Is there anything you remember from your early elementary school days that has stuck with you for ever and ever? I do!

There are a few shining (and not so shining) moments that I remember from Kindergarten. First, during lunch one day, I didn’t finish my apple, and my teacher wouldn’t let me come back in until my lunch was complete - as if my parents were supposed to know exactly how much I was going to eat. Second, I remember running laps and learning hurdles by jumping over baskets. Third, I learned how to spell ‘astronaut’ and I helped (that’s what cheating was called then, right?) a first grader with his spelling test because he didn’t know anything and he was super cute. Then he moved away. I also learned only to use three squares of toilet paper when you pee. The things that stick with you are really weird! Most importantly though, and also most relevant, I learned all of the states by name, location, and shape.

It can be really tough to decide what to teach your child; the possibilities are literally endless so for now itwe recommend and think it’s best to stick to something you remember learning as a child. Think about it. Something from school stuck with you for years and years and it’s not for no reason. A teacher or a lesson made an impact on you, and now you have the opportunity to teach that exact, incredible lesson to your child. That’s how I decided to teach Henley about that 50 states.

The first thing I did was buy a puzzle that was a map of the United States where each piece was a state and had its name and capital. Then I bought another wooden puzzle map with no names on it, then I bought a regular puzzle that was huge and way too complicated. Obviously, I went overboard, but in a great way. Let me explain. (Also, the links to all of these maps are at the end of this blog.)

The first puzzle map we had was great because every piece was a state. It also had random pictures on the states, so if I didn’t have a great connection that I could make for Henley, there was something there. She still remembers Iowa because of the pig.

The second puzzle map we had was even better because it was grey. Every piece was the same color, but also every state was it’s own piece. This was THE BEST map I found, and I wish they made it for every country. They do make it for the continents, which we also have, but it’s more of a coffee table piece at this point.

Then we bought this huge puzzle. It was more about being a puzzle than about being a map of the united states, which made it frustrating (no link for this one. . .).

With all of these puzzles and maps, we were off to learn the states! This is how I taught Henley (and the way I learned).

Alaska, Hawaii

Washington, Oregon, California

Idaho, Nevada

Utah, Arizona

Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico

North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas

Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida

Wisconsin, MIchigan

Illinois, Indiana, Ohio

Kentucky, Tennessee

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont

New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland

West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina

I’m sure there are some variations on this, but essentially we made columns of states, and said them over and over and over again. We also started to make connections to shapes.

We have family and friends or have visited Washington, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, and Virginia. Those states came easiest.

Then we talked about really cold states because Henley has a small obsession with snow. We added in facts about states where we knew easy facts (like horse racing in Kentucky and music in Tennessee), and all of these little hints helped her store not only state names, but state shapes. Illinois has a big belly, West Virginia looks like a W, Vermont is a V, and so on. Whatever silly idea you can think of, use it. Remember, you may not need something for every state, some will come without even trying, but the easier the conversation between you and your child about states, the faster they’ll be remembered.

Concurrently, we started playing songs in the car about the states; our favorite being ‘The 50 Nifty United States’. It lists the states alphabetically, which at first I thought might confuse the column order, but in the end, it was just a fun song about what we were learning. On a small tangent, I wish that kid songs were all educational. If you sing it they will learn it.

We started this lesson at age 3, but I’d say it appropriate to start earlier if you have more of a passion for it, and can be taught anytime! We know lots of elementary and middle school students, even high school students who can’t name, let alone find, all of the states.

Good luck! Sing on!

Map with pictures and names

Map with solid color and no names (I can’t find anyone currently selling this, but look hard, it’s THE BEST)

Song