From teaching materials to educational games
If you are a school administrator or teacher looking for materials, modules, videos and other resources related to parliaments, political parties and elections, you may find the below resources helpful. These resources can help teach kids, from ages five to twenty-five, about government, international development, and political policies.
This is a list of web portals aimed at helping kids and young adults looking to get more involved in government.
This is a list of reading materials designed to help teachers and students looking to read more about government.
This is a list of videos that can help students learn more about governments, and teachers looking for classroom resources.
This is a list of resources ranging from games to teaching toolkits, providing a variety of ways to teach young people about government.
See DIG’s list of research tools for more reports, web portals, and resources on government
PORTALS FOR Youth in Government
PARLIAMENT OF CANADA SCHOOL RESOURCE GUIDE
The Parliament of Canada has online resources and a guide in pdf format that allows teachers to access information and materials related to politics in Canada. This resource is suitable for students of all ages.
HE NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE FOR MULTIPARTY DEMOCRACY – YOUTH IN POLITICS
The NIMD web portal on their efforts to support youth getting involved in government and politics. As part of our wider objective of increasing political participation among structurally excluded groups, NIMD works with young people and established politicians alike, to enable youth to take up their rightful role in politics. This resource is suitable for students aged 13-20.
YOUTH.GOV
A USA website for adolescents looking to get involved in their communities and politics. This resource is suitable for students aged 13-18.
Reading Materials
UNDP SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS BOOK CLUB
The SDG Book Club aims to use books as a tool to encourage children to interact with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a curated reading list of books from around the world related to each of the 17 SDGs in all six official UN languages—Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. This resource is suitable for students aged 6-12.
THE SHORT GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The first three chapters of “The Short Guide to International Development” by Nick Sage, published by Bristol University Press in 2022. Find out more about the book on our website or read the handbook here. This resource is suitable for students aged 18-25.
INTERACTION’S GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The InterAction’s Guide to International Development is a PDF on international development 101, focusing on the basics on international development programs. International development programs bring knowledge and resources to help communities and governments around the world as they work to end extreme poverty; support the advancement of human rights; and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing global security and prosperity. This resource is suitable for students aged 18-25.
PARLIAMENT OF CANADA – RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
The Parliament of Canada’s page on resources to help educators teach about government, from local politics to federal policy procedures. This resource is suitable for educators teaching students of all ages, as well as students aged 18-25.
UNDP’s Frida Book
Storytelling is a powerful communications tool and helps children remember lessons and virtues that they will use in everyday life. The idea behind the production of the story of Frieda was to simplify the lessons of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so young children can relate to – and better understand – the SDGs. Follow Frieda’s journey through her home in Windhoek, Namibia – read and download the book here to learn about protecting life on land, the importance of water, the environment, and more! This resource is suitable for students of all ages but works best for kids aged 5-10.
Videos
AUSTRALIA PARLIAMENT EDUCATION OFFICE
The Federal Parliament of Australia has a unit specifically focused on the development and distribution of learning materials related to the Parliament and its interaction with citizens. This includes a significant number of videos and teaching modules. These resources are suitable for students in various ages brackets.
PILLARS OF FREEDOM
A Canadian animated multi-platform series that includes a series of short videos and web-based games to allow students to consider multiple issues related to freedom and human rights. This video is suitable for students aged 5-9.
I’M JUST A BILL
From the 1970’s and a part of a series of short videos broadcast on ABC TV during Saturday morning cartoons. The information is still relevant and applies beyond the United States. This video is suitable for students aged 8-12.
CRASH COURSE ON GOVERNMENT POLITICS
An American video series from PBS, created by John and Hank Greene on YouTube, that provides information on many aspects of the political system in a fun, light-hearted way. This video is suitable for students aged 10-14.
STUDENT VOTE CANADA (2025)
Elections Canada and CIVIX’s resources on government in Canada. This toolkit can be downloaded as either a Google Slides presentation or a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. It includes eight lessons on topics from democracy, federal elections, and parties/candidates, using videos, pictures, and more. This resource is available in French and English and is suitable for educators with students aged 9-13.
INTRODUCTION TO PARLIAMENT – UK PARLIAMENT
This animation is an ideal starting point for introducing UK’s Parliament (including the English, Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Irish government systems) to students, explaining what Parliament is and how it works. This video is suitable for students aged 5-8.
other
UNDP’S YAK
ELYX, the United Nations’ digital ambassador, uses various expressions and actions to help demonstrate the meaning of each Sustainable Development Goal. Created by French artist YAK, Elyx has no race, sex or nationality and is a universal character promoting the importance of the United Nations’ work. Read the book online here. This resource is suitable for students of all ages but works best for kids aged 6-11.
GOGOALS BOARD GAME DEVELOPED BY THE UNDP
The Go Goals game is a board game that aims to help teach children around the world about the Sustainable Development Goals in a simple and child-friendly way. You’ll find questions and answers, game rules, dices and rules on how to play by clicking the link! This game is suitable for students of all ages but works best for kids aged 8-12.
MP FOR A WEEK
The UK Parliament has produced an interactive game to enable students to better understand the challenges related to being a Member of Parliament. Though focused on the UK system, it is broadly applicable to many other countries and political systems. This game is suitable for students aged 10-16.
SIMPLE POLITICS BOARD GAME
The “Simple Politics Board Game” was developed by Democracy Classroom and the UK Government to provide educators and students with a fun and interactive way to learn about stages of the law-making process. This game is available in a printable format and is suitable for students aged 12-16.
ELECTIONS COUNTDOWN – YOUTH ACTIVITIES
This collection of games was designed by Democracy Classroom to support young people in engaging in elections. The collection consists of a series of short games and activities designed to support young people to discuss and explore issues around voting, elections, and democracy. This game is suitable for students aged 11-18.
THE SDGs-IN-THE-CLASSROOM TOOLKIT
York University’s webpage on the Five Pillars of Sustainable Development, with resources on designing teaching plans with SDG, classroom guidance, SDG toolkits, and more. This resource is suitable for educators teaching students of all ages.