As an educator, parent, and grandparent, I’m heartbroken about the increase in hateful and offensive activities that so many children have witnessed, front and center, during the long months of the 2016 presidential campaign. Just how do we talk to kids when they’ve observed and heard so much?
I ask this question because we parents and educators know the actions to take (where to help and support others, places to volunteer, etc.), the values we want to model (kindness, respect, honoring differences, integrity), and the civics concepts that we need to be certain our students understand — but our task will far more difficult in the 2016 post-election world.
Below is a list or election response and media literacy resources that I’ve found especially useful this past week, materials that I selected because they offer ideas that we can use long-term, not just in the days following the election. Please be in touch if you find other resources that might be added to this list.
Sites That Focus on Democracy, Elections, and How Government Works
- Resources For Promoting Dialogue Post-Election 2016 — The Newseum
- The Election Process — PBS Learning Media
- iCivics L— Learn lots more about how government works
- What to Say on November 10th and the Days After, Maureen Costello — Teaching Tolerance
- Center for Civic Education — University of California at Los Angeles
- Ben’s Guide for Kids to the U.S. Government — U.S. Government Publishing Office
Democracy for Kids — NeoK12.com Educational Website
Talking About the Election (and Beyond) With Children and Students
- Talking to Children About the Election — American Academy of Pediatrics
- Aftermath: A Teaching Moment for Our Children, Jennifer Powell-Lunder, Psy.D. —Psychology Today
- The Election is Over, But for Teachers, Hard Conversations Are Just Beginning, Madelline Will — EdWeek
- A Declaration in Support of Children — The Brown Bookshelf
- How to Talk to Your Children About the Election — The Lowell School
- What Should We Tell Our Kids? — Common Sense Media
- Media Literacy in a Post-Truth Society — Julie Smith’s Media Literacy Blog
- To My Daughter: You Are Going to Be OK — Dana Millbank, Washington Post
- Win or Lose: How to Talk to Children About the Election — ABC News, Raleigh, NC
- Helping Kids Understand the Election — PBS Parenting
- Helping Children Make Sense of Media Content — National Association of Young Children
- Aaron Sorkin’s Letter to His Daughter — New York Magazine
- Four Key Messages Your Kids Need to Hear the Day After the Election, Sarina Behar Natkin, LICSW — Huffington Post
- How Do I Explain to My Daughters What Happened in this Election, Dan Kois — Slate
- Understanding the Impact of Media on Children and Teens — The Pediatric Center, Boulder, CO
- How Should You Talk to Your Kids About the Election, Darby Fox and Katie Schumacher — Stamford Advocate
- How Do You Talk to Your Kids About the Election?, Kelly Wallace — CNN
- Talking to Kids About Trump’s Victory, Adam Gopnik — The New Yorker
- How Parents Can Help Disappointed Kids Cope With the Trump Win, Amy Joyce — Washington Post
- After a Vicious Election, How to Talk to Your Kids About Moving Forward, Nicole Brodeur — The Seattle Times
Media! Tech! Parenting! 