show/movie to watch?
• How do you decide which park to go to?

Help them identify the issues at hand and why they might be more or less important to certain members of the family.

Middle and High School

As children get older, you can have deeper conversations. At this age, they may be more aware of current events and news. And they will start to understand that not everyone agrees with certain politicians or policies. You can help them process this information by modeling healthy conversations.

With teens and tweens, you can have conversations about family values and how those often impact your political choices. You can discuss that not everyone is driven by the same goals and values, which is why differences in choices and opinion happen. Share with your kids how you make decisions and where you find information to educate yourself.

At home, practice talking about current events or a certain policy. You can ask them their thoughts on a topic, what they like about it, what they wish was different, and any concerns they have. You could even do research together on a topic your child is curious about! Try to keep an open mind to their ideas, showing them how to have difficult discussions.

How can I prepare my child for political conversations?

You can help older kids learn how to have discussions with others who do not share their views.

• Encourage them to listen to others without interrupting. This can be challenging but with practice, they can learn how to hear from others, even those that they disagree with.
• When possible, have them look for something, even something small, that they can agree with the other person about.
  • For example, they might be disagreeing over book banning but can say, “I think we both can agree that books and learning are important for young children.”
• Help them consider how they can respond to someone they disagree with in a way that is kind or neutral toward the other person, rather than being hurtful or negative.
  • Instead of, “What kind of monster would say something like that?” they might say, “I disagree with you, but I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.”
• Make sure they understand how to respond in respectful ways to questions about their views or their family's views.
  • For instance, if someone says to them, “No way! How could your parents vote for _____? Are they idiots?” Instead of becoming angry, you can teach them to respond, “There are a lot of complicated things about voting, but I think everyone wants what is best for the country, even if they don’t agree what that is.”

Role-playing can be helpful to practice situations they may encounter to help them feel more confidence and prepared. Empower them with the language they need to answer difficult questions that come their way.

What are warning signs that politics is affecting my kid’s mental health?

It's normal for children to react to upsetting current events. However, politics and news coverage may be affecting your child's mental health if they are:

• Frequently thinking about current events or repeatedly bringing up politics.
• Having ongoing negative thoughts and worries about the future.
• Expressing hopelessness in response to current events.
• Having trouble sleeping
• Becoming increasingly angry, irritable or nervous
• Spending large amounts of time on social media or watching reading news
• Spending so much time on current events and politics that it interferes with other activities (school work, time with friends, etc.)

How can I help my child cope?

If current events seem to be affecting your child's well-being:

• Encourage breaks from news and social media.
• Validate their feelings and let them know it's OK to have questions.
• Focus on activities they enjoy and can control.
• Maintain regular routines for sleep, meals and physical activity.
• Spend quality time together as a family.
• Help them identify trusted adults they can talk to.
• Remind them that many people in communities and governments work every day to solve problems and help others.

Read more about additional coping tools.

Download our Political Conversation Starters to guide your conversations.