Creative Ways To Teach Your Child About World Travel

Geography has always been important, but while the Animaniacs song and those Carmen Sandiego reruns are sadly out of date, learning it can still be fun with the right toys and tools. Here are three creative ways to teach kids about the world and its countries.

First, there's the classic floor puzzle. Using big shapes that are easy to click together, kids literally put together the world country by country. It's particularly good for younger kids as it also offers some spatial relations practice, and the big size makes it easy to handle and pick up once they're done.

For slightly older kids, there's the classic scratch-off map. Particularly if you'll be traveling to multiple states in a certain area, such as the US, this offers a fun way for kids to keep track of where they've been and learn about where they're going. As you scratch it away, you reveal cities and fun facts about the state where you're headed, and the map can serve as a keepsake when kids get older.

For kids able to handle a tablet or phone, augmented reality tools can be a lot of educational fun. Simply download the app to your tablet or smartphone, point it at the globe, and watch what pops up. Even better, the design without borders or names means that you won't have to deal with a globe that insists Czechoslovakia is still behind the Iron Curtain; the makers can just update the app with new information.