The world is a pretty big place with 7 continents and over 190 countries so learning geography is not an easy task. Many American students begin by learning the orientation of all 50 states that make up the United States of America. While 50 states is only a small fraction of the rest of the world, it’s a great place to start. Here’s a fun activity you can use to learn all 50 states with a magnetic map:

Supplies:

  • Superglue
  • Wooden state puzzle pieces or cardboard
  • Map of the United States and scissors (if you can’t find wooden puzzle pieces)
  • 50 Small neodymium magnets for crafts

Directions:

If you have a wooden map of the United States, this tutorial is extremely easy. All you have to do is use the superglue to attach a small neodymium disc magnet to the back of each state piece. Then, you’re all set! You can make it more difficult by painting the pieces so you can’t see the names of each state. If you can’t find a wooden puzzle map of the US, then you can use the cardboard, scissors, and paper map to create one. Here’s how:
  1. First, use the scissors to cut out each state on your paper map of the US. Be careful to follow the state border lines to make sure your magnetic map is as accurate as possible.
  2. Next, cut out small squares of the cardboard, or some equivalent sturdy material, to use as backing for the paper pieces.
  3. Glue the cardboard squares onto the back of the state pieces you cut out of the map.
  4. Once the glue is dry, you can use the superglue to attach the small disc magnets to the other side of the cardboard.
Now, you’re ready to learn all 50 states that make up the US! You can put the magnetic state map on your fridge and practice whenever you can. Then, once you know where all the pieces go and all of the names of the states, you can challenge yourself to assemble the pieces faster and faster. Or you can challenge your friends to name all the states and put them in the right place on your fridge map! Image by Tom