Places around the world games

Explore locational knowledge across grades. Choose by skill and readiness; the grades are a starting point, and this collection does not cover a whole curriculum.

These are enrichment activities with suggested grades, not a complete state curriculum. Schools may teach topics in a different sequence. Read how we choose games.

Kindergarten: Continents and oceans: the 7 continents and 5 oceans

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.

Suggested kindergarten practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.

NCSS C3 Framework teaching connection: Geographic representations and places. Use place names, compass directions and physical features as background for reading maps and asking questions about places. Extend the game with a map or photograph; recognizing labels alone is not a complete geographic inquiry. Read the framework.

Play Continents and oceans: the 7 continents and 5 oceans · Free printable

Grade 1: UK countries, capital cities and seas

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.

Suggested grade 1 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim. This activity explores the United Kingdom as a world-geography topic; its questions are about UK places.

NCSS C3 Framework teaching connection: Geographic representations and places. Use place names, compass directions and physical features as background for reading maps and asking questions about places. Extend the game with a map or photograph; recognizing labels alone is not a complete geographic inquiry. Read the framework.

Play UK countries, capital cities and seas · Free printable

Grade 2: UK cities: which country are they in?

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.

Suggested grade 2 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim. This activity explores the United Kingdom as a world-geography topic; its questions are about UK places.

NCSS C3 Framework teaching connection: Geographic representations and places. Use place names, compass directions and physical features as background for reading maps and asking questions about places. Extend the game with a map or photograph; recognizing labels alone is not a complete geographic inquiry. Read the framework.

Play UK cities: which country are they in? · Free printable

Grade 3: Countries and continents: Europe, North and South America

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.

Suggested grade 3 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.

NCSS C3 Framework teaching connection: Geographic representations and places. Use place names, compass directions and physical features as background for reading maps and asking questions about places. Extend the game with a map or photograph; recognizing labels alone is not a complete geographic inquiry. Read the framework.

Play Countries and continents: Europe, North and South America · Free printable

Grade 4: UK mountains and rivers: Ben Nevis, the Severn and more

Explore the United Kingdom through its mountains and rivers as a world-geography activity. 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.

Suggested grade 4 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim. This activity explores the United Kingdom as a world-geography topic; its questions are about UK places.

NCSS C3 Framework teaching connection: Geographic representations and places. Use place names, compass directions and physical features as background for reading maps and asking questions about places. Extend the game with a map or photograph; recognizing labels alone is not a complete geographic inquiry. Read the framework.

Play UK mountains and rivers: Ben Nevis, the Severn and more · Free printable

Grade 5: Hemispheres, the Equator and lines of latitude

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.

Suggested grade 5 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.

NCSS C3 Framework teaching connection: Geographic representations and places. Use place names, compass directions and physical features as background for reading maps and asking questions about places. Extend the game with a map or photograph; recognizing labels alone is not a complete geographic inquiry. Read the framework.

Play Hemispheres, the Equator and lines of latitude · Free printable