Being a Good Citizen Classroom Activities and Lesson Plans

Young students can benefit greatly from lessons on being a good citizen, developing citizenship skills, and showing good digital citizenship.

What is Citizenship?

To start this lesson, introduce students to the idea of citizenship. Without a clear definition of citizenship, how do students know if they are good citizens?

Providing a clear definition of citizenship gives students a framework for evaluating their own behaviors.

There are so many great kid’s books that explain citizenship in a kid-friendly way.

One of my favorite books to help introduce this lesson is “What if Everyone Did That?“ by Ellen Javernick.

It uses very relatable examples and captures the concept of good citizenship perfectly. Students love it, and I do too. You can find “What if Everyone Did That” and other great books to explain citizenship in my Amazon Storefront.

After reading the book together, we solidify students’ understanding of being good citizens.

Being a Good Citizen Definitions and Examples

After reading the story, we quickly discuss the definition of citizenship. Students are shown these visuals to highlight the differences between good citizens and citizens who need to try harder.

Students discuss and provide examples of behaviors/actions of good citizens and those who need to try harder.

Once all students understand, we move on to the next part of the activity.

Good Citizenship – Situation Sort Whole Group Activity

This interactive whole-group activity challenges students to think deeply about various actions and behaviors. The situation sort activity keeps students engaged and strengthens their understanding of citizenship.

One at a time, students pick a situation card. They read the card and decide if the situation describes a good citizen or a citizen who needs to try harder.

They can read and answer to themselves, or they can read the card out loud and get the class’s input before they make their decision. The choice is theirs.

Once their decision is made, they drop their card into the appropriately labeled container. Repeat this process until all students have had a turn.

If you need to save a bit of time, have students work in pairs to read, decide, and sort their situation cards.

Being a Good Citizen – Check for Understanding

Once we finish our whole group activity, we move on to the final activity, our cut and glue activity.

Please encourage students to fit all the pieces into place before they begin gluing. Each cut-out piece has a spot. Ensure all pieces are in their correct spots before making anything permanent.

All Good Things Come to an End

Once we are done (or, more honestly, when time runs out), we say our goodbyes and maybe even squeeze in a quick closure activity.

This is one of my all-time favorite lessons. It effectively teaches students what it means to be good citizens while allowing them time to reflect on their own behaviors.

Since teaching this lesson to my third graders, I’ve seen a major increase in good citizen-like behaviors. It is highly interactive and highly effective at teaching students all about good citizenship skills.

You can implement this classroom activity as well!

Download this resource on TpT or The Crafty Counselor Store.

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