Research is reviewed that concerns citizenship education for primary grade children, and strategies are discussed that deal with political socialization in early childhood years. The most current methods for teaching citizenship emphasize complacency and compliance to school rules, not the understanding of democratic processes and citizen responsibility. Administrators may perceive compliance as practical and necessary, but it fosters naive political inactivity when students grow older. Basing his conclusions on the work of Piaget, the author calls for mutual respect, reciprocity, and obligation between teachers and students. Such an exchange leads toward the democratic process of social interchange. Interviews with primary grade children indicate that children are attuned to political aspects of their milieu and that they can accept rules as reasoned actions which support a degree of freedom for all group members. Law in a Free Society, a California-based project, is described. It is an elementary and secondary level program with exemplary curriculum, teacher training, and evaluation components. (AV)