Travel with Kids: Why Geography Matters

Did you know that only one-fourth of American students prove proficient in Geography? Even worse, one-fifth of Americans can’t locate the United States on a map. Unfortunately, many kids in America are missing out on the importance of learning geography, which leaves them at a disadvantage in a world becoming more globalized every day. Fortunately, travel with kids allows you to sneak fun geography lessons into your family vacations.

According to geographer Tyler Hogan, geography’s more than memorizing places on a map: “Simply put, geography is the study of the world and the things and people in it.” Here are some of our favorite ways to build a fun geography lesson into every leg of your next family adventure.

 

Why Geography Matters

Learning geography helps kids get acquainted with other parts of the globe. It helps them understand different cultures and gain a greater appreciation for international matters, multicultural issues, and environmental concerns. But the advantages of a firm foundation in geography don’t stop there.

Geography also teaches kids about their homeland and how to be better citizens. It makes their country’s history, economics, and environmental issues more accessible and understandable. In fact, geography lets kids synthesize information across a variety of subjects allowing them to apply critical thinking skills to current issues at the local, national, and international levels.

An important geographic skill is map reading, which leads to an increased understanding of local and global information. It also leads to awareness of place and hones your children’s ability to use complex visual representations such as pictures, charts, and graphs.

How to Instill Geography Lessons While Traveling

One of the most natural ways to work geography lessons into family travels happens during the planning stage. Invite your kids to get involved in planning where you’re going to travel. If you’re planning a road trip, you may let them take turns being the navigator or get them involved in tracking where you’ve gone and where you have yet to go.

These lessons can be learned by reading physical maps and atlases or by looking up destinations on Google Maps. You can have kids look up shorter routes or ways to avoid tollways. That way, they learn practical tools of navigation, too. Finally, print out copies of maps to bring along so that kids can color and draw on them, keeping track of your progress.

While you’re out and about, you can also use Wikipedia or Google to research historic locations, cultural phenomena, geological formations, and interesting landmarks that you encounter. You can even turn this into a scavenger hunt by looking for distinguishing cultural, geographic, and historical features. For example, you could look for adobe houses while taking a road trip through the southwestern United States or look for sod-roofed houses while traveling through Norway.

Travel with Kids

Interested in learning about more fun ways to work life lessons into your travel with kids? At Our Whole Village, raising globally-minded children is our passion. We create accessible tours designed for families who want to create lasting memories while making a difference.

We’re here to help you and your family experience the world, its peoples, and its cultures. Contact us today to learn more about the unforgettable experiences that we handcraft to introduce kids to the world and create better global citizens.