Children love to learn about their world. In the eyes of a young child, there is no real distinction between geography and astronomy -- in the sense that both studies explore our place in the universe. Where are we in relation to the rest of creation?

If you've used any of our learning resources here at Connie's Corner, then you know that we believe in integrating multiple layers of study into any subject, especially geography. You'll often see a mapping project tucked away inside one of our literature or philosophy courses.

But, sometimes, you just want something fun to add to the mix. Something that's not a paper worksheet. Something that the kids can do all by themselves, that will drive home a real love and fluency of our interconnected world.

Teach My

For your youngest children, there really is no better puzzle that I have found than the Teach My astronomy and world geography puzzles. These puzzles help your child visualize their first map of the world and our solar system, without all the clutter of political borders, scientific jargon, or the like. In the Teach My Toddler Continents and Animals, your child age 2 and up will learn to name the seven continents as well as the native placement of 21 common animals. The puzzle only has nine large pieces, plus the animals, so it is perfect for small hands. Cons: Keep an eye on the smaller animal pieces, so they don't get lost!
 

The Teach My Solar System Set is more suited to children ages 3+, or in Preschool. Each planet snaps into its own unique puzzle square, so your child can have fun assembling the puzzle without too much difficulty. This set is designed to teach your child the names and order of the eight planets, plus the Sun and Pluto, as well as one unique fact about each planet: for example, "Venus is the hottest planet." Cons: although perfectly suited for preschoolers and possibly kindergartners, your older students will not get much out of this set due to its simplicity.

For students that are a little bit older, our kids loved the Kid's Puzzle of the United States, by A Broader View. There are many nice USA puzzles available (just check Amazon!), but the two elements that make this puzzle a winner are the state-shaped pieces, and the jumbo size. When all put together, this puzzle measures about 2.5 feet wide, and the pieces are large enough to fill an adult's hand. The pieces are not easily lost by small children, and the larger size seems less daunting to them. Cons: This puzzle says aes 4+, but I would suggest ages 5+ due to the number of pieces.

Starting in Kindergarten, you can introduce your child to a "big kid" space puzzle, with Mudpuppy's Solar System puzzle. Once again, this puzzle tops the competition by having pieces shaped just like the planets. It sports all eight major planets plus the sun, as well as a couple of the more well-known constellations like the Big Dipper. This is another large puzzle, that is almost 2 feet wide when assembled, so easier for small hands to maneuver.  Cons: It's easy to miss that the puzzle positions each planet on a numbered orbit, so if you miss that it may seem as if the planets are placed rather randomly.

We're back to a world puzzle, this time for older kids in Kindergarten and elementary grades. The pieces are (you guessed it) shaped like the actual countries, so now your child can learn the political divisions rather than just the continents. When assembled, it's about one foot by two feet large; but, because of the variance in country sizes, it has some fairly small pieces. Geopuzzle also offers a series of more focused puzzles on each individual continent, so your child can study just the countries in South America or Africa, for example. This allows you to zone in on a region of special interest in your child's studies, if -- for instance -- your child were studying Latin literature or Middle Eastern (Biblical) history.