How to Teach the Continents in 3 Easy Steps + FREE Continents Pack

Midway through the elementary years you’ll most likely start teaching your homeschoolers about the continents. The most asked questions usually involve how to introduce them, what resources to use, and how to make it fun.

In my homeschool I like to tackle subjects and concepts like these in a way that makes it easy, interesting, and fun. Focusing on that first word – easy – I’d like to share three easy steps for teaching continents to your kids.

Be sure to scroll all the way down to grab our FREE Continents Resource Pack!

How to Teach the Continents in 3 Easy Steps

Before diving into what I like to call my homeschool hacks, let me first say that this is a subject that doesn’t have to be difficult. Yes, it’s an important part of geography and social studies, but it’s one that can be taken from a more relaxed approach (especially if you’re teaching younger kids). With that in mind, let’s tackle those easy steps!

Step #1: Decide on a timeframe for teaching the continents.

Since there are seven continents you can easily break them up into teaching one per month for a year long study or doing a much shorter unit study and teaching one per every couple of weeks. One of the biggest things to take into consideration is how in depth you want to go with the information you want to teach about each continent.

For younger homeschoolers you may want to start with a simple introduction of what the names of the continents are and locating them on a world map. This may take as little as one week to do. As your children get older, you can add more in-depth information such as countries within the continent, population facts, habitats, climate, and so on. This is something that can take several weeks.

Step #2: Locate some resources to use.

We have a variety of resources to help get you started, including our exclusive 7 Continents Resource Pack. Whether you use the do-it-yourself route with freebies or pay for resources, decide on what to use based on how long to plan on teaching about the continents. Always keep in mind the age and development level of your homeschoolers. Younger kids will most likely enjoy coloring pages and flashcards whereas other kids may like creating an interactive notebook or doing research-style notebooking pages.

Once you gather your resources you’re ready for the next step!

Step #3: Create lesson plans.

This may sound intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. When it comes to creating lesson plans all you need to do is use the resources you’ve gathered and plug them within the timeframe you plan on teaching about this subject. Remember this isn’t something that has to be taught every single day. If you do geography or social studies just a couple days a week, stick with that schedule.

If you plan to focus on geography of The United States of America at any point in your elementary or middle school years, Daily Skill Building: U.S. Geography is a great choice! It’s all-inclusive and doesn’t require a teacher’s guide. 

Here’s a sample two-week schedule for teaching about one of the continents (Africa). This schedule will use a three day per week layout:

Week 1

Monday: Introduce the continent Africa and its location on a world map. Coloring pages, a video, and/or a story may accompany the lesson.

Wednesday: Talk about important and interesting facts about Africa such as how many countries it has, populations, and climate.

Friday: Review what was done on Monday and Wednesday.

Week 2:

Monday: Start creating a lapbook or interactive notebook with concepts that were taught the previous week.

Wednesday: Add more details about the continent by talking about animals and habitats common for Africa.

Friday: Review using the lapbook or interactive notebook.

Notice how there aren’t any over-strenuous assignments used to teach about Africa. The information is introduced in an easy and creative way.

Keep these three easy steps in mind as you plan to teach about the continents to your homeschoolers! And don’t forget to download the free resource pack at the bottom of this post!

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Find Another FREE Download: World Geography Unit Study: The 7 Continents, Latitude, Longitude, and Hemispheres

FREE 7 Continents Resource Pack

Our 25-page printable pack of the 7 continents can be used by students of all ages. It includes map work, labeling, and notebooking report templates for habitats and animal research for each individual continent. Download it now by clicking the cover below. 

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Carrie

Carrie is the owner & operator of Homeschool Giveaways. She has been homeschooling for over a decade and has successfully graduated her first homeschooler. She has two girls and works side by side at home with her awesome husband. She has been saved by grace, fails daily, but continues to strive toward the prize of the high calling of being a daughter of the Most High God.