Government Lab
See who holds which power and how the system keeps itself in balance.
Government Lab is a civics game that explains how the United States government is set up. It opens with the three branches, asking who makes, carries out and judges the law, and how many members each part has. The next level shows a picture of the three branches with six arrows, and students tap or name the check each arrow stands for, such as the veto or judicial review.
Levels 3 to 7 cover federal, state and shared powers, the path of a bill, the Constitution and how it is amended, the Bill of Rights and several later amendments, and then elections and courts. The Electoral College appears with a small made-up example before the real numbers. The game stays neutral and factual, with no living people, no political parties and no current events.
What children practice
- Say what Congress, the president and the courts each do
- Name the checks one branch has on another
- Sort powers into federal, state and shared
- Put the steps of a bill in order and count the votes needed for an override
- Recall the Preamble, the seven articles and the steps to amend
- Match a right or a situation to its amendment, including numbers 13, 14, 15, 19, 22 and 26; explain how electors and courts work
Levels
- Three branches: Powers and who holds them
- Checks and balances: Who checks whom
- Federalism: Federal, state, shared
- Making a law: A bill's path
- The Constitution: Preamble, articles, amending
- Rights and amendments: Bill of Rights and later
- Elections and courts: Electors, courts, citizens
- Course mix: Everything
How it works
- Eight levels run from the three branches to elections and courts, and the final level mixes all of them.
- Rounds ask students to choose an answer, tap an arrow or box in a drawing, sort cards into bins, match pairs, put steps in order or type a number.
- Five correct answers and a short practice timer unlock each following level.
- Three hints are on offer from Need a hint?, and a correct answer shows a one-line reason in plain wording.
Best for: A good fit for grades 9 to 12 in a civics or American government course, and for any student getting ready to vote or to take a citizenship class.
Tip for parents: Next time a law is in the news, ask your child to describe which branch made it, which could challenge it and which would enforce it.
Questions parents ask
Does the game take a political side?
No. It is neutral and factual. It names no living people, no parties and no current events. Its scenarios and cards are original, and only one court case, Marbury v. Madison, is named for judicial review.
Is the Electoral College example real?
The practice example uses made-up States A to F and candidates X and Y, so it hints at no real result. The real totals of 538 electors and 270 needed to win are taught separately.
Does it ask about unusual exceptions?
No. Where a rule has fine print, the game keeps to the plain textbook rule and does not quiz the exception, so each question has one clear answer.
Ready to try it?
Government Lab is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.