Being a good citizen means much more than obeying laws and learning about your country’s history. It’s about showing mutual respect for fellow citizens and non-citizens, making decisions that benefit the greater good, and helping others, especially those who are less fortunate.

Teaching your students about citizenship is an important developmental step in understanding their roles in society and how they can inspire positive change. Books about characters modeling kindness, empathy, and compassion are a great way to start a classroom conversation about what it means to be an admirable citizen.

Check out these books and interactive classroom activity ideas to kickstart lessons about citizenship. 

Books About Being a Good Citizen

Inspiring books with social-emotional themes will help your students understand what it takes to be good citizens — both inside and outside the classroom. 

In the rhyming board book, Oh So Kind!, students meet an adventurous little llama, who finds multiple ways to show kindness every day. Students will learn that being compassionate to others, whether it’s their friend, a family member, or even a stranger, doesn’t take much effort and goes a long way.

For older students, Heroes of the Environment shares the stories of 12 individuals — mostly teens and young adults — working to protect the environment as global citizens of the Earth. One teenage girl discovered a way to remove an industrial pollutant from the Ohio River, while a teenage boy created an e-waste recycling program for his Rhode Island community. 

Classroom Activities for Discussions About Citizenship

Reading aloud books with characters who model good citizenship and having meaningful conversations about them are an effective way to teach your students their role in fostering respect, empathy, and kindness in their own communities.

For example, start a lesson about citizenship by reading aloud Stand Up! or 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World. 

Next, make a list of conversation starters to get students to participate and share their perspectives. Lastly, create a poster and have each student write down how they can be a good citizen. 

Classroom activities and discussions will help your students get to know and understand each other while nurturing collaborative decision-making. 

Shop books to teach citizenship for kids below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.