Kids Can Travel the World, with Geography Games Right on Your Smart Phone!


Geography and Mapping technology have given birth to some amazing kid-appropriate apps.

In encouraging families to invite a little cultural diversity into their lives (see our blogs on Eating Your Way Round the World) we invite your little world travelers to learn a little more about the big wonderful world they live in – without even leaving the house. Map and Geography games are an effective opportunity to enrich your kids’ knowledge of their neighbors. Here are 4 great apps available on iPhone, for doing just that.

Barefoot World Atlas. This nifty app offers users a 3D interactive globe where kids can tap on a region and learn about the climate, animals, the country’s flag, landmarks and other information. Note about this app, because its features are very broad, this app takes up some space.

Tiny Countries. Cartoon-style graphics and engaging gameplay are the highlights of this darling app. It has a great hero narrative and encourages kids to use their knowledge of geography to defeat their foes.

Google Earth. If you aren’t already totally addicted to zooming around the planet and viewing actual images of remote parts of the planet, welcome to Google Earth! This is such a fun app for kids over the age of 6, because they can control the tracking and other settings like street view, map view, even see calculations of elevation and landmarks.

National Geographic App for Kids. In keeping with its ongoing commitment to illuminating the beauty of the natural world and humankind’s role in it, the National Geographic app for kids is loaded with fascinating maps, photos, history, articles, games and jokes from all over the world.

If you want to inspire adventure and help your children to grow into open-minded and culturally aware adults, seeking out some educational and creative tools can really enhance the experience. It is likely they can learn about a panda refuge in China at the age of 7, but actually see those pandas in real life at 24. So setting the stage for curiosity is a must. Thankfully, it’s also really fun for grownups too.