Resource
What Does Parliament Do? – Civics Match-Up
Distinguish four central parliamentary activities using concrete examples. Free one-page A4 activity with educator guidance and checked answers.
Print, solve and discuss
Preview the complete activity page
Download one-page A4 worksheetCheck the preview, printing notes and licence before use.
A practical Australian civics and community activity
Distinguish four central parliamentary activities using concrete examples. The printable gives children a specific task, visible response space and enough information to begin without a long educator explanation.
What children do
Match each example to REPRESENT, MAKE LAWS, SCRUTINISE GOVERNMENT or DEBATE ISSUES.
Prepare and facilitate
Materials: Printed worksheet, pencil and optional colouring tools. Allow about two minutes to print and place the page. The activity usually takes 25 minutes.
Use the examples as starting points; parliamentary work is more detailed than four boxes.
Keep examples fictional. Do not ask children to share household income, access to money, political preferences, addresses or family voting choices.
Answer guide
- A member raises a local concern → represent
- Both houses consider a bill → make laws
- A committee asks questions about administration → scrutinise government
- Members present different views on a national question → debate issues
Adapt participation
Simpler way to join: Read the task aloud, complete one example together and allow pointing, moving tokens or dictating instead of writing.
More challenge: Find one way a member of the public can communicate an issue to a representative.
Learning opportunities
Look for civic knowledge, sequencing, evidence and respectful community participation. Ask a child to show a match, calculation, sequence or reason; completion alone is not evidence of understanding.
Useful educator prompts
- What information on the page helps you begin?
- How could you check that match, total or sequence?
- Which part is a fact, and which part is a choice or opinion?
Fact-check sources
Printing notes
Print at actual size on A4 paper. The worksheet is ink-friendly and uses simplified diagrams rather than reproductions of banknotes, coins, official ballot papers or government artwork.
