Are primary school children capable of political thought?

Primary school children are totally capable of having political thought, even if they don’t realize it yet.

Imagine you're in a classroom with your friends, and you all want to pick the same toy at recess. You might argue about who gets it first, that’s like having a tiny debate. That's a simple version of what people do in bigger groups when they choose leaders or decide on rules. It’s political thinking, just on a small scale.

If you're the one who stands up and says, "Let me be the leader so we can take turns with the toy," that's political action, you're trying to influence others to agree with your idea. You’re using strategies, just like grown-ups do when they run for office.

You might not know it, but every time you vote in a class election or decide where the group should go on a field trip, you are doing political thinking, it's just happening in your own little world. And that's totally normal and smart!