Teaching the seven continents to kids is important in expanding their horizons about planet Earth. Visually presenting the information and pairing it with a captivating activity can be a great way to help students grasp unfamiliar content. Whether you’re searching for low-prep activities, mapping activities, or hands-on crafts that your students will love, we’ve got you covered! Below are some great educational resources to help you with your planning, and make your students’ journey of learning about continents fun.
1. Continent Matching Activity
This activity is perfect for students in younger grades. Using a free printable, students can match continents to a map. If students are able to use scissors, this is a great fine motor activity as well.
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2. Do a Continent Puzzle
Looking for hands-on learning activities? Try engaging your students with a continent puzzle. As far as map activities go, this is amazing because students will actually be assembling a map. When it’s complete, they’ll be able to see all the continents and major oceans.
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3. Use Activity Cards
For students who learn better in a visual sense, try using activity cards to help them learn the continents. For more advanced students, have them create the cards on their own, or use pre-made cards for a low-prep activity.
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4. Sing a Continent Song
When you’re doing a continent study, help students learn the names by teaching them a song. Always a great way to learn something; the singing will engage students and will help bind knowledge to memory. Make up your own songs, or use some that have already been created.
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5. Watch a BrainPop Video
To introduce or supplement your students’ continent study, watch a BrainPop video with them. Have students jot down notes, or complete some of the digital activities that are provided with the video.
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6. Read a Book About the Continents
Share a read-aloud with your students to get them excited about different continents. A Ticket Around the World is a great choice, and students will love traveling with the main character to different continents.
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7. Create Play Dough Continents
Playdough is a classic way of engaging tactile learners. Print out a map outline and have students form models of each of the continents. You can also do this with your favorite ocean for a challenge!
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8. Create a Continent Fortune Teller
This is an awesome game to help students learn about the continents. Have students fold a piece of cardstock and write the names of continents to find under each flap. Pair learners up and have them practice finding each of the continents.
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9. Play a Continents Game
If you’re looking for a low-prep resource to use as a review with your class, this game is it! Students will need to identify different continents by clicking on them. They can also play the Oceans Game and review where the Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean are, among others!
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10. Travel to the Continents through Experiments
Travel around the world with your students as you conduct fun experiments together. A perfect way to incorporate STEM, print out these passports and let students keep track of the different countries and continents they’ve visited. Each experiment on this site relates to a different country!
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11. Create a Continent Necklace
This is a fun activity for younger learners who love to craft. Using string and some colorful beads, have students string them to create a colorful necklace. In between a few beads, have students string on the continents. You can use shrinky-dink paper for this, or simply draw the continents on felt or another material.
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12. Create a Continent Sensory Bin
Sensory bins are a great way for students to explore a topic. When it comes to simplicity, this bin is it. Simply use blue water beads and green aloe vera to create the continents. Let students arrange the continents and the oceans, and get creative!
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13. Create a Continents Booklet
Help your students learn about the continents with these continents booklets. Students can add information, make their own, and reference them throughout their studies.
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