However this is not the whole answer because the particles that move in fact have negative charge, and they flow in the opposite direction! Please read on...

I recommend Electronics for Kids as a good introduction to electricity and electronics. Printed in full colour with many illustrations, it introduces common components with simple but interesting projects to build at each stage. The book starts by assuming no previous knowledge then carefully builds up straightforward explanations of how components work, plus practical techniques including wire-stripping, soldering and using a multimeter.

Voltage is a difference between two points, but in electronics we often refer to voltage at a point meaning the voltage difference between that point and a reference point of 0V (zero volts).

This type of circuit is often called a parallel circuit but you can see that it is not really so simple - the switches are in series with the lamps, and it is these switch and lamp pairs that are connected in parallel.