Primaries and Elections for the Littles

Primaries and elections take place every single year in every state in the country. There is no reason to leave our littlest learners out of the process. Engage them in civics early and by the time they graduate they are ready to vote. It’s the only way to get everyone involved.

The reason we leave the littlest learners out of primary or election lessons is because people don’t want to teach politics. It can be tricky. This was the motivation behind creating these TpT resources. I give you:

Apples and Oranges: Primary Edition

Apples and Oranges: Election Edition

In the primary edition, students learn about political parties although you never have to explain the party platforms. Students learn about party affiliation by choosing their favorite fruit, apples or oranges. Once they align themselves with a “party” they read a short workbook that explain all of the candidates running for the nomination. In the end, they vote only in their primary and the candidate with the most votes wins.

In the election edition, students are voting for either the orange or the apple: no party affiliation to worry about since in an election you can vote for whomever you want. Students have a workbook that compares and contrasts the two fruits which is your students first lesson on learning about the candidates and making an informed choice. This is all done without ever discussing politics.

The election edition is Common Core aligned for teachers looking for that distinction.

Both of these resources are available individually but why not buy both and save? This is a resource that you will use every single year, yields two social studies lessons, and will help grow your students’ interest in voting. Check out the bundle in my TpT store.