35 Hands On Geography Activities To Do In 15 Minutes Or Less

Leo Migdal

-Dec 14, 2025, 1:38 AM

35 hands on geography activities to do in 15 minutes or less

July 5, 2017 | 1 CommentThis post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy. I have 35 hands on geography activities in 15 minutes or less. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips. Whether you want to spend minimal time planning geography, you’re preparing for a homeschool co-op or just need some quick hands-on geography activities, you’ll love this round up of 35 hands-on geography activities to... 1.

Grab these easy and fun Dover Around the World Coloring books. Some kids really love coloring and this is an easy go to activity. <img decoding="async" width="1" height="1" border="0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=tinsdynhomplu-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0486439836" alt=""> 2. While studying about South America, make these easy paperplate masks. Learning about the big wide world can be a lot of fun for students, and geography is the perfect subject for hands-on learning.

These geography games and activities will introduce new concepts, broaden perspectives, and allow your students to practice valuable skills. This fun game is a one minute speed test for kids to identify as many states as they can. To play, pull a labeled stick and mark the state off your map. If you pull a SNAP stick, though, you’ll have to erase your map and start again. The classic game of 20 questions can be a perfect fit in your geography study. First, have one student come up with a state, country, or continent.

Then, allow students to ask a yes or no question, one at a time. For example: “Is this state in the north?”, “Is this state on the coast?”, “Was this state one of the original colonies?”, etc. The goal, of course, is to guess the correct answer in 20 questions or less. Play Brain Dash 60 Flags Around the World: Spot the flag, name the country. Kids will recognize this fun game as a version of the card game War. Download these free trading cards with colored illustrations of each state, along with interesting facts.

To play, deal all of the cards out to two players, face down. Each player pulls the top card, keeping it to themself, and calls out a category (population, electoral votes, etc.). Each player reads off the appropriate number, and the player with the higher number keeps the cards. Geography is a subject often neglected, which is a shame because it’s so easy to incorporate with other subjects, such as history, art, and language arts. Plus, geography is just fun to study on its own. Don’t believe me?

Just check out these cool hands-on geography ideas for all ages! Our family loves making maps to help us better understand the people and places we’re studying. We’d made many salt dough maps, but we also enjoy making edible maps. Cookie dough and crispy treats are probably two of the easiest mediums to use because they’re easy to shape. You can then use icing or your favorite candies to mark geographic features, such as mountains, rivers, or capital cities. Dioramas are fun and easy to create.

We hoard up empty shoeboxes for simple projects like this. Hands-on geography has been a staple in our homeschool learning for years. This is a comprehensive exploration of all the benefits we’ve seen from this approach, and a complete list of the best ideas and options to get you started. It is no secret that I am a huge advocate for hands-on learning. I have seen first hand in my own homeschool just how effective adding a multisensory approach can be in any child’s learning and especially for children with unique learning needs. There are several key reasons why hands-on, multisensory learning works so well for learners of all ages.

There’s no doubt, incorporating hands-on activities into learning creates a much more engaging and effective educational experience. This has been true for us across every subject, but especially in learning geography! Even before I had my own children, I experienced the value of hands-on geography. When I was in the 7th grade, we had to make a salt map fora country study and share a popular dish. Mine was Italy. If you are looking for fun and engaging geography activities for your middle schoolers to do, read about all of the learning opportunities below.

You will find information and photos about crafts, food, websites, and hands-on activities that will be sure to reach your learner as you teach your lessons. Your students will be able to make connections and have fun while learning! Having a good old fashion sing-along will be so much fun for your middle schoolers. Songs are a catchy way for students to remember facts. You could challenge them to create their own songs to help them remember or you can show them pre-made songs. Geoguesser is an excellent addition to your next physical geography lesson.

The website will give you clues as to where in the world you are located. Students can take turns, work in groups or spend some time on this website independently. Discovery boxes are an interactive and sensory activity as students learn about different cultures around the world. Including many different things in these discovery boxes will help your students learn about the foods, traditional clothes, and sacred items of the culture you are currently studying. I believe so strongly in the importance of our children having a global perspective– knowing the world is so much more than about them, their neighborhood, and their country. I’ve found over 30 fun books, games, & playful activities to help facilitate knowledge of geography and a global perspective.

The most important thing for kids to start with is learning their home address. You’d be surprised how many kids don’t know or have forgotten their home address. (And phone number.) Practice this often! Books with maps and about maps are a great addition to your reading choices. Gamifying any concept helps kids learn. These games are great ways to engage young learners to learn geography.

Don’t miss The Scrambled States or Ticket to Ride — two favorites of ours. Pull out a puzzle map, and you’ll be amazed at how much this helps kids learn geography.

35 Hands On Geography Activities To Do In 15 Minutes Or Less

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July 5, 2017 | 1 CommentThis Post May Contain Affiliate

Grab These Easy And Fun Dover Around The World Coloring

These Geography Games And Activities Will Introduce New Concepts, Broaden

Then, Allow Students To Ask A Yes Or No Question,

To Play, Deal All Of The Cards Out To Two