I’ve been guilty in the past of focusing on core subjects like math, science, language arts, and history while leaving other important areas to be covered on a rainy day.
One of those important areas was geography, but I’m happy to say that we’ve made great strides there since our early days of homeschooling. A lot of that progress is because of the wonderful homeschool geography resources we’ve found.
(This post contains affiliate links; see disclosure for details.)
With so many great homeschool geography resources available, there’s no reason at all to put geography on the back burner any longer. Here’s a look at some of the resources that make it easy to make room for geography in our daily homeschool routine.
10 Homeschool Geography Resources
1. Hands-On Geography – If you’re looking for a geography book for elementary-age kids presented from a Christian worldview, this is it! Just as the title indicates, it’s full of hands-on activities and projects to bring geography to life in ways you’ve likely not imagined.
I particularly like that it’s not just an introduction to maps and locations. Lots of different kinds of maps are covered, but they’re all covered from a practical perspective that helps kids understand how geography relates to their lives, like geography and how it connects to the Bible, family history, and nature.
2. Drawing Around the World – We use lots of Brookdale House resources in our homeschool, Drawing Around the World: Europe being our latest Brookdale House addition. When we started using this, I wasn’t sure how well The Boy would like it, but, oh my gosh, he loves it! In fact, if you follow along on Instagram, you may have seen him working on his Drawing Around the World map work.
3. Me on the Map – I have such great memories of reading this book when my son was younger and look forward to sharing it with my daughter in the coming years. The illustrations are perfect for introducing maps while keeping readers engaged, but not overwhelmed with information. I can’t think of a better way to introduce geography to younger kids.
4. My Picture Atlas – Of all of our geography resources, this is the one we’ve had the longest. From the beginning, we’ve loved the maps, facts about countries and states, and the general layout. Don’t let the cover fool you, though. While it’s great for younger kids, there’s still plenty of information to keep older kids engaged.
However, if you’re still looking for an atlas for older elementary kids, the National Geographic Kids World Atlas may be a better fit.
(Note: I’m guessing the Smart Kids Picture Atlas is an updated version of My Picture Atlas, but I’ve not seen it for myself.)
5. Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide – This is a book I’m happy to own! What I love most about this book is that it’s a homeschool geography resource for all ages. I also love that it walks you through every step of the way and that it uses lots of practical approaches and activities throughout.
6. Geography Notebooking Pages – Even though I’ve had the Country and Province Study Notebooking Pages for a while now, I’m still blown away by the incredible quality of this resource. Not sure if these are worth having? Know that these country studies aren’t just ten page printable packs! You receive enough pages to do an in-depth country study covering maps, demographic and geographical information, holidays, landmarks, and so much more.
7. Eat Your Way Around the World – This is a fun way to experience other cultures! This book contains great recipes to help in your geography studies, but what makes it different from recipes you’d stumble across on Pinterest is that it includes cultural significance, food profiles, and etiquette information. It’s definitely not “just a cookbook!”
(Similarly, Eat Your Way Through the USA would be lots of fun to use while studying US geography.)
8. The Everything Kids Geography Book – If Me on the Map is a great introduction to geography, then this book is the next step, especially for those who aren’t necessarily looking for a homeschool geography curriculum. It’s divided up by continents or regions and focuses on physical and cultural geography — the best of both worlds! It’s not meant to be exhaustive, but it covers a ton of information and is perfect for sparking an interest in geography.
9. 50 States and Where to Find Them – It’s been a few years since we’ve studied the United States, but I can’t believe I forgot just how thorough this book is! This wonderful homeschool geography tool covers the states by region and includes a wealth of information, maps, and activity pages for regions and states. Looking back over this one makes me look forward to jumping in to US geography again!
10. Maps – I love having atlases available, but they don’t quite take the place of a good map or globe. There are plenty of good options out there like this dry erase wall decal map, but you could go the same route I did and snag a standard paper map from my local dollar store. 😉
I feel like I’d be remiss for not mentioning WonderMaps in a post about geography resources. I didn’t include this resource in my list because we haven’t personally used WonderMaps yet, but I’ve got these maps on my radar for our future geography ventures because I’ve heard nothing but good things about them!
What has worked well for teaching geography in your homeschool? I’d love to check into your suggestions!
Looking for more help with teaching geography in your homeschool? Stop by iHomeschool Network and check out The Massive Homeschool Geography Guide.