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Home › Articles › Kid Connections › A Good Citizen

A Good Citizen

Encouraging Citizenship in Our Children and Ourselves

By Heather V. Long

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The Basic Idea

"Our children ask lots of questions [about politics], because that's what children do," says Billingham. "It's natural for us to want to impress on them our personal beliefs and bias, but it's important that we try to talk to them about everything – from the process to the candidates – and as they are older, to help them understand through critical thinking what the promises and the debates mean. I'm a great believer in the value of being a citizen from jury duty to voting, supporting those ideas and exercising it where your kids can see you and experience it is a great example."

There are numerous ways we can show our children how to be better people and better citizens while still encouraging them to grow and to learn and to question. Leading by example is the first step; the rest is to keep the doors of communication and options open. As we teach them about having responsibility beyond themselves, we teach them compassion, and through compassion, we are encouraging them to be better citizens.

We get out of this world what we offer to it – first through ourselves and then through how we touch the lives of others. Citizenship is a great gift to give to our children, but it's a gift that they can contribute to as well.

Activities to Encourage Citizenship

  • Identify at least one cause or need in your community and volunteer to help. Be sure to let your child know why you think it is important and how you are trying to help with it.
  • Find and share success stories with your child. It is easy to be overwhelmed by problems. But even kids can make a difference. Talk about the importance of joining forces. Encourage your child to involve other kids in tackling big projects such as creek or playground clean up.
  • Model responsible behavior from being involved in the community to turning off the lights and appliances when not in use. Recycle.
  • Reduce consumption of goods. Do not buy items in excess.
  • Volunteer to help a group at your child's school to beautify the grounds.
  • Be aware of government officials at the local, state and national levels. Encourage your children to write them of their concerns and at the same time, write your own notes to them.
  • Most importantly, remember to choose activities that you feel involved with and not just compelled to pick just something, as parental emotion is something children pick up on.
  • Vote! Take your children with you so they can see you participating.


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