I don’t usually ask more than one question at a time; I take pity on the hamsters. But my mom who is a teacher asked me this and I really couldn’t think of a neat non-partisan answer. Could someone help? 
Not much difference from a practical standpoint. Neither party is willing to sacrifice wealth, position, and/or power to further the best interests of the nation. Too much partisonship, too little real patriotism.
The Johny Q. Public is fed diversions, distractions, and distorsions in place of real down to earth details of what is going on around the world.
Hope that helps you to formulate your own version of an answer to her question.
It’s tough to bring the differences between the two parties down to a 4th grade level. Most of the issues that separate the Democrats and Republicans are fairly subtle and matters of interpretations on issues that most 4th graders aren’t going to be aware of.
So you were born in 1977 and a 4th grader. :rolleyes:
Shame on me! :smack:
Mother Goose “Grimmy. Road trip”
Grimm "Coming
Mother Goose “We’re going to the vet.”
Grimm "Shame on me. Eight times 
"
Don’t speak so soon. Some of the ugliest squirrels in the world explain the wonders of Democrathood in ways that even a first grader can understand.
You could borrow some lines from the Simpsons:
“DEMOCRATS - We can’t govern!”
“REPUBLICANS - We’re just plain evil!”
I’ve always thought that was fairly succinct.
This page summarizes the 2004 Republican Party Platform, with links to the full text.
I don’t find a similar site with the Democratic Party Platform in outline form, just the full text.
Republicans don’t want you to smoke any dope or get laid.
Democrats don’t want you to have any money or guns.
The teacher could draw it on the board and make it a little game to make it clear.
“What do the people that build cars, witches (Wiccans), and black people have in common?”
Ummmmmm
“These people are likely to be Democrats. If you watch the nightly news with mommy and daddy, you will often see a Democrat being sent away for 5 to life for r-a-c-k-e-t-e-e-r-i-n-g. Who knows what racketeering is?”
…
“Now class, what do bible-thumpers, really rich people, and Miami Cubans have in common?”
Ummmmmm
“These people are likely to be Republicans. If you watch the nightly news with mommy and daddy, you will often see maps in beautiful colors that show us what countries the Republicans have blown up that day.”
Who was it that said, “political parties are just different rooms in the same whorehouse” ?
Give the GOP’s libertarian wing another 15 years and they will reverse the first statement, not that any party’s position on drugs or sex has much relevance on the day-to-day conduct of most people.
That said, there are tremendous philosophical differences between the two parties. How these differences play out in the real world is somewhat less dramatic.
Democrats favor a larger, more active role of government (in domestic affairs).
Democrats think that people are fundamentally good and businesses are fundamentally bad. They want to pass laws that protect people from businesses.
Republican think business are fundamentally good and people are fundamentally bad and want to pass laws protecting businesses from prople.
“Democrats seem to be basically nicer people, but they have demonstrated time and time again that they have the management skills of celery. They’re the kind of people who’d stop to help you change a flat, but would somehow manage to set your car on fire. I would be reluctant to entrust them with a Cuisinart, let alone the economy. The Republicans, on the other hand, would know how to fix your tire, but they wouldn’t bother to stop because they’d want to be on time for Ugly Pants Night at the country club.”
–Dave Barry
“The Democrats are the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller, and get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work, and then get elected and prove it.”
–P.J. O’Rourke
I asked my mother this question at about the time I was in fourth grade. Her answer was, “Democrats think the government should take care of people, and Republicans think people should take care of themselves.”
My 75 yo father was visiting recently and gave this as the reason he’s a life-long Democrat.
According to him, the Republicans give breaks to Big Business in order that corporations will be able to give people jobs.
The Democrats give the breaks to the people in order that they will be able to buy things from the corporations.
Since he’s not a corporation, he supports the Democrats.
It’s a practical matter that both parties share a lot of characteristics: both parties need votes to get their candidates elected, and both parties need money to get their message advertised.
That is,
Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other.
– Oscar Ameringer
My own oversimplification is:
Democrats try to do their best for the people.
Republicans try to do their best for the country.
Non-partisan enough for a 4th Grader?
The fourth grader will then ask what the difference is between “the people” and “the country”. Expect: “I thought the people were the country.”