This position paper discusses the general absence of law instruction at the elementary level and presents reasons for including it in the elementary curriculum. Two factors which hamper attempts to provide law instruction are limited economic resources and a general lack of understanding that law-related education could develop democratic participation skills in students. Most elementary students presently study in depersonalized settings where they are expected to develop high-level cognitive skills in many subjects. They are trained to be self-centered rather than socially aware and are not encouraged to develop self-discipline, independence, or responsibility, as are elementary school students in China. Educators should involve students in caring about the quality of life and human interaction and awaken them to valuing democratic ideals at an early age. Efforts toward development of citizenship education programs must begin with clear statements of what we want to achieve in schools and the types of communal responsibility we intend to foster. Law-related education provides us with the broad concepts of democracy which are the building blocks for these efforts, and it should, consequently, be included in the elementary school curriculum. (Author/DB)