What a Government Does
A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on what a government is, using the things the town looks after.
What a Government Does is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Civ.5.K-2 — say what a government is and name some things it does. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D2.Civ.5.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Civics
D2.Civ.5.K-2
Explain what governments are and some of their functions.
Objective
Students will be able to name three things the town looks after and say what a government is.
Students are successful when they can
- Names three things the town provides.
- Tells them apart from what a family provides.
- Says what a government is, in their own words.
What you need
- Pictures of a road, a library, a park, a bin lorry
- Pictures of a family dinner, a birthday cake, a pair of shoes
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — who mends the road?
5 min- Ask who mends the road outside school. Take guesses.
- Nobody in the room does, and no single family does.
Teach — the things we all share
13 min- Sort the pictures into two piles: things a family looks after, things everybody shares.
- Name the second pile: those are the town's, and the town is a kind of government.
- Say the definition plainly: a government is the group that looks after the things we all share.
- Ask who pays for the shared ones. Everybody does, a little.
- Show a borderline one — the school — and put it in the shared pile.
“Nobody's family owns the road. So somebody has to look after it for all of us.”
Guided practice — sort eight
12 min- Pairs sort eight cards into 'the town' and 'your family'.
- For each town card they say who else uses it.
- Take feedback on any they disagreed about.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the town-or-family page.
- Read each item aloud.
Close
2 min- Ask what a government is. Take one sentence.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks a government is one person.
Why: Leaders are the visible part and appear in stories as single figures.
Fix: Count the people it takes to empty the bins. A government is a lot of people doing shared jobs.
Thinks the shared things are free.
Why: Nobody pays at the door of a park.
Fix: Ask who pays for the bin lorry. Everybody, a little, is the honest answer at this age.
Puts the school in the family pile.
Why: Their family sends them, so it feels like a family thing.
Fix: Ask who else uses the school. A hundred families, which is what makes it shared.
If they are not there yet
- Four cards rather than eight.
- Give the pile and name one more item for it.
If they finish early
- Name something shared that is not on the cards.
- Say what would happen if nobody looked after the roads.
- Say who decides what the town looks after.
Exit ticket
Name two things the town looks after. What is a government?
What to look for: Two shared things and a definition about looking after what we share. One person named means the counting exercise needs repeating.
Printable practice for D2.Civ.5.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- The Town or Your Family?Draw a line from each job to who does it.
Questions about What a Government Does
How long does the What a Government Does lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does What a Government Does teach?
D2.Civ.5.K-2 — D2.Civ.5.K-2, Civics for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Explain what governments are and some of their functions.” In plain terms, say what a government is and name some things it does.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Pictures of a road, a library, a park, a bin lorry, pictures of a family dinner, a birthday cake, a pair of shoes and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: thinks a government is one person; thinks the shared things are free and puts the school in the family pile. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Name two things the town looks after. What is a government?.” Two shared things and a definition about looking after what we share. One person named means the counting exercise needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with What a Government Does?
Yes — 1 printable D2.Civ.5.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is What a Government Does free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Civ.5.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.