Teaching the United States Constitution to Young Children: Part II - Bill of Rights & Beyond

Teaching young children the U.S. Constitution is an important part of patriotic studies, of United States history and will help give them an awareness of their Constitutional rights and freedoms. However the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights dating back to 1791, are barely known to most modern-day American-born citizens.

The other seventeen amendments were added and ratified from 1795 on, until the most current 27th amendment, which was added in 1992. Our U.S. Constitution has been a two-hundred year work-in-progress balancing the Judicial, Executive and Legislative Branches of our government though articles and amendments, as presented online at USConstitution.net/const.html#Am1.

Constitutional Theater

Young kids can act out Constitutional amendments in teams of two or three in front of the rest of your class with or without costumes or music. Your student-teams will each be assigned one or two of the amendments to play-act out, no scripts necessary. To integrate patriotic songs into your U.S. Constitutional theater or history lessons see the article "Teaching School-Age Kids U.S. & State Songs" on my news page online at AssociatedContent.com/cmajors for musical accompaniment.

The Bill of Rights (1791)

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press and Expression

Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms

Amendment 3 - Quartering of Soldiers

Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure

Amendment 5 - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings

Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses

Amendment 7 - Trial by Jury in Civil Cases

Amendment 8 - Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Amendment 9 - Construction of Constitution

Amendment 10 - Powers of the States and People

Amendments 11 to 27

Amendment 11 - Judicial Limits (1795)

Amendment 12 - Choosing the President, Vice-President (1804)

Amendment 13 - Slavery Abolished (1865)

Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights (1868)

Amendment 15 - Race No Bar to Vote (1870)

Amendment 16 - Status of Income Tax Clarified (1913)

Amendment 17 - Senators Elected by Popular Vote (1913)

Amendment 18 - Liquor Abolished (1919) - Repealed by Amendment 21 (1933)

Amendment 19 - Women's Suffrage (1920)

Amendment 20 - Presidential, Congressional Terms (1933)

Amendment 21 - Amendment 18 Repealed (1933)

Amendment 22 - Presidential Term Limits (1951)

Amendment 23 - Presidential Vote for District of Columbia (1961)

Amendment 24 - Poll Tax Barred (1964)

Amendment 25 - Presidential Disability and Succession (1967)

Amendment 26 - Voting Age Set to 18 Years (1971)

Amendment 27 - Limiting Changes to Congressional Pay (1992)

Using the U.S. Constitution online website above, briefly explain to your students what the amendments mean. Then ask them to create a 5-minute skit over their lunch break, based upon their assigned amendment/s. I remember doing this myself in elementary school and it provided many opportunities for fun learning.

Quick Theater Productions

My acting partner and I used a popular cereal T.V. commercial from that time to act out our amendment. Given one of the most difficult (my thoughts back then) amendment 4 - Search and Seizure, we tried to steal the toy out of a box of cereal to demonstrate unlawful search and seizure.

It was a funny skit and allowed yours truly, the class clown, to get a few good laughs without being disruptive. The use of several unique props or a costume trunk can give theatrical inspiration to your classroom skits and will make learning more fun. Your thematic production could cover an entire week or just spend the day presenting student skits, teaching the Constitutional amendments in ways your class will remember.