A Guide to the Constitution for Kids
You do not have to wait until Constitution Day, held annually on September 17, or patriotic holidays to teach kids about the Constitution. Teaching kids about the Constitution helps them learn about the American government and learn about the rights and freedoms given to all Americans. These lessons on freedom are applicable any time during the year. While the language of the original Constitution may be difficult for children to understand, many educators and other organizations have created websites, songs and other resources that put the content of the Constitution into kid-friendly terms and help children understand that the issues in the Constitution relate to them too.
What is the Constitution?
Understanding the Constitution involves learning what exactly it is and how it came about. Reading the document itself will not likely interest children, but using resources that provide an overview of its purpose and the ideas it contains might spark a child’s curiosity. The more kids know about the Constitution, the more they will understand life in the United States.
- Congress for Kids: Constitution – Who better to teach kids about the Constitution than members of Congress who consult it as they pass legislation? The Congress for Kids website gives the history of the document.
- The Charters of Freedom: Constitution of the United States – The National Archives provides images of the original Constitution and a transcript of the document to help kids really experience the Constitution.
- Schoolhouse Rock: Preamble – Schoolhouse Rock, known for educational songs, offers a song about the Preamble to the Constitution and the history of the document, giving kids a catchy way to understand the historic text.
- Know Your Constitution – The Scholastic Kids Press Corps presents articles and interviews about the Constitution created by kids and for kids and offering real-life examples of the Constitution at work.
- Celebrating Constitution Day – The ideas and resources from the National Endowment for the Humanities for celebrating Constitution Day are appropriate for any discussion of the Constitution and include videos, games and visual presentations.
- Enchanted Learning: The Constitution of the United States – Read an overview of the Constitution, its articles and amendments and apply the knowledge to the printable worksheets and games provided.
- Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline – The National Constitution Center features an online exhibit offering an interactive timeline of the history of the Constitution and how it has played a role in the lives of others.
The Bill of Rights
If the entire Constitution seems a bit over children’s heads, start with the Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments of the Constitution outline the basic freedoms of all Americans. Knowing these rights will help children understand their own rights and encourage them to extend those rights to others.
- Retouching the Canvas: The Creation of the Bill of Rights – The interactive presentation highlights how the Bill of Rights was created, outlining each state’s role in the creation of the amendments.
- Rights of Citizens: The Bill of Rights – Gain a basic overview of the Bill of Rights as you learn about the steps to citizenship and the rights of American citizens.
- Social Studies for Kids: Bill of Rights – Find a basic overview of the 10 amendments that are part of the Bill of Rights.
- Bill of (Your) Rights – Use this song and accompanying crossword puzzle to make it easier for kids to remember the Bill of Rights, giving them some incentive to learn the amendments.
- Totally 3rd Grade: Bill of Rights – The Bill of Rights Song gives a kid-friendly explanation of each amendment that kids will sing over and over.
- Bill of Rights Institute – The student section contains videos, games, and general information about the Bill of Rights to help students as they learn about the Bill of Rights and complete papers and general research projects about the document.
Games and Quizzes
Games and quizzes give kids a way to interact with what they have learned about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Many games give real-life examples of the rights and freedoms outlined in the Constitution to help kids understand the relevance of the document in their own lives.
- Bill of Rights Match Game – Learn about the Bill of Rights by matching scenarios with amendments, allowing children to gain a real-life understanding of the Bill of Rights.
- Constitution Day Quiz – Scholastic’s quizzes test students’ knowledge of the Constitution and judicial system through simple multiple choice questions.
- Save the Bill of Rights – Travel through Freeville to find the missing amendments in this Constitution-based game.
- Celebrate the Constitution – Read the statements and drag them to the correct part of the Constitution to test your knowledge of the document.
- The Constitutional Convention – Take part in the Constitutional Convention and learn how the Founding Fathers decided to form the government of the United States.
- Pirates of the Preamble – You are a pirate and to get to your buried treasure, you must uncover bits of the Preamble of the Constitution as you travel throughout the 50 states.
- iCivics: Games – The games Argument Wars and Do I Have the Right? have students apply knowledge of the Constitution to real-life scenarios.
- Sunnyland’s Civic Games – Watch videos related to the Constitution and take fun quizzes to test your knowledge.
Return to the Kid’s Learning Page for more resources!
|4LawSchool: Popular Resources|