It’s unseasonably cold in the Twin Cities today. The VERY chilly breeze blew in a thick, heavy fog, the dog’s 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 news, stress, and pressures of this season, it seemed important to rediscover and reclaim some of the fun in the process.
And so I came up with this election kit. It’s great 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, what to re-name the GPS because “Ruprecht” just isn’t working for anyone anymore.
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.
And fellow USA’ers, be sure to make your voices heard and VOTE this year! Visit vote.org to register, request an absentee ballot (most of us can this year!), or to find your polling location.
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 Amazon affiliate links 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
- Pin backs, 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 voting “machines”. Our cardboard DIY ballot box (COMING SOON) even has a fancy moving part that tells you your vote was counted!
- Read about the election process with captivating and colorful picture books like Vote for our Future! or V is for Voting
- 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).
- 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
- 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 in 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 Amazon 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. 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!
