S. Kay Gandy
Western Kentucky University

Children learn their place in the world at an early
age

Exploration is the beginning of a child’s
understanding of human-environment
relationships

Parents and teachers lay foundations for
geographic concepts by:
-understanding what is developmentally
appropriate
-encouraging playful activities that build
skills and knowledge

Geography learning begins at home and can be
taught to those as young as 2 & 3

Activities:
 Use directional terms in everyday language
 Dress paper dolls for seasons
 Find places in the news on maps
 Plan family vacations


Concepts are more memorable if done outdoors
Activities:
 go on a field trip around the block and
reconstruct what was seen and heard
 demonstrate how to use a compass or orient a
street map
 tour school grounds and draw a map
representing the landscape
 create a grid using pegs and string on the lawn

Activities:
 Play games like Hokey Pokey, Bingo,
and “Toss the Globe”
 Read children’s literature that teaches
basic geographic concepts
 Make models of the Earth using balloons,
paper maché, or grocery bags
 Build communities with milk cartons

Activities:
 use compasses, GIS, and GPS to find
location
 read and interpret images, pictures, and
maps with Google Earth, Topzone,
MapQuest, and ESRI websites
 use Tom’s Synder’s Neighborhood Map
Machine to make 3-D models

Geography is more than studying maps, it
allows students the chance:
 to understand where they come from
 to explore where they live
 to explore places surrounding them

As awareness of the world grows, children use
geographic skills to feel a connection with:
 people they have never met
 places they have never been

Most importantly…
GEOGRAPHY MAKES THE WORLD
ALIVE TO STUDENTS!