Find answers and activities about elections at your library.
Engaging and Informed
Kids are inquisitive and observant, and yours are probably curious about the 2020 presidential election and how voting works. The library is a great neutral place and resource for kids to learn all about it.
Most years, as Election Day approaches, book displays and fun, voting-centered activities and coloring sheets for kids can be found at many FCPL branches. Some have even given kids the opportunity to cast their vote on Election Day — in jars, ballot boxes or their own kid-sized voting booth. While in-branch activities are limited this year, use the ideas below to bring the election engagement home with library books and databases!
Read All About It
Search the FCPL catalog to find many age-appropriate books about elections and voting, including these suggestions:
- How Elections Work by Jeanne Marie Ford
- I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference by Mark Shulman
- Vote for Our Future! by Margaret McNamara
- What’s the Big Deal About Elections? by Ruby Shamir
Online Resources
If you’re unable to visit the library, FCPL’s awesome online resources for kids also have information and interactive ways to satisfy their civic curiosity. Visit the Homework Resources guide, and start on the Homework Websites tab. Under the Government topic, you’ll find a link to Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government for Kids — a kid-friendly source for info about how the federal government works, including elections.
Next, you can go to the Homework Help Online tab, choose any one of the listed databases, and search for “election” or “voting.” These two are great starting points:
- Just for Kids (Access Video On Demand) offers a collection of fun learning videos, including Running for President: Candidates, Campaigning, and Elections and The Big Election: Berenstain Bears.
- Gale In Context: Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits) contains information about registering and voting along with articles from children’s magazines about the 2020 election. Remember to check out our eBooks as well by searching “election” and “voting” in OverDrive, and your kids will be election experts in no time!