Very few things are as polarizing as politics. A conversation that can be challenging with adult family and friends holds even more difficulty when discussing politics with children. However, in light of current events following the Presidential Election of 2020, parents and teachers may be asked questions from our children.

How should I respond? What is the appropriate response? Where should the conversation start? These are just some of the questions that parents and teachers alike are thinking.

I am going to approach this article from the lens of both a teacher and a parent. As a social studies teacher, I have taught both middle school and high school students during a time of crisis. As a mother of a preschooler, I am learning to navigate these conversations with a younger audience. Hopefully, you will be able to find some tips to help you discuss current events, particulary policital current events.

Safe Space

The first thing that should be done is to create a safe space for these conversations to take place and for children to feel comfortable asking their questions. If you are talking to your own children, then as a parent you have more autonomy to discuss events from a point of view that supports your family values. As a teacher, it is important to know what the expectations of your school district and school leadership have on these types of conversations. If you are in doubt about your ability to have a converstation about the event or what you should discuss, then please contact the leadership in your school. It is best recommended to not force a conversation about current events, but rather be receptive to student questions and create a safe place to have a class discussion around those questions. It is ok to admit that you may not have all the answers to their questions. Honesty goes a long way with students.

Emotions

If students or my daughter approaches me with questions regarding a current event, I approach the topic in the same manner. I first ask them how they FEEL about the situation. Sometimes children like to share verbally, other times they like to reflect through artwork or writing expressions. During the riots that occured in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, I was teaching a group of high school freshman. I chose to take my class to a computer lab where they were able to use the online tool Wordle (Wordle.net is not longer web supported but there are many other wordle maker websites now. Find more info here) to create word graphics expressing all the emotions that they felt during the situation. It was helpful for students to have a safe place to express how they felt and connect with others who had the same concerns.

Here is a list of 7 activities that can help your child/students share their emotions on an event:

1. Word Cloud Creation
2. Quick Write-allow the child to free write about how they feel for 2 minutes.
3. Brain Dump-similar to a quick write, a brain dump allows the child to not only write how they feel “dump their brain” but also throw the paper away at the end.
4. Compass Activity-Student identifies how they feel based on the categories of feeling, acting, thinking and believing. An example graphic can be found here. **This activity is best for teenagers and adults
5. Draw a picture of how they feel. I recommend shopping for art supplies at Discount School Supply, they are currently running a 20% off sale for parents and teachers **Best for younger children
6. Write a list of questions that they have about the event.
7. Mood Meter-Any Google Image search of Mood Meter will have many different graphics to choose from. The main idea is to categorize feelings based off of four moods. Graphics help students find words to describe how they are feeling. This activity can be used in any situation, not just discussing current events. More information can be found in an article here.

Talking to Younger Children

Talking to younger children about a serious current event can often be challenging. In these instances, sometimes less is more. You do not want to scare the child or talk about events that are beyond their developmental stage. It is best to use clear, simplified words when discussing what is happening.

In the example of yesterday’s protests in Washington DC, my four year old daughter asked questions based on her perception of the mood of adults around her and what she glimpsed from the nightly news. I explained very simply that the President was a the person who helps to run the country and that part of that job is to enforce laws (rules) and maintain safety (keep everyone safe) in our country. Every four years the Amercian people have a chance to choose a new leader and some people were unhappy with the new decision. As a result, some people chose to express how they felt by making bad choices.

In this example, it was an age appropriate example and re-enforced topics that I knew she had learned about (i.e. that we live in the United States and that Mommy and Daddy voted in November to help chose a leader). I followed up my conversation with asking how she felt about what we discussed and if she had any more quesitons. She responded that she felt sad that people made bad choices and wondered if those people were going to get a “time out”. This was her developmentally appropriate way of making sense of the new information. People were making bad choices and therefore should have a consequence. The only consequence she knows is time out and that is probally the part that made her sad (no one likes time out). She then went back to playing with her Barbie dolls. Again, make the child feel safe, let them express their emotions, give an age appropriate explanation, and follow-up with how they feel and if they have any more questions.

Talking to Older Children

Talking to older children uses the same basic framework that you would use with younger children, but the parent or teacher needs to be prepared for more detailed and sometimes uncomfortable questions. Our pre-teen and teenage population is much more perceptive and thinks more critically than many people give them credit for. It is discussions like these that often will have students ask questions about big ideas (i.e. race, politics, social justice, flaws in society, equity, privilage, etc).

Framework for conversation with older children:

1. Conduct an emotional check-in. Ask them how they feel about the situation.
2. Check for understanding. What does the child know about the current event?
3. Set guidelines for group discussions. I usually remind students that there will not be any profanity or name calling in the discussion, but that they are free to share their truth and ask questions based on how they interpret the current event.
4. Answer questions and allow students to have a space to speak. Not only answer questions, but also serve as a facilitator for students to have a dialogue.
5. As the conversation comes to a close, check back in to ask how the child or students feel after the discussion and assess if the student has any follow-up questions.

Wrap-up

I hope that I have been able to give you some ideas on how to talk to your child or students about current events. If you use any of the suggestions above, feel free to leave a comment. Also, comment if you have a suggestion that I did not mention. Good Luck and remember to always do what is best for children.