Learning the Earth’s geography will open a child’s eyes of how our planet is really composed. By getting a general understanding of the earth’s features and countries, the rest of the world may not seem like such a large and daunting place to a child after all.
Introducing your young child to geography can be done by several colorful and hands-on activities. Through these activities, a child can learn about various terrains, land populations, elevations, and soil. Identifying countries, states, and territories can be taught as well.
Letters of the Alphabet
Because there are so many countries on the planet, it is certain that almost every letter of the alphabet is the first letter of a country name. Write on a sheet of paper every letter in the alphabet and have your child write a country next to the letter that is the first of its name. This also can be done with major cities, as well as country and state capitals.
For older children who are still learning their geography, have them play a timed geography challenge. Write down all of the letters of the alphabet, and then see how many places they can come up with that start with each letter within a certain timeframe. For example, give them one minute to come up with as many “A” places as they can, then one minute for “B”, and so on. This is a great way to practice their geography for half an hour each day.
Identifying Where You Live
Find a map of the United States (or wherever you may live) and ask that your child point out where your family lives. Then, have them write down the country, state, and city. If you have a map that notes geographical features, ask your child to identify the type of topography of where you live as well.
If your child is in the process of learning your address, this is a great way to practice it with them. Start by asking for your street, then city, then state, and so on, all the way out to your continent. You can add additional challenge by asking your child what your zip code and county are.
Landforms
Print out a picture of a country. Then, draw arrows that point to particular things such as a bay, gulf, lake, or river. Have your child identify what each land form is. When you're out for a drive or a walk, see if your child can identify different landforms as you pass them by.
Road Trip
The best way to look at the earth is to see it. On your next day off, take your child on a road trip to a national park, or the beach. Walk around and take in the different landforms that exist around you. Mountains often surround national parks, and there are plenty of nature hikes to go on. Go see a waterfall and check out streams and rivers.
A beach day will bring your child to see the ocean first hand. If you like to go out to the water, see what types of currents exist. For those who snorkel, look under the water’s surface and observe the sandy floor. Just make sure that your child is always in your sight for safety’s sake!
Learn By Television or Print Media
National Geographic has both a channel and a magazine. Watch some programs with your kids to learn about the Earth or sit down sometime at the table and skim through the pages of the magazine. National Geographic offers a website that is intended for children. Your kids can peruse the site by looking at the pictures, reading about all kinds of facts, or even playing online games. This website will definitely entertain and educate your child at the same time.
Create a Model
Recreate the world by creating one yourself. This can be done with Play-Doh, Legos, or anything you want! This activity is left open-ended for the kid and his or her creativity. Just find a map and model after the continents! Challenge your child to make as accurate of a model as possible. If they're able to make one that's accurate, you can keep it on hand for further learning. If not, have them try again! As they say, practice makes perfect.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©spekulator / freeimages.