I have been so busy teaching that it never occurred to me to share this kid election ballot. When I shared it on Instagram, the request for me to share it came immediately. So I’ve made it a preschool freebie. You can download it free here.
Right now, my preschool class is learning about farms, but I didn’t want to ignore the Presidential election completely. Instead of getting into the nitty-gritty about this specific election, I wanted to help my students learn about the process of elections, how a ballot has each candidate, how you must choose only one, cast your ballot in private, and how you have to wait to find out who wins.
I sent my ballot home with my students. They filled it out ay home with a parent, which is as close to private as is appropriate for 3-5-year-olds who can’t read yet. And their parents have emailed me the results. I will compile them, and on election day during our zoom class, I will reveal the winners of our farm election!
If I have an in-person class, I would pop a bunch of kid election ballots on a clipboard and circulate during free choice to get my students’ votes. Or you can turn your literacy center into a polling station. This takes no prep, just ballots, crayons, and a trifold divider if you want. Things don’t have to be fancy for your students to learn the very basics about how elections work.
For more farm ideas check out my Harvest Farm Thematic Unit or browse the whole thematic unit library here.
Oyinlayefa says
Thanks so much I appreciate your work. I have greatly improved as a teacher myself through your site.