Are you looking for homeschool resources on American History and Geography? Or for ideas for supplementing what your kids are learning virtually this year?
Our family is spending the year studying American History and US Geography. Several friends have asked for help with ideas on what to do with their kids. This list is comprised of FREE online videos, read aloud book ideas, workbooks, games, puzzles and online activities for both American History and US Geography. I hope you find it helpful!
American History
I feel like with everything going on in our world and nation right now, it’s the perfect year to be studying American History with your kids. We’ve studied up to the Declaration of Independence thus far, and I have to be honest, I’m finding it extremely interesting how well some of what we are learning connects with what is happening in 2020.
You’ll be surprised how many FREE resources you can find that help even the youngest of children learn but what adults can relate to as well.
- Videos & Music
- Liberty Kids. A full American Revolution series about two teenage reports covering the events of the Revolutionary War for Ben Franklin’s newspaper. Starts with Boston Tea Party and includes topics such as Intolerable Acts, Liberty or Death, Bunker Hill, the Continental Congress, Washington Taking Command, Common Sense and so on. Each episode about 20 minutes. FREE on Youtube. Fun idea to watch together as a family in the evenings. This series can also be purchased on Amazon (good for car rides and traveling).
- Pups for Liberty. A great series featuring The Dogclaraction of Independence, Boston Tea-Bone Party and so on! FREE on Youtube.
- Animated Hero Classics. Short videos on history including Christopher Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and more. They are on RightNow Media if you have access to that, and also YouTube. They are fantastic!!!
- Wee Sing America. Includes one hour CD and 64 page book.
- Drive Thru History – America: Columbus to the Constitution. I think this is best for older students like 4th grade and up, but younger students will definitely learn from it as well. Available on Right Now Media or can be purchased as a complete DVD set.
- Read Aloud Books
- If You Series of Books. These are fantastic books with pictures that go into depth for each historical period including the New World, American Revolution, Slavery and the Underground Railroad, Colonial Times and more! I remembering reading these as a kid and actually still have one of them that really stood out to me as a child.
- Who Was Books. These are great for readers who are becoming confident and ready for chapter books. A boy named Colby actually created a list of all the books that fit with the American History timeline, and a discounted set to buy all the books together. You’ll want the Cycle 3 book bundle or the TechTrep MEGA American History Bundle. If you don’t wan the full set you can also find them on Amazon or ThriftBooks.
- American Girl books. These cover most of American history time periods and are good for confident readers to read themselves, but also great to read aloud to younger children. Boys will like them too if you are reading aloud as the stories are quite intriguing and addicting. Be warned, for some of them my daughter and I would sit and cry as we read them, as they were so touching. I also love the character building concepts they include, especially in the “Learns a Lesson” series. I find the best prices for these on ThriftBooks. Get 15% off your first purchase here!
- Children’s Book of Heroes. We love all three books in this series, but this particular book focuses on heroes from American history, both real and fictional. Excerpts are chosen for young children and relate to character virtues. George Washington, Paul Bunyan, and more celebrate endurance, sacrifice, courage and compassion.
- Magic TreeHouse Book Series. Great for readers in about 1st-3rd grade, depending on their reading level. A good first chapter books series, many of them relate to American History like Thanksgiving on Thursday, Revolutionary War on Wednesday, To the Future Ben Franklin and Civil War on Sunday. You can get these for less than $5 each on Amazon.
- Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving. I borrowed this from the library but had not known much about Squanto before I read it. I’m now considering adding this story to our permanent collection—the book and story was soooo good!
- I’ve recently found a love of some stories for confident readers (probably 4th grade and up), but they are also excellent to read aloud to your entire family. Here are some of our favorites that relate to American History:
- Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Ben Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos. I think the title says it all. We just started reading it this week and I can’t wait to finish it!
- A Lion to Guard Us – An exciting tale about three children who journey to the New World. This kept us on the edge of our seats and left vivid pictures in our mind of their faith, courage and grit.
- Story of the World: Volume 3. This is part of a series of books that tells you the history of the world in story form. I love that my kids and I are hearing history as a memorable story, rather than a textbook. They also have some really neat activities, geography maps, games and coloring pages in their Story of the World Workbook that my kids love doing while I read aloud.
- Toliver’s Secret. We haven’t read this yet, but its about a 10-year-old girl who replaces her grandfather on a top-secret patriotic mission, while disguised as a boy. She manages to smuggle a message to General Washington!
- By the Great Horn Spoon! Also on our to-read-soon list, is this story about the California Gold Rush and one determined twelve-year-old boy. He goes to CA in search of gold to help his aunt who is being forced to sell her beloved mansion.
- Guns for General Washington. The true story of Will Knox, a 19-year-old boy who undertook the daring and dangerous transportation of 183 cannons from New York to Boston in the dead of winter, to help George Washington win an important battle.
- Mr. Lincoln’s Drummer. Ten-year-old Willie is too young to be a soldier but brave enough to be a drummer in Mr. Lincoln’s army.
- Hattie Big Sky. Sixteen-year-old Hattie has been shuffled from one relative to another for most of her life. Tired of it, she summons the courage to leave Iowa and move all by herself to Montana. She braves hard weather, a cantankerous cow and a quest to make a home.
- Journey to Topaz. Based on real experiences, this is a moving story of one girl’s struggle to remain brave during the Japanese internment of WWII. Eleven-year-old Yuki and her family experience true friendship and heart-wrenching tragedy. The book explores the consequences of prejudice and the capacities of the human spirit.
- Workbooks
- Draw Write Now Book 2: Christopher Columbus. The Draw Write Now series of books are excellent for combining drawing for children along with a little bit of writing. They are simply enough for a child to use independently but could also include prepared lessons by a parent.
- Draw Write Now Book 3: Native Americans and Pilgrims. Each lesson includes step-by-step picture instructions and four simple handwriting sentences.
- Draw Write Through History: The 20th Century. Includes 20th century history like drawing a Model T, the Titantic and a WWI soldier. Also includes Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King Jr and others.
- Online Games
- Oregon Trail. A classic from my childhood, can still be played online! What a fun memory for kids to have along with studying American history this year, right? 🙂
- Games and Puzzles
- Professor Noggin’s History of the US Education Trvia Based Card Game. Thirty game cards combining trivia and true and false. Good for ages 7+.
- Professor Noggin’s American Revolution Card Game. Thirty game cards combing trivia and true and false from Benjamin Franklin to Valley Forge.
- Declaration of Independence Puzzle. Finished puzzle is 18″ x 24″ and shows the Declaration of Independence in 750 pieces.
- US Presidents Puzzle. This 1000 piece puzzle shows photos and names of all the US Presidents in order. Great for older kids on a wet and rainy fall day or cold snowy winter day.
For additional resources on American History, you might want to check out this extensive list from Half Hundred Acre Wood, that includes printables and links starting with Columbus and finishing with everything up to 9/11. You’ll find tons to do here!
United States Geography
When studying geography with little kids, the key is repetition and play. Consider taking just a few states each week to focus on—do different crafts, activities, worksheets and read aloud to help students connect with those states. Or if you want, just pick one state each week! Make recipes from that state, watch videos, do puzzles, color pages, and play games!
- Websites
- United States Symbols of USA. This is a fantastic website that you can research each state’s symbols, like the state flag, state dog, state fish, state flower, state animal, and so on. There are written descriptions of each PLUS videos for many of them, that help kids understand things like the Mountain Laurel (Pennsylvania’s state flower) and the Pennsylvania Long Rifle (Pennsylvania’s state firearm).
- HubPages. She has organized states into regions, like the Mid-Atlantic—with states lesson plans, that include activities, recipes, videos, games and ideas for each state.
- Seterra US State Capitals Map Quiz Game. Seterra offers a variety of online quiz games for the US states and capitals for FREE.
- Sheppard Software Games. A variety of games for capitals and states and even landscapes. Choose from beginner to intermediate to expert. FREE.
- US Map Puzzle. Students drag a state outline onto the US map.
- US Map Quiz. The game highlights a few states for child to choose from and asks a question like, “Denver is the capital of this state” or “this state borders the Gulf of Mexico”.
- Printables
- FREE Crayola State Coloring Pages. There are coloring pages for each state that include the flag, flower, capital and state animal or fish.
- FREE State Flash Cards. State fact pages / coloring pages from Crayola.
- State Fact Page. We like to use sheets like this one for a weekly scavenger hunt on a specific state. Kids find the capital, abbreviation, square miles, state bird and flower and so on.
- State Outline Maps. Print outline maps for each state. Great for coloring or labeling, or cut them all out and make a huge map on an empty wall in your house.
- PaperToys. Print models of American architecture, like the White House, for kids to fold and glue together. Also includes Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Mount Rushmore and more.
- States and Capitals Crossword Puzzle. Print puzzles for states, capitals or mixed combination. Includes answer key.
- Books
- The Little Man in the Map Teaches the State Capitals. I never would have even thought to learn this way, but I love it! This book gives you ideas for easy-to-remember rhyming verses for the states and their capitals. Like: “Is the ark Ann saw upon a dock? No, it’s on a little rock.” Each clue/phrase is also corresponding with a picture (great for students with visual memories—like myself).
- The Little Man in the Map with Clues to Remember all 50 States. Helps students find a shape or clue for every state to lock them in their mind! Such fun ideas here!!
- The Scrambled States of America. A wacky cross-country adventure picture book.
- Electronic Time for Learning: States. An interactive book that profiles each state through beautiful photographs and audio sounds. Readers can use codes to listen to Oregon’s state bird, Wisconsin’s dairy cows, West Virginia’s state song, and more.
- Paddle to the Sea. Great for learning the great lakes!! Such a fun read aloud book for the family about a boy who makes a boat and then the story of the boats journey through each Great Lake. Just trust me on this one. It’s a Newberry winner! You can also reserve it from your local library.
- Minn of the Mississippi. The history of the Mississippi River Valley as told in text and pictures through the adventures of a snapping turtle, as she travels downstream.
- The Erie Canal. The Erie Canal comes to life in this book as the author tells about what is happening in canal town life.
- Wonders of America Ready-to-Read Pack. Includes books on Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, The Rocky Mountains, The Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.
- Workbooks
- Draw the USA. Before I started learning about classical education, I would have never thought of the idea of teaching my kids to draw the US or the world map, but now I understand its importance and how possible it is! This book teaches students slowly, to draw the entire United States, step by step by region. It’s amazing what they are capable of and I think you as a parent would enjoy trying it too!
- US Coloring Book. I love the Dover coloring books. This book includes coloring pages for each state with excellent maps and detail. If you don’t feel like printing the free crayons pages mentioned above, for $4.99 this is a great buy!
- Games & Puzzles
- Melissa & Doug United States Floor Puzzle. This is an absolute must-have for learning the states. So fun to do together as a family! We’ve owned it for years.
- Great States Board Game. A fun family game to help you learn the states together. Recommended for ages 7 and up.
- Scholastic Race Across the USA Game. A fun game for kids ages 8 and up, and questions are geared for individual age levels.
- USA Flash Cards. These are nice quiet activities that fit in your purse, great for doctor visits and waiting rooms to use your time wisely. Included are cards for presidents and the states.
- Ticket to Ride United States of America Map. This is an easy-to-learn game perfect for 2-5 players and each game should take about 60 minutes or less. Kids will play on the US map! A fun Sunday afternoon family activity. 🙂
- Trekking the National Parks Board Game. A fun and educational game sharing the joy of the national parks with simple and easy to understand rules for all ages. This is kind of pricey, so it might be a good gift idea from grandparents. 🙂
- Catan Settlers of America. Based on the popular Settlers of Catan but with the US map as the board. For 3-4 players.
