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Every year is election year somewhere in the U.S. If you believing learning more about the elections process is important for your family, this is your opportunity to dig deeper into American history and to learn more about the process we as a country use to elect our leaders.
The primary focus is of course Presidential elections. It’s hard to imagine, but the next Presidential election in 2020, will be hear before you know it! It’s hard to believe that Ben will actually be nearly 20 years old then (it will be his first election). I feel it is very important for him to gain respect now for how this process works, especially in light of the freedoms that seem to be diminishing day-to-day lately. Preparing him to understand this segment of our history and future as a country is one of my top priorities.
I thought I would share some of the resources I have found to enrich our studies in the past, as well as a few more we may use in the coming year or two. Some of these resources are free (which I love) and some are not (but totally worth it). I hope you find the list useful!
Elections Homeschool Resources
Elections Unit Studies
Elections 2020 from Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
American Government Unit Study from Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
Constitution Celebration Unit Study from Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
Electing America’s Leaders from KONOS
Presidential Unit Study Pack (copywork, notebooking, and more) from Homeschool Encouragement
All About Elections Online Unit Study
Online Elections Resources
Lapbooking and Notebooking and Other Elections Printables
U.S. Elections Hands-on History LapPak from Home School in the Woods
Productive Homeschooling The Lifetime Membership contains basic lined pages with patriotic themes, Presidents and First Ladies, Revolutionary War, state maps, timelines, Bill of Rights, US Constitution, and Election Day pages that can be used for notebooking. (See our 2012 Elections Notebook)
Elections Games
Elections Book Basket
Nonfiction Reference Books
The President’s Visual Encyclopedia by DK Publishing
The Presidential Prayer Team by Megan Gillan
Praying with the Presidents by Ron Dicianni
Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts by Syl Sobel
The U.S. Constitution and You by Syl Sobel
How the U.S. Government Works by Syl Sobel
The Election Book: The People Pick a President by Carolyn Jackson
Picture Books
One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote (Cat in the Hat Library) by Bonnie Worth
The Elections Book: The People Pick a Presidentby Carolyn Jackson
See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House by Susan E. Goodman
A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy Maestro
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
Woodrow, the White House Mouseby Peter W. Barnes
House Mouse, Senate Mouseby Peter Barnes
Marshall, the Court House Mouse by Peter Barnes
So You Want to be President by Judith St. George
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy
Vote (DK Publishing)
If These Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House by Jane O’Connor
If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier
Hail to the Chief: The American Presidency by Don Robb
Chapter Books
Noah Webster: Father of the Dictionaryby Evelyn Witter
George Washington: Man of Prayer and Courage by Norma Cournow Camp
Abigail Adams: First Lady of Faith and Courageby Evelyn Witter
George Washington: Our First Leader by Augusta Stevenson
Martha Washington: America’s First Lady by Jean Brown
Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator by Augusta Stevenson
Andrew Jackson: Young Patriot by George E. Stanley
Harry S. Truman: Thirty-Third President of the United States by George E. Stanley
Thurgood Marshall: Young Justice by Montrew Dunham
Books for High School Students
The Importance of the Electoral College by George Grant
Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics by Tony Campolo
Free Books for Kindle
The Child’s Book of American Biography by Mary Stoyell Stimpson
The Story of Our Country Every Child Can Read by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
With Lee in Virginia by G.A. Henty
Elections DVDs
FREE ElectionDay: Choosing Our President from Learn Our History
Elections Apps
Stack the States (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch)
Presidents vs. Aliens (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch)
Presidential Election 2016 (Amazon Fire)
Stack the States (Amazon Fire)
Presidents vs. Aliens (Amazon Fire)
American Civil War Gazette (Amazon Fire)
U.S. Citizenship Test (Amazon Fire)
American History Books (Amazon Fire)
Elections Field Trips
Take your children to vote with you! Show them the ballot and explain how the process works.
Tour your state capitol. This is a great opportunity to learn more about how government works and about the history of your state.
Take a civic field trip. Tours of your local campaign headquarters can usually be arranged with a simple phone call.
If you live in a state that one of our Presidents was also from, visit his birthplace, homestead, library, burial site, or other historical landmark dedicated to him.
Plan a vacation around a trip to Washington, DC!
Is your family excited to learn more about the elections process this year?
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