Give your children a basic introduction of the continents, countries and oceans with these Free Continents and Oceans Worksheets designed for young, elementary aged children. Your children will love using these free continents and oceans worksheets to learn all about the major oceans, locations of the continents in a fun way.
Continents of the World
Continents are massive areas of land, separated by water or natural features. There are seven continents in the world that cover one-third of the world. The names of the continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Continents don’t just include the landmass that’s in one large piece but also include any islands connected to it. For instance, Japan is considered a part of Asia while Greenland is considered part of North America.
This is because the continents are defined by their continental shelf that extends far out into the ocean. The continents cover approximately one-third of the world. In addition, each continent is bordered by at least one of the five oceans of the world.
Oceans of the World
The five oceans cover the other two-thirds of the world. The world’s oceans are the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Southern Ocean. Unlike the continents, the oceans are connected allowing people to sail around the world.
Fun fact: the oceans contain 97% of the water on earth!
Different Layers of the Ocean
The oceans have several different layers based on the amount of sunlight each layer receives.
Pelagic Zone
First, we have the column of open water from the surface of the ocean to the ocean floor. This is the pelagic zone.
Sunlight Zone
The epipelagic covers the top of the pelagic zone, or the first 200 meters. It’s also called the sunlight zone.
Mesopelagic Zone or the Twilight Zone
Next, there’s the mesopelagic zone or the twilight zone. While it receives some sunlight, the light is dim. It runs approximately from 200 meters to 1000 meters below the surface.
Bathypelagic Zone or the Midnight Zone
The third zone is the bathypelagic zone or the midnight zone. It runs from 1000 – 4000 meters below the surface of the ocean.
The Abyss
The Abyssopelagic zone, or the abyss, is the fourth layer. It drops from 4000-6000 meters below the surface.
Hadalpelagic Zone
Finally, there’s the hadalpelagic zone or the trenches at the very bottom of the ocean.
Continents and Oceans Worksheets
Many families begin the study of world geography by studying the major oceans and continents. Kids learn the location of the continents and oceans.
It’s a great way to begin studying a map of the world because there are not many continents and oceans to memorize. Also, kids need to know how to locate these places on a blank map.
Maps of Continents
You can begin developing these map skills by giving your kids a blank map and hoping they learn the locations. A better way to learn the continents and oceans is to use continent cards, notebooking pages, and this free continent and oceans printable pack.
There are seven continents and five oceans which children learn about in these three free printable worksheets.
Continent Cards
These Continent Cards are a great way to introduce children to the seven Continents. They can use these cards to learn the names and the shapes of each continent as well as the location of each continent on a world map. You can use them as flashcards for drills or simply assign them to your child to review every day.
If you print two copies of these cards, children can use them for memory and matching games as well. Memory and matching games are a fun way to develop map skills. Kids are challenged to make the correct match. But since you’re playing a game, it doesn’t feel like school.
The continent cards can be used by kids of all ages, even 2nd graders or younger.
7 Continents Printable Pack
Our 25-page printable pack of the 7 continents can be used by students of all ages. It includes a printable world map of the continents, labeling continent names, a continents worksheet for each continent, and notebooking report templates for habitats and animal research for each individual continent. Scroll to the bottom of this post to gain access this Free 7 Continents Resource Pack.
Continents and Oceans Worksheets
This 50-page Continents and Oceans printable pack from Simple Creative Learning is aimed at children who are able to research the continents and oceans to find the answers. My thought is third grade or higher since kids need to be reading to learn rather than learning to read.
It contains a variety of activities which include:
- Naming the Continents on a world map
- Coloring the Continents on a world map
- Naming the Oceans on a world map
- Coloring the Oceans on a world map
- Reading and filling in the blank. There is one page for each of the Continents and each of the Oceans.
- Vocabulary cards about the continents – these cards come in color as well as black and white. Kids can use them to match the labels to the picture. You can also use the vocabulary cards for spelling and pronunciation practice.
Continents and Oceans Notebooking Pages
Older children who work well independently, may enjoy these Continents and Oceans Notebooking Pages. This 70-page pack contains seven different notebooking pages for each continent. And four different note booking pages for each ocean of the world. Included in these notebooking pages are maps of the continents.
Continent Maps
There is also a map of each continent that has the country’s borders marked out on them. To go more in-depth, children can label each country if they wish, such as the United States. Another idea is to have your children locate the major mountain ranges and rivers on the world maps as well.
The notebooking pages give kids ample space to write down the information they’ve researched, read, and learned about the continents and oceans.
Pop over now to Simple Living. Creative Learning to grab your free Continents and Oceans Printable Pack, cards and notebooking pages.
The continents printables found in this post:
- 7 Continents Resource Pack – This geography printable includes a map with the names of continents, a blank map for labeling, fun facts on the continents, and more.
- Continent Cards –Don’t forget to print out two sets of continent cards so you can play memory and matching games with your kids.
- Continents and Oceans Printable Pack – This is a great printable pack if you’d like your kids to complete guided research assignments. They’ll need to do some basic research to answer questions about the continents and oceans.
- Continents and Oceans Notebooking Pages – These continent and ocean notebooking pages give your kids plenty of room for them to write down paragraphs and short essays about continents and oceans.
7 Continents PDF Download
Explore the 7 continents with your kids with this fun resource pack. You’ll find a map of the 7 continents, a blank map of the continents to label, as well as notebooking pages for each of the 7 continents to research animals, habitats, and more!
How to Download 7 Continents Resource Pack
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Sara Dennis is a veteran homeschool mom of six who’s still homeschooling her two youngest kids after the older four have graduated, entered college, and moved on to adult life. She blogs at Classically Homeschooling.