Use this printable map of the United States and territories with your kids to help them learn while having fun with challenges and games!
Most of us are familiar with the 50 states of America, but do we also know the state abbreviations and territories as well? Use this printable map of the United States to brush up on your geography – a great learning activity both for kids and their parents.
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Hello! My name is Linda from tortagialla.com and I’m a mama who loves designing digital printables. I’ve created this up-to-date printable map of the United States as an educational tool for kids and adults to learn more about our geography.
The printable PDF includes a blank version as well as the fully labeled version with states, D.C. and territories listed along with their two-letter abbreviations. With a few tips and tricks, you can turn these printables into a learning lesson that is fun and challenging for the whole family.
After you download this US map, click over and grab our map of Europe and Asia printables too!
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Download this Printable Map of the United States
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What You Need:
- Sign-up above to download printable PDF
- Home printer
- White paper or cardstock
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
Learning Tips Using Printable Map of the United States
There are many versions and variations of the map of the United States, however, I wanted to create an up-to-date version that included our active territories. They are too often overlooked when it comes to learning about the geography of our United States.
This particular printable map of the United States includes a list of all states, D.C., and active territories on the right-hand side with two-letter abbreviations. It’s actually a handy list of information to keep on your refrigerator door!
Coloring and Labeling Fun
The first way to use this printable map of the United States is to color it up and label the blank template. The PDF includes two pages, blank and labeled versions, so you can use both for learning and memorization.
Especially for little kids, it might be more fun to simply color up the labeled version so they can learn over time. For older kids, they can use the list on the right-hand side to fill in the blank map as a fun challenge!
Memorizing and Time Challenges
Also, to expand on the idea of challenges, use this printable map of the United States as a competition between kids and parents! Who can fill in more of the blank map correctly? Or who can fill in the blank map correctly in less time?
Another idea is to do a musical chairs activity, passing the blank map around so each person has to fill in a correct answer. You keep going until someone gets it wrong and is out of the game. Whoever lasts wins!
Any activity can be turned into a game making it more fun, memorable, and ultimately more effective for learning. I think of knowing all the states and territories as a foundational element for all of us, so you can never start too early with your kids. Little by little, they will definitely learn the map by heart.
So are there more challenges that you can think of for your kids to play together using this printable?
Expand with Capital Names
Finally, when everyone has memorized the map, you can actually expand on this printable by asking your kids to learn the capital city of each state as well. This can be written along with the state name or on a separate sheet of paper.
This is just another way to expand on their learning and use printables to help out with fun activities at home that are also educational!
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What’s Next?
So if you liked this printable map of the United States, be sure to check out my blog for more freebie printables – Tortagialla digital printables blog.
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