If your grade-schooler doesn’t know that Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota, they’re not alone. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (also known as the “Nation’s Report Card), only one in five elementary school students have mastered geography.
According to experts, this goes beyond not being able to locate Iowa on the map of the United States. In an interview with the New York Times, David Driscoll, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, said, “Geography is not just about maps. It is a rich and varied discipline that, now more than ever, is vital to understand the connections between our global economy, the environment and diverse cultures.
Given these far-reaching implications, a number of parents are now looking for ways to increase their children’s mastery of geography at home using techniques that their children will actually enjoy. If you are one of these parents, here are three creative and fun ways to teach US geography to your school-age children.
Traditional and online puzzles
Geography has to do with space. So why not let your children learn spatially? Children are more likely to remember that Nebraska is north of Kansas after completing a US map puzzle compared to reading information from a book. Puzzles are versatile learning tools. You can ask your children to build the whole map. You can also build it yourself, then remove a few pieces and test your kids if they can identify the missing states and their capital cities.
Similarly, there are a number of downloadable puzzles available online. The advantage of these virtual puzzles is that you can download them on your smartphone or tablet and take the fun and learning with you wherever you go: on the way to school, while waiting for your children’s dentist appointment, etc.
Use of State Keepsake Magnets
Magnetic home accessories have been used to a very limited extent. Well, here’s a new one for you: use state souvenir magnets to teach your kids about US geography. There are several stores where you can find complete sets of state-shaped magnets that include all 50 states. You can even order online if you want. Most of these magnet collections can fit on a standard size refrigerator.
Get creative when using these magnets to teach your kids about US geography. For example, stick five state souvenir magnets on your refrigerator, call your kids into the kitchen, and ask them to look at the magnets. If they can identify the capital and some key facts about the states, they can open the fridge and find a delicious reward waiting for them. Isn’t this more fun than reading your school books?
Fun learning with flashcards
Using flash cards is another time-tested and classic way to effectively reinforce learning at home. There are many flashcards readily available that deal with US geography, but you can also customize your own if you wish.
The truth is that there is nothing new in the use of flashcards. The fun will come from how you use them. For example, you can put these cards in a box. Every day, you will ask your elementary child to draw a card from this box. If you guess correctly, there is a prize attached to each card, such as watching TV for 15 more minutes. Again, the only limit here is your creativity.
It’s quite possible that one of the reasons elementary school students do poorly in US Geography is because they find the subject boring. Make it more fun with the tips and tricks listed above.