It’s unseasonably cold in the Twin Cities today. The VERY chilly breeze blew in a thick fog, the dog is back to curling up under the blanket on my bed, and I’ve just stuffed the fireplace with logs for tonight. Leaves are beginning to turn, kids are back in school(-ish) and somewhere beyond the pea-soup clouds, election day looms in the not-at-all-distant future.
With all the constant (stressful) news and pressures of this season, it seemed important to rediscover & reclaim some of the fun of the voting process.
And so I came up with this election kit. It’s designed just for kids, perfect for classrooms, but also fun for anyone who likes to hold a vote on such heated issues as, “shaved or grated parmesan cheese..?”. Yes, you can put anything up to a vote with this set – which movie to see, what to have for dinner, what to name the new puppy, what to name the new baby.
From the ballots to the box, the election day decor, even buttons & pins (flair for the people!) our kit has everything your little campaign organizers need to run their own election. And while they’re prepping their own setup, YOU can drop in with some serious election knowledge. Start a discussion, talk about how voting happens here, why it’s part of our civic duty, and what that even means.
There are tons of opportunities for coloring, decorating, and adding general pizzaz to our printable election supplies, so kids can rock the vote in their own style.
Our specially-designed ballots are set up as PDF forms, making them incredibly easy to customize and fill in a minute (but can also just be printed and filled out by hand). For a bright set of ballots and stickers that go easy on the printer ink, print the black and white versions on colored papers or cardstocks.
For your own kids voting kit you’ll need:
Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains a few affiliate links from Amazon and/or Woodpecker Crafts for reference. As Amazon Associates, we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- Cardstock (you can use plain white or other fun colors!) or watercolor paper
- Our Free Printable Kids Election Kit
- Scissors
- Crayons, markers, watercolors, or other coloring supplies
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- 1.5-inch Avery label sheets
- Pinbacks, tie tacks, or a 1.5-inch DIY button kit
- A 1.5-inch hole punch (I have this kind)
- Temporary tattoo paper
- Ribbons, feathers, star stickers, or other decorative craft materials
Looking for some ways to turn our voting kit into a solid (and engaging!) electoral process lesson? Try adding in a few of the activities below.
More ideas for kids voting and election activities…
- Make your own voting booth or ballot box! Grab some inspo here from 7 Days of Play
- Dig into the facts with an amazing free kid’s guide to the electoral college from Read Like a Rockstar over at Get Your Teach On (click here to visit the website – the free download is in a banner right at the top!)
- Read about the election process with captivating and colorful picture books like Vote for our Future! or V is for Voting. I love these kids election picture book collections from Pragmatic Mom and Book Riot too!
- Use the opportunity to stand up for a cause and make your voices heard! These protest signs from ARTBAR are great art-making inspiration (and Bar has very kindly supplied a collection of fantastic free printable posters with wonderful messages here).
- Your kids can help get out the vote with free printable DIY voting postcards from Kid Made Modern.
- Design your own campaign buttons, track the electoral college on election night, or make your own election booklet with these free printable kids election worksheets from education.com
- Nothing brings home a lesson on elections like some righteous right-to-vote jams – and we’ve got a playlist for that!
- Set aside some time for relaxing creativity on election day and make these awesome VOTE flexagons and DIY vote explosion books from Babble Dabble Do.
- Celebrate a successful electoral process with some vote-themed lovin’ from the oven. For festive cupcakes that don’t require any fancy decorating skills or much extra time, use these adorable free printable election day toppers from Oh Happy Day.
I hope all of these activities help your family find and celebrate the joy of voting. Although it comes with an extra big sense of importance and duty this year, the ability to create change by voicing our opinions is pr-retty, pretty awesome.
We’d love to hear about your own elections! Be sure to take pics and tag us with @barleyandbirch or #barleyandbirch on social media so we can see how YOU get your vote on!
*A note about affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Amazon or Woodpecker Crafts. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click-through to make a purchase, we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
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