How to Explain Democrat Vs Republican to a Child – 10+ Helpful Tips

Children are extremely curious. And with how exposed they are to the internet, expect them to, at some point, ask you about politics.

Politics is everywhere and it’s a part of our lives. You’ll find it on television, the internet, and more.

Kids grow up quick. One day you’re trying to deal with their tantrums and before you know it, they’ll be asking about politics!

One question you can expect them to ask is the difference between Democrats and Republicans.

What’s the best approach to the question and what’s the most ideal thing to tell them?

Some parents usually brush off such inquiries. Or, they’d choose to come up with made-up information just to stop the child from asking further.

Remember, these approaches are always bad ideas so avoid them as much as possible.

So if you’re faced with that particular question, you should know how to explain Democrat Vs Republican to a child. 

When speaking to small children, remember that it’s vital to understand how to approach this topic.

If you make one of the political parties look bad, your child might end up scared if that party wins an election.

We suggest that you be honest with your child when it comes to answering these types of questions.

Since it’ll be quite challenging for them to understand the real politics between Democrats and Republicans, we’ll help you out. 

How to Explain Democrat Vs Republican to a Child

 In this article, we’re giving you tips on how to properly communicate and explain Democrat Vs Republican to a child.

It’s a must to know how to properly approach the subject without any biases and displaying negativities on one party.

We will share the most effective and easiest ways to explain the differences between the Democrats and Republicans.

This article will even provide a variety of approaches to go for, and how to describe things effectively.

You’ll also find ways to explain using examples to make understanding easier for your child.

Generally, the whole idea of responding to such a sensitive and challenging topic for a child can be mind-boggling.

But we all know that they will eventually ask the question, or something similar for that matter.   

Additionally, we’ve also included other possible questions they may ask after you’re done explaining things to them.

Based on what we’ve observed, these are some of the most frequently asked questions children have regarding the topic.

That’s why we’ve created this article to help you as a parent or guardian, and the child as well.

It will make explaining, communicating, and understanding easier and more comfortable for both.

Explaining Democrat Vs Republican to a Child

We can’t stress how vital it is to properly approach this kind of topic with the little ones.

You’ll have to make sure that biases towards one party are avoided. This is to prevent instances of influencing the thoughts of the child at a young age.

Being equal towards the two political parties will also prevent a child from growing scared or wary.

This is most especially when one of the parties emerges victorious in an election.

Being equal and avoiding biases will prevent the promotion of hate among the little ones too.

So when you’re explaining to a child, be sure to follow the things we’re going to mention in this article.

Again, these will help them understand the differences between the two parties.

Plus, it will also teach them how to respect the beliefs of others without hating the other party.

But before you start answering questions and explaining Democrats Vs Republicans to a child, make some preparations first.

This is critical especially when the people in your household enjoy watching or listening to political news.

Your child will eventually pop in a question or two regarding the matter.

When you’re prepared, no matter how sudden they ask, you’re ready to answer properly and adequately.

Equip yourself with a non-biased and child-friendly way to respond to the topic.

This will allow your little one to acquire a better understanding of the two political parties.

And the good thing is that you can avoid including information about the occasional hatred that takes over in politics.

Now, we’ll give you the different ways on how to explain Democrat Vs Republican to a child.

Explaining with Simple Examples

 One convenient way to explain challenging topics such as the difference between Democrats and Republicans is by utilizing examples.

But before that, you should consider the age of the child you’re talking and explaining things to.

Ensure to have an age-appropriate conversation with them and use your best judgment when doing so.

Also, don’t forget to listen to their needs during the entire conversation.

 If you’re talking to a child aged three to five, good examples to use are the colors of each party.

The color blue is for the Democrats while red is used by the Republicans.

Another way is to show them pictures of animals that depict these political parties.

Donkeys for the Democrats and elephants for the Republicans.

It’s also good to let them know that the people from each group make decisions for their country and town.

These decisions can be related to building new roads or parks, as well as how many teachers work in schools.

When giving examples, make sure to choose elements they can easily relate to and understand.

If the child is aged six to nine, explain that each political party has different views on things.

Give them samples to think of like how their school or community is organized.

This will allow them to consider the different ways of doing things.

Plus, it also lets them think about the necessary decisions to ensure that the school/community can function.

Ideas to discuss include the number of buses available. Others include who the teachers in the school are and what topics they teach.

You can shift to topics that relate to a much bigger picture.

From here, they’ll realize that there are various ideas and ways to manage the needs of everyone.

For a child aged 10 and above, you can start talking about what taxes are.

It’s also good to mention who pays these and where the tax money goes.

Of course, inform the child that the Democrats and Republicans have differing views about this.

Then, you can start bringing up issues that the child is ready to discuss.

Right and Wrong

 If you think about it, it’s much easier and more convenient to teach a child right versus wrong. It’s like differentiating black from white.

However, teaching them the basics of a Democrat Vs Republican government requires them to learn about the gray areas too.

This area is where someone can be neither wrong nor right.

We think that lots of people forget the fact that the government was built by the people to bring order.

Especially when they put effort into believing they’re right about their political views.

But basically, there’s no right or wrong way to run a government, and if you think about it, both the Democrat and Republican politicians are just trying to do their jobs.

While explaining to your child, it’s likely to get tempted to share your political views with him/her.

Avoid this and stick to being more practical and share general definitions of a Democratic and Republican government.

Do this without including the politics and scheming that we see on television to keep things more neutral.

To put it simply, give your child key definitions of how the political beliefs of both parties treat the government.

From there, let them analyze the rest when they get older.

Explaining the difference between Democrats and Republicans to a child is difficult because of the issues each party stands for.

And it becomes even more challenging since children also have their own levels and ways of understanding things.

But despite that, just be patient and follow their lead. Additionally, follow your gut feelings when determining what they’re ready to take in and comprehend.

Explaining the Beliefs of Each Party

Like we’ve mentioned earlier, it’s best to explain the beliefs of each party to your child.

For the Republican Party, they believe that individuals, communities, and families need to support each other.

They’re people who don’t believe that the government should occasionally step in to offer that type of support.

A good example to give is this: Republicans believe that when someone requires food, they should rely on the community.

They should also rely on family or friends for assistance/help in lieu of government programs like their EBT program.

The Democrats are the opposite since they usually believe that the government needs to step in, in such situations.

So instead of relying on one’s community, family, or friends, they think the government should be providing assistance.

Such assistance from the government includes programs like the SNAP program.

By providing an explanation such as this, it’ll be much easier for your child to understand the current topic.

And with that, they may even have follow-up questions regarding the matter, so be ready for that.

Yet most of the time, general responses to these inquiries will satisfy the child’s curiosity.

This is most evident when it comes to the differences of these political parties.

Tips for Explaining Democrat vs Republican to a Child

1. Bring it Up Before They Ask

It helps when you bring up the conversation about American politics yourself.

This way, you can set the tone and avoid getting caught off-guard. By creating a more controlled setting, you’ll reduce the risk of getting emotional.

You also need to pick the right time for this conversation – ideally, when your child is starting to show some interest in politics.

You can invite them to watch the news or political debate, and if they’re interested, ask them what they know about the differences between the two parties.

2. Keep Discussions Simple and Age-Appropriate

Kids pick up interests in politics at different ages. Some can start asking questions as early as six years old. Others do so a lot later.

Either way, ensure your conversation and language are simple enough for your kid to understand.

You can ask a teacher to give you pointers on explaining complex topics to kids in simple terms.

Another important tip is that you should avoid inappropriate topics for children. They may not understand certain hot-button issues such as:

• abortion rights
• gun control laws
• the death penalty
• foreign warfare
• abortion rights

So, it’s best to avoid those discussions until they’re old enough to understand.

3. Use Relatable Metaphors

Political terms can be complicated, even for adults. That’s why it’s best to use relatable, everyday metaphors when explaining the differences between democrats and republicans to your little one.

Whichever metaphor you use, ensure it doesn’t have a negative association. Rather, use terms that show that two groups can have different ideas without one necessarily being better than the other.

Examples of such metaphors are boys and girls, sports leagues, etc.

4. Avoid Personal Bias

Chances are you already have a personal stance when it comes to politics. However, that should never show in your conversation with your child.

Here are some ways to achieve an unbiased discussion and lecture:

• Don’t make any of the parties’ beliefs sound scary or immoral
• Be honest in your conversation
• Never state your opinions as fact
• Let them know there’s no “right” or “wrong” belief

5. Avoid Excess Details

Knowing when to dive deeper into details and when to change the subject is key. You can avoid overloading your child by expanding only on ideas they find interesting.

Also, keep your answers to their questions as short and concise as possible. Trust that if they want to know more, they’ll ask.

6. Encourage Your Kid to read more

Your kid wanting to know the difference between democrat and republican is a sign that they are becoming interested in the world.

Therefore, leverage this gesture to stimulate your child’s interest in reading. Reading should be an enjoyable experience, and you should lead by example.

Accompany them to the library and buy them some fascinating materials about politics. Allow your child to explore the topic further.

Also, if your little one isn’t mature enough to read and understand political books, you can consider printing out informative coloring pages about democrats and republicans.

What Your Child Should Know about the Democrat and Republican Parties

Confused about what your kid needs to know about the two main political parties? This section will cover everything that’s simple enough for you to teach young children.

1. Iconography

Tell them how colors and icons are used to represent the party – as with sports teams. The blues are the democrats, while the reds are the republicans.

They both have “mascots”: the donkey for democrats and the elephant for republicans. The democrats are also called the “left,” while the republicans are the “right.”

If they’re feeling intrigued about all these, they may ask “why,” allowing you to delve into a brief history of how all these representations came to be.

2. Policies

If your kid is old enough to understand the concept of policies, then you should give them some vital info about the stance republicans and democrats tend to have about certain policies.

Some of the democrat’s core policies include:

• Heavier taxing of the wealthy
• Better education and healthcare funding
• Stricter gun control laws
• More emphasis on environmental preservation

Some of the republican’s core policies include:

• Lower taxes for everyone
• Less government control over individuals and businesses
• More military funding

3. What to Do Next

After having a long talk with your child, don’t stop there. You still need to follow up, so they don’t confuse themselves trying to make sense of everything.

Below are some activities you can do with them to support them in their journey to political enlightenment.

1. Take them to museums and historical sites
2. Encourage them to watch political news with you
3. Buy fun kid’s books that teach unbiased politics
4. Remind them to respect the political beliefs of others even if they don’t share them

Democrat vs Republican: Summary for Teaching Kids

You can also share this brief summary chart with your child. It will help them refresh their memory anytime they forget certain details about the core principles of any of the parties.

	Democrats	Republicans
Color	Blue	Red
Mascot	Donkey	Elephant
Core Philosophy	Liberal	Conservative
Taxation	Strict taxes	Lighter taxes
Minimum wage	For	Against
Military Spending	Less	More
Members	44.7 million	32.8 million
Government Regulation	Strict	Light

 Overall, when a child starts asking about Democrats and Republicans, remember to keep the entire conversation simple.

They will need to easily understand your explanation so they won’t be left with more questions and confusion.

When talking to the little ones, make sure to leave out your opinions regarding the matter.

This will prevent any instance of fear or hatred later in life.

Your child will have adequate time to form their own opinions about the government once they get older.

But for now, a simple and relatable definition plus an example of the government, will do the trick.

This will be the best explanation you can give to a child who asks about the Democrat Vs Republican party.

This isn’t an easy conversation with a child, and you’ll likely get more difficult questions. But remember to be honest at all times.

It’s alright to say you don’t know something. Just make sure that you’ll get back to them with an answer to the question.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What do Democrat Republicans Believe? 

The Democrat Republican party, also called the Jeffersonian Republican Party, are people committed to the foundation of Republicanism.

At some point, they feared that these principles were threatened by the so-called aristocratic tendencies of Federalists.

Around the year 1790, this party greatly opposed the programs under the Federalists.

This included the national bank. This party aimed to strengthen and improve their ties with the French.

They also supported the government that ruled over France after the 1789 Revolution.

When it came to economic matters, this specific party believed in safeguarding the interests of the working class.

These included farmers, merchants, laborers, and more.

The Democrat Republicans believed that an agrarian economy would greatly serve these people. 

Is Democrat and Democratic the Same?

The Democratic Party is among the two primary political parties in the USA. The term Democrat is for people who adhere to democracy.

Based on the Oxford Dictionary, using Democrat instead of the adjective Democratic keeps the long-lasting tradition of the Republicans.

They drop -ic to retain the distinction from the positive, broader connections of the adjective “Democratic” with Egalitarianism and Democracy.

However, a number of Republican leaders have habitually referred to the opposition incorrectly as the Democrat Party.

The reason for doing this isn’t particularly clear. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any known strategic value for using it. 

What is the Difference between Democratic and Republic?

 There are similarities between the two but there are differences between Democratic Vs Republic as well.

In a pure democracy, laws are directly created by the voting majority. This leaves the rights of the minority exposed.

For a republic, the laws are created by the people’s representatives.

They must agree with a constitution that safeguards the minority’s rights from the majority’s will.

In both a democracy and republic, the people are empowered and allowed to join representational political systems.

They elect the people to protect and represent their interests to show how the government should work.

Both the Democrat and Republicans provide a political system wherein every citizen is represented by the chosen officials.

They have sworn to protect the interests of the people.