Lift & Learn USA Map Puzzle – The Learning Journey is an affordable and fun way to teach kids to learn the names of each of the 50 States, their Capitals, and their location on the United States map.
When I was in 4th grade, I remember having to memorize all 50 States and their Capitals. My class didn’t go through the States one by one and talked about them. Our teacher just gave us a list, told us to memorize it and that we will have a written test by the end of the week. I remember having a hard time memorizing the list. For one, I did not know most of the 50 States… and worse, pair them with their respective Capitals! Luckily, I didn’t have to find where those States are located on the map or else, I would’ve definitely failed.
Fast forward to recent events:
Last year, each month in my daughter’s (Pre-K) class, a continent was introduced to them. they talked about topics such as what type of animals live there, where is the continent located on the map, etc. They would also do a few art and craft stuff that revolved around the continent. Each students even had a pretend passport and they received a stamp once they finish a continent. My daughter learned a lot from her experience and she thought it was fun.
This year, I wanted to try something that is similar to her last year’s experience. Basically, Learn through Play. I figure I’ll start with the US map. And, what’s more fun than doing a puzzle to help your kid learn? It’s interactive (which at her age is crucial) and quite honestly, I can definitely brush up on US – States/Capitals/Map Location.
Why did I choose Lift & Learn USA Map Puzzle – The Learning Journey?
I researched a bunch of US puzzles and at first, I was leaning towards Melissa & Doug. Melissa & Doug is a reputable toy company and as far as US map puzzles, they offer many different ones. They have magnetic puzzles, floor (giant) puzzles, wooden puzzles and regular puzzles. I liked all three but not so much the price. You see, my daughter is only 5 yrs old, and as most 5 yr old kids, they tend to re-purpose their toys for other things (i.e. using alphabets fridge magnets and re-purposing them in their pretend kitchen to make alphabet soup). So, what ends up happening is, you guessed it, it gets lost! So I searched for something more affordable, and I found Lift & Learn USA Map Puzzle by The Learning Journey. This way, if a puzzle piece gets lost, I would be “ok” with it. The puzzle is bright and colorful which is attractive to kids. It also has nice size puzzle pieces where kids and adults wouldn’t have a hard time playing with them.
My daughter likes this puzzle a lot. Mostly, because, it’s another way for her and me to spend time with each other. My goal is to slowly introduce her to each piece little by little throughout the year, just like how she was introduced to the seven continents last year.
What about you, how and what grade did you learn the 50 States and their Capitals? What grade and how are you going to teach your child?
Check out my YouTube unboxing video of The Learning Journey – Lift & Learn USA Map Puzzle
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