Rights and Responsibilities
Background Information & Activities

© 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Empower your children to become good citizens by helping them understand rights and responsibilities. A citizen is a member of a community. Explain that a community can be small, like a classroom or school, or large, like a city, state, or country. The global community includes everyone on Earth. Remind your children that everyone is a member of a community and everyone has a responsibility to maintain it. Invite your children to name different communities that they are a part of, such as a family, sports team, club, religious affiliation, class, school, neighborhood, or town.

A responsibility is a duty or something someone should do. A responsibility can be a chore at home or school or it can be following rules, helping other community members, and making positive changes. When someone works to help the whole community, he or she works for the common good. Obeying laws is an important responsibility. A law is a rule set by a community that tells how to behave or act. Different communities have different laws. For example, the United States has laws that govern the entire country, while a state has laws that govern the state. Cities, towns, and neighborhoods have their own laws to govern themselves. Help your children understand that if a community member breaks a law, there are consequences. Laws help protect citizens’ rights. If a law is unfair, it is the community’s responsibility to change the law. Laws can be amended or changed when responsible citizens take action. We recommend watching the Local and State Government movie together as a review.

A right is a freedom that is protected. Citizens of different countries have different rights. In the United States, the Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution and states certain freedoms that cannot be taken away from any citizen. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion. Another freedom is the right to assembly, which means people can gather and discuss. Leaders establish laws to help protect peoples’ rights. Older students may wish to watch BrainPOP’s movie on the Bill of Rights to learn about each of the amendments.

Help children to understand that they have rights, but they also have responsibilities. Everyone has the right to practice their own religion, but everyone has the responsibility to respect people of different religions. In school, every child has the right to learn, but every child has the responsibility of arriving to school on time, completing homework, and following school and class rules.

Voting is a right and a responsibility. In the United States, a citizen can vote if they are a legal citizen and at least 18 years old. Voters have the responsibility to learn about the candidates and proposed laws. Encourage your child to become an active citizen and learn about issues that affect them in the classroom, at school, and in their communities. Empower them to make changes in areas they see need improvement and vote for leaders they believe support their own opinions and views.

Rights and Responsibilities Teacher Activities – Click Here!

Rights and Responsibilities Family Activities – Click Here!

Rights and Responsibilities Teacher Activities

© 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Bill of Students’ Rights

Together as a class, draft a Bill of Students’ Rights. You may want to review and discuss the differences between rights and responsibilities before drafting a set of rights. Many schools and states list students’ rights, and you may wish to bring in examples. Write the Bill of Students’ Rights together and post them in your classroom. Discuss the responsibilities each student has to uphold and protect their rights. Then draft a set of rules or class laws that protect students’ rights. For example, a right might be to express opinions and a class law might be to always be quiet and respectful when someone expresses his or her opinions. Write the rules or laws together and post them in your classroom.

Responsibility Day

Ask students to keep track of every responsible action they take during the course of one day. Save enough time at the end of the day for students to come together and make a class chart listing all the ways they exhibited responsibility. Examples might include, “held the door for the class”, “took turns on the swings”, “cleaned table after lunch”, “listened quietly during read aloud”, or “voted on snack." If possible, have students make and decorate awards or badges that proclaim “I am a responsible member of my school community.”

Common Good

If possible, organize a class or school-wide event where community members can clean up or make improvements to the school. Invite students and their families to come and help the common good of the school. You can divide students into groups to manage different events and activities, such as a fund-raising bake sale, painting walls, picking up trash, planting trees or flowers, or getting donations for sports equipment the entire class or school can enjoy. Remind students that as community members they are responsible for maintaining their community and working for the common good.

Rights and Responsibilities Family Activities

© 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Community Issues

Empower your child to be an active citizen by thinking of ways to improve their communities. They may wish to petition for a stop sign or crosswalk at a busy intersection or add or revive a park or public space. Help your child find an issue that he or she cares deeply about and find ways to address the issue. Bring your child to community meetings or set up an appointment to talk to a community leader so your child’s voice is heard. Have your child research and learn about their community leaders so they can be better informed about who makes decisions that affect their lives. Being an active community member will allow your child to take more responsibilities and develop a sense of community pride.

Age of Responsibility

Celebrate how responsibilities change and grow as your child matures. Make a chart of responsibilities your child has taken on over the years. Examples might include: being responsible for washing hands at age 3, being responsible for tying shoes at age 4, being responsible for setting the table at age 5, being responsible for washing own hair at age 6, being responsible for an allowance at age 7. Be sure to list future responsibilities a child may look forward to, like caring for a pet, practicing an instrument, mowing the lawn, babysitting, driving, or graduating from school.