Cities, states, countries, landmarks, climate, terrain—when it comes to geography there’s a dizzying amount of information for kids to read and retain, and if the material isn’t fun to learn, the challenge of teaching it only grows. Fortunately there’s a simple way to get kids excited about geography, and that’s playing games.
You can create any number of fun geography games using items you have around the house and a bit of creativity. Read on for a few fun ideas to get you started.
Treasure hunt- Help your little one hone his map reading skills by sending him on a backyard treasure hunt. To get the fun started, just hide a buried treasure somewhere in your yard; then draw up a map to lead your child to its location. Your child will have so much fun searching for the treasure that he probably won’t even realize he’s learning in the process. Note: To maximize the value of this map exercise, be sure to include a compass and legend.
Point and learn- For true geography fun, toss aside the textbooks and pull out a globe. Then, have your child close his eyes and give the globe a spin—whichever country his finger is on when it stops becomes his research assignment. Encourage your child to learn all that he can about his country by making a trip to the library or doing a search on the Internet. Then, once he’s exhausted his search, spin the globe again and start the process over.
Travel agent- Bring geography to life with a fun game of pretend by turning your living room into a make-shift travel agency. Then, schedule an appointment with your little travel agent, and have her plan a vacation for the family. As she scours travel brochures and books, she’ll be learning all about exotic locales from their landmarks and history to their weather and terrain. Who knows, your travel agent might even end up planning a vacation that your family wants to take.
Sleuth- Memorizing state capitals and mottos may not be fun, but playing detective is. Give your child a few geography clues; (ex. The Palmetto State or The Show Me State) then set her loose to uncover the state’s identity. Note: As your child’s sleuth skills improve, you can increase the difficulty of the questions to keep the game challenging.
City ABC- Expand your child’s knowledge of city names by challenging her to a game of City ABC. The rules are simple: Start by naming a city that begins with A, then proceed until you get to Z. If your child gets stuck along the way, a quick look at a U.S. map will get the game rolling again, and add to your child’s knowledge base.
Give a few of these fun geography games a try; and you and your child are sure to have hours of learning fun. Then keep the learning process going by creating a few games of your own. Before long, you’ll have a little geography genius on your hands.
