Everyone benefits when we engage kids and youth in civic life.
Learning about history, government, and civics teaches kids and youth important lessons and provides them with role models and inspiration. Getting involved in their communities helps young people develop courage, confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of agency and social responsibility. And families, communities, and societies benefit both from the contributions of young people and from their prepared and skilled leadership as they become the next generation of civic leaders.
As a parent, educator, or caretaker, one way you can be civically engaged is to engage the children and youth in your care. To help you do so, we’ve collected a selection of multimedia educational resources and reading lists for your kids and teens. We’ve included advice and information on how you can talk to kids about politics and inspire them to engage in civic life:
Multimedia and Educational Resources for Kids and Youth
- PBS LearningMedia offers thousands of free resources, videos, and curricula for educators, parents, and caretakers. You have to sign up to access all content, but signing up is free. Examples of relevant collections include:
- The You, Me & Community (grades PreK-5) collection with lessons on civics, government, geography, economics, and history.
- The Election Central (grades 3-12) collection with lessons on civics and democracy, elections, voting rights, news and current events, media, and civic engagement.
- The Civics Collection (grades 3-12) with lessons on the constitution, citizens’ responsibilities, economic policy, media literacy, and civil discourse.
- KidCitizen provides “interactive Episodes where K-5 students work with primary source photographs to explore Congress and Civic Engagement.”
- Episode topics include: National Parks, Congress and Milk, and Rosa Parks. (KidCitizen is supported by a grant from the Library of Congress.)
Reading Lists for Kids and Youth
- New York Public Library’s “Exploring our Democracy” reading list for kids and teens.
- The National Education Association’s “Books to Help Students Explore Our Democracy” reading list for kids and teens.
- Democracy Forward’s bookstore’s kids books about democracy and the presidency.
Talking to Kids and Youth about Politics and Current Events
- The Kid’s Mental Health Foundation: “Talking to Kids about Current Events.”
- PBS Kids for Parents: “How to Talk to Children About Politics.”
Engaging Kids and Youth in Civic Life and Community
- Scholastic’s “7 Civic Service Ideas for Kids” (ages 5-7).
- The Boys and Girls Club of America’s “Ideas for Engaging Young People in Politics Elections and Civics” (ages 5-18).
- The Civics Center gets teens involved in registering to vote. “How to Run a Drive: Student Edition” provides resources for teachers and teens on organizing registration drives for students. In many states, you can pre-register to vote before you are 18. (ages 15-18).
