Making Geography Fun For Kids
Easy ways to give your children the world...
Easy ways to give your children the world...
Do you dream of helping your children become compassionate global citizens who appreciate the complex beauty of the world that they’re growing up in? So do we!
The Challenge
The Challenge
We live in a day and age when information is available everywhere. And yet it seems that many of us have lost our curiosity about the big world around us. How can we help our children develop a love for different cultures and people groups?
The Key Is To Make Geography FUN!
Some children seem to have a natural love for maps, treasure hunts, and adventures. But what if yours doesn’t?
The best place to begin is with the things that already captivate your child.
Does your child love to make crafts with you? Create crafts that are inspired by different cultures and countries.
Do you have a budding zoologist? Start learning about different countries by researching the animals that live there.
Does your child love stories and fairytales? Read them missionary biographies or folktales from around the world.
Do you have a chef in the making? Research the national dish or special dessert from each country and cook together.
Does your little one love to shop? Visit ethnic and international markets to find special goodies.
Does your child love to write? Encourage them to write letters to missionary kids or to children that your family sponsors in a different country.
Do your kiddos love to work on projects as a family? Go shopping together and put together a shoebox gift for Operation Christmas Child and then volunteer as a family to collect them.
Do your little ones love to travel? Save up and go on a trip that requires everyone to have a passport and see the world!
Does your child love getting little gifts in the mail? There are so many great resources out there! We love WompleMail which is a subscription program that introduces littles to a new country every month through fun snail mail that includes a letter from a super cute character, stickers and activities.
Part of nurturing a love for geography and different cultures is simply to “put your children in the way of” encountering different cultures and places. This can look like simple trips to the library and selecting books specifically to expose your kids to different countries and people groups. It can look like incorporating maps and globes in your home. It can look like going to a big city and listening to and watching the people who pass by, and simply asking, “How many different languages do you hear?”
In our home we noticed that our little guy kept climbing the couch to study our world map. He’s constantly asking where characters like Robin Hood or cool animals like kangaroos live, so we bought him his own more child friendly map that he can roll out and study wherever he wants. Our heart is to simply provide him with the resources needed to grow in curiosity. We just added a fun inflatable globe (from the dollar store) and the greatest atlas from Womple Studios to our homeschool supplies and we love how they facilitate learning in a fun and easy way!
