Having homeschooled for several years, I can tell you that one of the best ways to learn the 50 states is to make it interactive. Fifty sounds like a big number and can certainly be intimidating to kids, especially when you tell them that there are 50 capitals that go with them. By making it fun and engaging, your kids will be well on their way to learning about all 50 states.

Best Ways to Learn 50 States for Elementary

Color Across the United States

I haven’t met too many kids who don’t like to color. Statistically speaking, coloring helps kids improve their motor skills, stimulate creativity, and contribute to better handwriting. Oftentimes we just see coloring as a fun activity, but it packs an educational punch. With my Color Across the United States resource, your kids will have 3 colorable map outlines for each state along with handwriting practice pages. They will have opportunities to write the printed state name, traceable manuscript state name, and traceable cursive state name.

Geography Notebooking Pages

Our oldest still struggles with remembering all the abbreviations and capitals for the 50 states, so I created these Geography Notebooking Pages for Middle and High Schoolers. And, since I am a no-frill kinda girl, I created these notebooking pages generic enough to use with any unit study or lesson for both US Geography and World Geography. This 28-page notebooking set includes pages for cities, countries, and continents.

Across the USA in 31 Days

Make learning about states super fun by looking at one state per day for 31 one days. Each printable set includes three coloring pages for one of the state symbols (tree or flower) or the state flag, with handwriting practice in three different styles – printed text for early readers, dotted manuscript for early writers and dotted cursive for older kids.

50 States Mandala Coloring Book

This book is pretty simple, but I think it is a fun way to help older kids review their 50 states. By coloring each state, they learn to recognize the shape of the state, rather than just its place on the map. If you have younger children that love to color, this would be the perfect addition to the Across the USA Geography eBook. This book includes 50 coloring pages – 1 for each state – with the state name in a colorable font.

Early Learners Introduction to the 50 States

Early Learners Introduction to the 50 States is a fun and simple way to introduce your little ones to the United States. In these simple pages, they will color the state name, state shape, state bird, state flower and state flag. They will also be able to trace and copy facts and do a simple word search puzzle about each state. This is perfect for preschool and kindergartners, possibly even first grade.

State Bricks Building Challenge

These brick challenge printables put a whole new meaning on learning the states. Each one has space for finding out state facts, illustrating the state, documenting famous landmarks, and more fun facts. The brick challenges encourage your kids to use bricks to “build” things like the state’s name, shape of the state, the state flower, and more!

Final Thoughts

Learning about the 50 states doesn’t have to be boring or intimidating. Using activity packed printables is one way to make it fun, interesting, and engaging at the same time. Take your time working through the states and pay attention to your child’s cues. If they are becoming overwhelmed, take a break and simply review some they have already learned. Don’t hesitate to add other resources, such as: books, videos, virtual field trips, and the like. 

How do you teach your kids the 50 states (and capitals)? Let me know in the comments below! 

Download your own 50 States Printables!