Places around the world
Year 2 · Geography
Explore places, read maps and discover the world around you.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
UK countries, capital cities and seas
What is the capital of Wales? Which sea is between England and France? A free KS1 geography game about the UK’s countries, capitals and seas.
Play UK countries, capital cities and seas
Learning about places around the world
In this Year 2 geography collection, you can practise UK countries, capital cities and seas. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Keep a globe, atlas or simple map nearby. Ask your child to point to a place or direction before naming it. Relate a map symbol or feature to a real example, and compare places rather than memorising isolated names.
Ask: “Where would you look to check your answer?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
UK countries, capital cities and 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.
Try an example: What is the capital city of Wales?
Wales is to the west of England. Its capital is on the south coast of Wales.
Show the answer
Cardiff.
What to look out for
Thinking London is the capital of Scotland or Wales. London is the capital of England and of the whole UK, but each country has its own capital too.
Practise away from the screen
- Find where you live on a UK map, then find your nearest capital city.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to Locational knowledge in the National Curriculum in England. The programme groups requirements by key stage; the year shown here is our suggested practice placement. A game covers selected examples, rather than assessing every requirement.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with places around the world?
Start with UK countries, capital cities and seas. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. This collection brings together the games currently available for this learning area. It supports selected skills and does not replace the full programme of study or practical teaching.