The United States government has three branches. Congress makes the laws. The President and the executive branch carry out the laws. The courts decide what the laws mean. Each branch can check the others, so no one has too much power.
Peabody: Hi, I am Peabody! Imagine a game where one person makes the rules, plays, and says who wins. That would not be fair. So the United States splits the power into three parts called branches.
Crumb: I am Crumb! The first branch is Congress. It makes the laws. It has two groups, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The people vote for them.
Peabody: The second branch is the executive branch. The President leads it. The President carries out the laws and can sign a bill so it becomes a law.
Crumb: The third branch is the courts. Judges decide what the laws mean. They help when people do not agree about a law. The top court is the Supreme Court.
Peabody: Each branch can check the others. The President can say no to a bill. Congress can make a new one. A court can say a law breaks the Constitution. This is called checks and balances.
Crumb: The rules for all of this are in the Constitution. It keeps power shared, and that helps keep people free. You can learn how it works, and that is how you help it work.
Crumb: Here is a recap! Congress makes the laws. The President carries them out. The courts explain them. Each branch checks the others, so power is shared. You know how your government works!
Quiz: five questions
Tap an answer. Stuck? Tap the hint. Nothing is scored or saved.
Question 1 of 5
How many branches does the U.S. government have?
The words
branch
one part of the government
Congress
the group that makes the nation's laws
law
a rule everyone in a country must follow
Constitution
the plan and rules for the government
checks and balances
each branch can limit the others
Make it: put the explainer in order
Tap the scenes in the order they happen. Which comes first?
Try it without a screen: A family game with three branches
You need: paper, a pencil, two coins.
Make up a small rule, like when the cookies get eaten.
One person (Congress) writes the rule. Another (the executive) makes sure it happens.
A third (the court) decides what to do when someone is unsure what the rule means.
Talk about why it felt fairer than one person doing all three.
For the grown-up
This explainer covers the three branches in the Constitution (Articles I, II and III) and the idea of checks and balances, usually taught in grades 3 to 5. It stays non-partisan and describes how the system is set up, not how any person is doing. Nothing here is saved or shown to anyone.