Grades 2–5
Rights and Responsibilities
Cut out 12 cards and sort citizens’ rights (go to school, speak freely, vote at 18, a fair trial) from responsibilities (obey laws, pay taxes, serve on a jury, respect others).
Social studies worksheet · Government and citizenship
Rule or Law?
12 everyday sentences to sort: circle R for a rule (raise your hand, clean up your toys) or L for a law (stop at a red light, wear a seat belt).
- Grade level
- Grades 2–3
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- Government and citizenship, Rules and laws, Voting, Rights and responsibilities
What kids do
“A rule is made by a family, a class or a game. A law is made by the government for everyone. Circle R for rule or L for law.”
Printed on the sheet:
- Raise your hand before you speak.
- 2. Stop at a red light.
- Wear a seat belt in the car.
- 4. No running in the hallway.
- Pay for things before you leave the store.
- Put your name on your paper.
- Dogs must be on a leash in
- 10. Clean up your toys.
Teacher tip
Ask kids who makes each rule and who makes each law.
How to use it
- Connect the sheet to your class rules or a class vote.
- Use simple examples: the mayor helps the town, the governor helps the state.
- Start with a quick question that connects the topic to kids’ own lives.
Watch for
Keep politics neutral. Focus on how government works, not on parties or people.
Talk about it
- Why do we need rules and laws?
- What did you learn that surprised you?
Take it further
Write a letter to a local leader about a real problem.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More government and citizenship worksheets
Grades 3–5
How a Bill Becomes a Law
Put the 6 steps of how a bill becomes a law in order, from the idea to the President’s signature, and learn what a veto is.
Grades 3–5
We the People: The Preamble
Fill in 8 missing words of the Preamble to the Constitution from a word bank, then learn what the big words mean.
Grades 2–5
Our Classroom Constitution
Write a classroom constitution: a preamble, 5 rules with reasons, and signature lines for everyone who agrees.
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