- Continents and oceans: the 7 continents and 5 oceansPlaces around the world
- UK countries, capital cities and seasPlaces around the world
- UK cities: which country are they in?Places around the world
- Countries and continents: Europe, North and South AmericaPlaces around the world
- UK mountains and rivers: Ben Nevis, the Severn and morePlaces around the world
- Hemispheres, the Equator and lines of latitudePlaces around the world
For parents and teachers
These geography games bring together related learning across Years 1 to 6. Start with a familiar skill, then try the next challenge when your child is ready. A school may teach these ideas in a different order; use the curriculum statements below to choose a suitable game.
The quoted headings and statements come from the National Curriculum in England. Every game has its own explanation and free printable. Talk through a question together before playing independently, and use the printable to return to a tricky idea away from the screen.
Key Stage 1
Year 1: Continents and oceans: the 7 continents and 5 oceans
Locational knowledge: “name and locate the world’s 7 continents and 5 oceans”
The Earth is covered by huge areas of land called continents and huge areas of salt water called oceans. In Key Stage 1, children learn to name the seven continents (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America) and the five oceans (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic). In the game, children sort names into continents and oceans. The Quick quiz asks which of four names is an ocean, and a few big facts, such as which ocean is the largest.
Knowing the names is the first step to locating them on a globe or world map. Once children can say the names confidently, they can point to them, notice that the United Kingdom is part of Europe, and talk about how the oceans are all joined together. More than two thirds of the Earth is covered by water, so the oceans are much bigger than the land.
Play Continents and oceans: the 7 continents and 5 oceans · Free printable
Year 2: UK countries, capital cities and seas
Locational knowledge: “name, locate and identify characteristics of the 4 countries and capital cities of the United Kingdom and its surrounding seas”
The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each has its own capital city: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. In Key Stage 1, children learn to name and find these countries and capitals on a map, and to name the seas around the UK. This game asks for capitals, the country each capital belongs to, and the seas between the UK and its neighbours.
England, Scotland and Wales share the island of Great Britain, while Northern Ireland is on the island of Ireland, next to the Republic of Ireland. The UK is surrounded by water: the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.
Lower Key Stage 2
Year 3: UK cities: which country are they in?
Locational knowledge: “name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time”
In Key Stage 2, children name and locate cities of the United Kingdom and learn which of the four countries each one is in. In the game, children sort cities into the four countries of the UK. The Quick quiz names a city and asks for its country, or names a country and asks which of four cities is in it. Every city in the game is on the official UK list of places with city status, so there are no arguments about whether a place really is a city.
Knowing a few cities in each country helps children build a mental map of the UK. Glasgow and Aberdeen are in Scotland, Swansea and Wrexham in Wales, Armagh and Newry in Northern Ireland, and Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol in England. Some cities are very small: St Davids in Wales has city status because of its cathedral, even though it is the size of a village.
Play UK cities: which country are they in? · Free printable
Year 4: Countries and continents: Europe, North and South America
Locational knowledge: “locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities”
In Key Stage 2, children locate the world’s countries, with a focus on Europe (including Russia) and North and South America. In the game, children sort countries into their continents. The Quick quiz names a country and asks which continent it is in, or names a continent and asks which of four countries belongs to it. Most questions are about Europe and the Americas, with a few countries from Asia, Africa and Oceania for contrast.
Russia is special: it is the largest country in the world and stretches across two continents, Europe and Asia, so both answers are counted as right. The curriculum names Russia on purpose, so it is worth looking at it on a globe. Children can also see how North America has only three large countries (Canada, the United States and Mexico), while South America has twelve.
Play Countries and continents: Europe, North and South America · Free printable
Upper Key Stage 2
Year 5: UK mountains and rivers: Ben Nevis, the Severn and more
Locational knowledge: “name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time”
The curriculum asks children to name and locate the UK’s key topographical features, including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers. This game focuses on the stars of the map: the tallest mountain in each of the four countries and the UK’s longest rivers. Ben Nevis in Scotland (1,345 m) is the tallest mountain in the UK, followed by Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in Wales (1,085 m), Scafell Pike in England (978 m) and Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland (850 m).
The River Severn is the UK’s longest river at 354 km. It rises in the mountains of mid-Wales and flows through England to the Bristol Channel. The River Thames, which flows through London, is the second longest at 346 km. Scotland’s longest river is the Tay and Northern Ireland’s is the Bann. A common mix-up is thinking the Thames is the longest, because it is the most famous.
Play UK mountains and rivers: Ben Nevis, the Severn and more · Free printable
Year 6: Hemispheres, the Equator and lines of latitude
Locational knowledge: “identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)”
Geographers use imaginary lines to describe where places are. Lines of latitude run around the Earth from east to west, and the most important is the Equator, at 0°, which splits the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Lines of longitude run from pole to pole; the Prime (or Greenwich) Meridian, at 0°, runs through London and splits the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
There are five major lines of latitude: the Arctic Circle, the Tropic of Cancer, the Equator, the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle. In the game, children sort countries into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Quick quiz also asks which line of latitude matches a description. Every country in the game lies wholly on one side of the Equator, so there is always exactly one right answer.
Play Hemispheres, the Equator and lines of latitude · Free printable