Citizenship Teaching Resources

Teach about good citizenship in your primary classroom this school year with printable worksheets, digital activities and more teacher-created resources designed with your lesson plans in mind!

The Teach Starter team of expert teachers has curated a curriculum-aligned collection of Australian citizenship activities to help students understand the rights, responsibilities and duties of being a member of a community and our nation. Save time on your lesson plans with Australian curriculum-aligned resources carefully curated by expert teachers just for your classroom!

Is this your first year teaching students what it means to be a citizen, or are you just looking for some fresh ideas? Read on for some tips from our teacher team!

What Is Citizenship? A Kid-Friendly Definition

How do you define citizenship and what it means to be a good citizen for your students? Here's a kid-friendly way to explain the meaning to your class:

Citizenship means being a good community member and following the rules and laws that keep everyone safe and happy.

It also means treating others with kindness and respect, helping when you can and doing your part to make your community a better place.

Key Citizenship Vocabulary Words for Your Lesson Plans

Don't worry; we won't stop there! Here are some of the key vocabulary terms that are bound to come up during your lessons and meanings you can share with your students!

Community

You don't have citizenship without community. This is a group of people living in the same place who share common interests, values and goals.

Rules

Good citizenship involves following rules. These are guidelines that people follow to maintain order and safety in our community and keep things fair.

Laws

Australian citizenship also requires us to follow laws. These are rules made by the government that are enforced by the police and the courts.

Respect

Respect is treating others how you want to be treated, being polite and kind and valuing differences between people.

Responsibility

Responsibility could be defined as being dependable and reliable, doing what you are supposed to do and being accountable for your actions. These are all key to good citizenship.

Fairness

Fairness is treating everyone equally and giving people what they deserve based on their actions and needs.

Diversity

Australia is full of diversity. This means differences in people's backgrounds, cultures, beliefs and abilities.

Equality

Giving everyone the same rights, opportunities and treatment regardless of their differences is what we call equality.