Geography Games and Activities

Maggie D. Smeltzer

Very often the announcement "Time for geography" produces a sea of sorry faces. You want the students to learn which continent is the largest, which has the largest population, which has the highest mountain, and so on. The question is--how can you teach this information in an enjoyable and interesting way and in a way that will help the students retain the information? Games and activities, such as the following, may be the answer.

Globe Toss

Fun for students in the lower grades.
Students form a circle in an open space. Begin by tossing an inflatable globe toward the students. The student who catches it answers a question about a country or continent. If he answers the question correctly, he can choose someone to toss the globe to. If he answers incorrectly, you toss the globe to another student.

Researching a Country

Appealing to older students.
Students choose a country to research and do activities related to topics covered in the lesson. Research activities include finding out the country's climate, cultures, types of people who live there, and so on. Photographs of the country and things related to it may be included in a report.

Jigsaw Puzzle

Good for teams of all ages.
Students will answer geography questions. When a student answers a question correctly, he will get a jigsaw-puzzle piece that will help to form a continent. The team that gets a continent put together first wins the game.

Boundary Activity

Excellent brainteaser for everyone.
Tell the students to draw several small maps, using as many boundaries as they wish. Provide felt-tip pens or crayons. Challenge the students to form a map on which six colors would be needed.

There is no rule that says students cannot enjoy studying geography. Creative, enjoyable games and activities can make this challenging subject the "capital" classroom lesson.

Reprinted from Teacher to Teacher, January 1997.

Used with permission from BJU Press. For permission to reproduce this article, please write BJU Press.