Games and Activities for Learning American Geography

Scrambled States

Scrambled States is a favorite game of ours. My daughter learned a lot of facts through playing this game over and over:  capitol cities, state outlines, general American geography. The clever format and quirky design makes learning geography humorous. For example, the states are drawn with eyes and noses. Some of them have hats or eyeglasses. The game incorporates these silly elements along with the more academic facts of geography --which states border each other or state nicknames.

10 Days in the USA

10 Days in the USA is the American version of the 10 Days series of games. The idea is to plan a trip that takes you across the nation in ten steps, indicated by cards. Arrange your cards in a logical progression geographically and by using appropriate transportation. The map is the game board and has to be referenced repeatedly during play.

Floor Puzzle

This 100 piece puzzle is unique in that the pieces are state shaped. So not only do you have the visual spatial fun of a jigsaw puzzle but you also can learn the outlines of the states and how the states fit together to make the nation. The physical act of handling the shapes, sorting them by region, fitting them together, and rearranging them is a wonderful hands-on way to become familiar with the structure of the fifty American states.

By dividing up the state pieces into groups, you could create quick map drills or sorting games.