The Bill of Rights is an important document that outlines the basic rights and freedoms of American citizens. It’s important for kids to learn about these rights and understand how they impact their daily lives. Here’s a great resource list for kids to research and learn about the Bill of Rights, including specific information on each amendment including free and paid resources depending on your teaching situation.
Free Bill of Rights Resources For Kids
1. The Bill of Rights For Kids in Plain English
A great video that gives a kid-friendly definition of the Bill of Rights. The video is quick and engaging – created by a fourth grader.
2. Mr. Nussbaum
A great article that gives a brief history of the Bill of Rights as well as a quick explanation of each amendment. Includes audio as a support. This is my favorite resource for if you have students study a specific amendment as it includes a page for each one.
3. Ben’s Guide
A .gov website from the Government Publishing Office, this article on Ben’s Guide, as in Ben Franklin, is another excellent resource on the Bill of Rights for kids. Includes fun facts to pique kids’ interest. Includes links to the Library of Congress and their wealth of primary source information.
4. History For Kids
A bit of a long article with lots of information including the answers to such questions as: Why is the Bill of Rights important? Who wrote the Bill of Rights? and How did the Bill of Rights become part of the Constitution?
5. Ducksters
Includes a video, article and quiz with information perfect for upper elementary and middle school students.
6. Constitution Center
An article from the National Constitution Center that gives an interesting account of how there were originally 12 amendments in the Bill of Rights and why there are only 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights today.
Paid Bill of Rights Resources
These are paid resources but many schools and most public libraries will have these databases and encyclopedias available. If they don’t, I’d highly recommend getting these resources.
7. BrainPop
A perfect video for explaining the Bill of Rights to kids – especially upper elementary and middle school students.
8. Encyclopedia Britannica School
Probably my favorite encyclopedia that includes photographs and information. The article can also be read aloud.
9. PebbleGo Next
The upper elementary version of PebbleGo including an article explaining what the Bill of Rights is and the history behind it.
10. World Book Encyclopedia
A one paragraph explanation of the Bill of Rights. It’s not as pretty as the other resources on this list, but it has all of the essential information.
11. Discovery Education
A number of videos in varying lengths and complexity for a variety of grade levels. This also includes videos about each specific amendment in the Bill of Rights with comprehension questions and examples of the rights in action today.
Conclusion: The Bill of Rights For Kids
There are many resources out there about the Bill of Rights for kids. Some of more reliable and informative than others. These resources are all great for kids to learn everything that they want about the Bill of Rights.
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