World of Ease

Kids tend to learn better and retain the knowledge longer if they care about and are actively engaged in the subject. Many teachers have learned that the trick is to try to frame information and skills in a context that appeals to the child. Parents who want to give young children an understanding of the world at large may want to employ a similar tactic.

Rather than just buying a world map and attempting to teach geography to their kids, parents need to place the map in a context that the child will care about. If the kid is interested in history or explorers, then using a map to trace historical events or the routes taken by early explorers will make the map more meaningful. Another example is associating the map with geography — a child that is intrigued by volcanoes or earthquakes or loves the desert or the ocean will be drawn to those features on a map.

Think of it as teaching the child to use the map as a tool for investigating a subject they already love. Avid readers may want to plot the birthplaces of their favorite authors as well as the locations where books were set. Parents can also turn a map of georgia into a treasure hunt, giving kids a list of places to identify on the map and a reward for each one that they locate, perhaps with extra points for any information they can relate about the place.

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