Want Your Kids to Learn About the World? Try a Geography Game!

My sister Rebecca lives in New Zealand, and I periodically get out the globe and show my kids where she is compared to where we are.  I want my children to grow up knowing about our world’s fascinating diversity of people, plants and animals—and appreciating how amazing the Earth really is.

If you feel the same as I do, there are some great geography toys out there that may interest you:

• “Where in the World?” game helps kids learn about different countries’ flags, populations, currencies, languages, religions and economies.  A helpful feature is its design, which allows younger and older children to play at the same time.
• For kids who are serious about geography, you may want to invest in MindWare’s brand new interactive “Smart Globe 3,” which teaches kids about different countries’ people, weather and currency.  It can be updated online, keeping information current even as situations change around the world.
• Kids who are learning about the United States would enjoy “United States Bingo.”  It’s a fast-paced game that teaches kids about American regions, states, landmarks and industries.

One thing I try to do at home is to bring up geography in normal, daily conversations with my kids.  When a foreign country comes up, I think about potential connections between the people we know and the nation being discussed.  Maybe someone mentions Japan.  Since I lived there many years ago as an exchange student, I’ll talk to my kids about the families with whom I stayed, say a phrase or two in Japanese, and mention my favorite Japanese food.  If I’m not as knowledgeable about a country, we might hop online, research the country, and see what interesting facts we can discover.  Maybe we’ll discuss the native animals that live in that country or talk about its climate.

In our increasingly international world, it’s only going to benefit your children if they develop a large world view and an interest in what’s out there.  You can make the different countries of the world come to life during day-to-day conversations, by playing fun and interesting games and by being personally interested in the world yourself!

Tags: Best Geography Games, Educational Games, Educational Learning, Geography Games, Smart Globe 3, United States Bingo, Where in the World?

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