Introduction to Geography in Kindergarten

I find the lack of social studies specific content in kindergarten classes alarming. When I taught high school I was oblivious to how little social studies training students had in elementary school. With my son entering the public school system I have begun the slow process of creating resource for him and tweaking them for my store.

Student are introduced to the concept of geography in kindergarten by learning about their home town and what elements are present in their town. Fire department, police department, school, doctor – these are all fine way to get students thinking about their surroundings but I wanted to see something that connect the world around.

I created the Me and My World Flip Book to introduce students to more specific geographic terms as well as get them thinking about their place in the world.

The flip book challenges students to use a multitude of skills to complete the book. Coloring, drawing, cutting, hand-eye coordination, and listening skills are all necessary. And this flip book can be used in one day or spread out over the course of a week, giving the teacher flexibility which is important as not all teachers have classrooms that can breeze through the lesson.

What geography are students introduced to?

Page seven is our solar system. Yes, I am aware it isn’t really geography but I wanted to include it because learning the order of the planets is fun for little learners and coloring them can be even more fun. Plus, it is the first step in helping them understand that we are part of something bigger than Earth.

Students will color the Earth both blue and green which begins the conversation of water and land and how they work together.

Finally, students will learn about more traditional geographic concepts from here on in – continents, country, state, town, and home. Obviously, in kindergarten or first grade, what students need to know about continents isn’t much, but this is an introduction lesson. Teachers should be stressing how large the landmass of a continent is and which continent we live on. A map is included to introduce students to the shape of North America – something that older students struggle with.

Students work their way down to a more and more narrow geographic view until the first page where they either write their address or draw a picture of their home.

Once complete this is a cute assignment students can take home and share with their families and showcase their work. Plus students are challenged on many skills which gives teachers a chance for a quick assessment, helping them figure out what skills their students excel at or need improvement with.

It’s Common Core Aligned

This resource is also aligned with the Common Core standards W.K.3 and W.K.1 for teachers who are looking for aligned lessons. If this doesn’t matter to you and your classroom, you can skip it. It is not so embedded into the lesson that it cannot be removed.

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