Geography Classroom Games

Kids sometimes learn faster by doing, rather than by sitting and reading. Geography is well-suited to active learning because of the games available. These games get the kids up and moving around the classroom, and let them learn while they’re having fun. Geography classroom games include those played with a large map on the wall and those played with a globe.

The globe game is one of the more basic geography classroom games because it only requires a globe and it’s adaptable for different age groups or levels or learning. The point of the game is for students to locate and identify different countries or states on the globe. You simply ask the child to find a specific country. If the child can’t locate the country, then you move onto the next student. The student who locates the most countries wins. Ask younger students to locate different states, and older kids to pinpoint cities of the world.

For “Where in the World?”, students play with a globe or a large map, depending on what you have in the classroom. You give the children the names of different landmarks, and it’s their job to find the cities where they're located. For example, if you ask the children to find Buckingham Palace, they should identify London on the map. Divide larger groups of children into teams and give each team a list of landmarks. The first team to identify all its cities wins the game. If no team names all the cities correctly, then the winner is the team with the most correct answers.

If you have a large map in your classroom, then you can play a version of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”. All you need is the map and cutouts of various states or countries. Hand the child one of the cutouts and ask him or her to place it on the map in the correct spot. It’s helpful to give the kids a time limit, especially on smaller or harder-to-find countries. Work on one continent at a time, or use all the continents for older children. For younger kids, use only the 50 United States. Another option is to blank out the map, which makes the game a bit harder.