'Government for kids' website launched

A website has been launched to teach children about government and public services.

DirectgovKids was developed by the Department for Education and Skills specifically for primary-school age children (five to 11-year-olds).

The site gives children the chance to learn about topics from children's rights to local government.

Kids can 'visit' various public buildings on the site – including a town hall, a police station and a school – each of which contains different activities, games and animations.

The site also has a teacher section with lesson plans to allow various curriculum subjects, such as citizenship, to be taught in the classroom.

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A parent section contains resources such as family activity sheets and information about topics such as healthy eating.

St Edmund's Primary School in Tower Hamlets trialled the website prior to its launch. Head teacher Gail O'Flaherty said the site explains today's key issues in a fun and informative way and enables children to understand clearly the differences between local and central government.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said "young citizens" will now be able to find out more about the world around them and how government shapes their day-to-day lives.

The DirectgovKids site can be found here.