All skills Social Studies

Learn Index · Citizenship, Rules and Community Grade K–2

Family, school and neighbourhood roles

People belong to groups such as a family, a class and a neighbourhood, and each member has a role that helps the group.

Illustrated topic card: Family, school and neighbourhood roles — Everyone has roles and responsibilities at home, at school and in the neighbourhood, and they change as we grow.
Illustrated topic card: Family, school and neighbourhood roles — Everyone has roles and responsibilities at home, at school and in the neighbourhood, and they change as we grow.

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We all belong to groups

A group is people who do things together. You belong to many groups!

  • your family
  • your class
  • your school
  • your neighbourhood
  • a team, club or place of worship

In every group, people have different jobs. The part a person plays in a group is called their role. When everyone does their role, the group works well.

Roles at home

Every family is different. Some families are big and some are small. Some children live with a mom and dad, some with one parent, some with grandparents, aunts or uncles, and some with foster or adopted parents. All kinds of families are special.

In a family, grown-ups usually:

  • take care of children and keep everyone safe
  • cook, shop and clean
  • go to work to earn money
  • help with homework and bedtime

Children can help too, with small jobs like:

  • setting the table
  • feeding a pet
  • folding socks
  • making their bed
  • helping a younger brother or sister

Roles at school

Lots of people work together at school.

Person Role
Teacher helps students learn
Principal runs the whole school and keeps it safe
Students listen, try their best and help each other
Custodian keeps the school clean and fixes things
Office staff answer phones and help families
Librarian helps students find books
Bus driver brings students to school safely

Students have important roles. You can be a line leader, a door holder, a helper for a new classmate or a reading buddy.

Roles in the neighbourhood

A neighbourhood is the area around where you live. It has homes, streets, parks and maybe stores, a library or a school.

A neighbour is someone who lives near you. Neighbours help each other by:

  • waving hello and being friendly
  • shovelling snow or raking leaves for someone who needs help
  • watching a pet while a family is away
  • keeping the street clean and safe

Some people in the neighbourhood have jobs that help everyone, like the mail carrier, the crossing guard and the store owner.

One person, many roles

One person can have different roles in different groups. Your teacher might also be a mom, a soccer coach and a neighbour. You are a child at home, a student at school, a teammate at practice and a friend on the playground.

Working together

When people cooperate, they work together to get something done. A family might cooperate to clean the house before a visit. A class might cooperate to plant a garden. Each person does a part, and together they finish the job faster.

Rules help groups work together. At home, the rule might be "Clean up after dinner." At school, it might be "Raise your hand to speak." In the neighbourhood, it might be "Pick up after your dog."

Try it yourself

  1. List three groups you belong to.
  2. What is your role in your family? What is your role at school?
  3. Draw a map of your neighbourhood and mark places where people help each other.
  4. Interview a grown-up: what roles do they have?

Tip for families

Make a family job chart together. Talk about how everyone’s role helps the family.

Quick recap

  • A group is people who do things together.
  • A role is the part a person plays in a group.
  • Families, schools and neighbourhoods all have roles.
  • One person can have many roles.
  • Groups work best when people cooperate.