Hobbies And Interests
The Three Branches of Government
A fun way to teach kids about the three branches of the U.S. federal government (executive, legislative and judicial) is to have them match the names of people, activities and other items with the corresponding branch. You can write out the words on flash cards, then print out pictures (or make other types of representations) of each branch̵7;s headquarters or seat of government. If you picked up a card that said, ̶0;House of Representatives,̶1; you would match it with the picture of the Capitol Building, because the House is part of Congress and falls under the legislative branch.
The First Amendment
This game allows children to learn about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, while simultaneously building their vocabularies. According to congressforkids.net, the game requires you to match one of the highlighted words in the First Amendment to its appropriate definition. An example from congressforkids.net: ̶0;Congress shall make no law establishing a religion̷0;or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people to assemble peaceably, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.̶1; The children would then have to match those words with the following definitions: complaints of unfair treatments, reducing, putting something right, expressing ideas in public, expressing ideas in print and request.
Mock Election
Mock elections allow children of all ages to grasp the basics of how voting works and why it is important. Teacher Kathleen Carpenter, on teaches.net, recommends that for elementary school students, you should hold a mock election between two hypothetical characters. Carpenter chose Cookie Monster and The Count from Sesame Street. Present the children with two distinct sets of campaign agendas: one that promises wealth̵2;or cookies̵2;for everyone in every situation, and another that promises reliability and assistance in times of trouble. Help the children weigh their decisions, then have them cast their votes. You can display the results on a graph.
Online Games
Online tools are becoming more and more prevalent in the education of children. There are a variety of online games that can teach children about government in both fun and interactive ways. Some of these include Scholastic.com̵7;s ̶0;7 Hat Challenge̶1; where, with the help of a time machine, you are trained by past U.S. presidents. There is also Scholastic.com̵7;s ̶0;You̵7;re the Candidate̶1;; a role-playing game where you learn what it is like on the campaign trail that leads to the oval office.