Learning Geography for Kids

If asked point blank, could you find Iraq on the map right this moment? Iceland? Alberta? Nebraska? Geography is a basic skill that many schoolchildren are lacking in, much less adults who have been out of the classroom for a long time. Having been a mom for over 14 years (officially homeschooling for more than seven) and the wife of a geography junkie for even longer, I have found that there are lots of fun and interesting ways to bring geography up frequently in everyday life. These fun discussions easily result in lasting learning of places and where they are located in relationship to where you are.

Learning where we are in the world is as easy as playing games with the kids. There are lots of ways to learn geography without it being a class or project to bog down the fun of learning.

The key to a working familiarity with geography is putting up a map. Ideally, putting up two wall maps. One being a map of the United States that shows each individual state, including rivers and mountains; and another map of the world as a whole, showing continents,countries and oceans. Having these maps on the wall to look at and peruse will bring about basic familiarity that is easily built upon. With these maps at the ready, it becomes easy to dash over or walk by and pinpoint a place. This is probably the most effective, lasting way to learn geography, to learn where places are in relationship to us in the world. When you read about a place in the newspaper, in a magazine, hear it on the world news or see a place mentioned on the weather, say something to the kids and everyone take a moment to find the place on the map. Go a bit further, and note the country in which the place in question is located. Even further would be to note the continent and even to talk about which direction from you the place in question is. Learning direction is a key point in map skills, in geography. Play a game where someone calls out the name of a place and everybody scrambles to see who can find it on the map first. Pick any country, city, river, ocean and ask if it is north, south, east or west of where you are located. To add an element of fun and accomplishment, buy inexpensive push pins to place on the map, pinpointing places you have talked about and searched out with the kids. A neat thing about all of these tips for learning geography is that even if you, as a parent or adult who is around kids frequently, are not that good with geography, you can do these things and therefore enhance and improve your own knowledge of geography while encouraging the kids. When traveling even short distances, show the kids the atlas, highlight your route, noting places you will pass along the way. Keep this handy in the car for browsing over as you travel.

Putting together a map puzzle is easy yet interactive geography fun and should not be underrated in terms of learning geography value, by far. This family, with it's love of geography, has been doing map puzzles forever. There are basic puzzles for smaller children available, United States puzzles-be sure to have one that shows individual states and maybe even rivers, as they're critical to geography placement-all the way up to intricate, lasting world puzzles that would be a great way to learn geography and while away rainy days or cold, wintry indoor days and weeks.

All of the above-mentioned tips to bring geography forward in your world may seem like no-brainers to some, yet like light-bulb moments to others. At any rate, if you put up maps on your walls, I am certain geography learning will begin to happen almost before your eyes. Give it a try, learning about geography is fun and an excellent skill to have.