Take Off! is a geography board game in which players "take off" for an around-the-world journey. Along the way, they learn the names, locations, flags and many more interesting facts about countries. The game takes place on a huge laminated world map with route lines for the planes to follow. It's a race to see who can get around the world by drawing country cards, choosing the best route and answering questions. Younger children may need help reading the cards and the map, but this game is appealing to kids and adults alike.
In Brain Quest, players move around the board and answer geography questions. For every right answer, the player gets that country's flag. Whoever gets six flags first wins the game. One nice thing about this game is that questions range from third- to seventh-grade level. Players can choose questions according to their level.
A modern classic, Carmen Sandiego has taught geography to thousands of kids. The Carmen Sandiego CD-ROM series takes children to an international crime scene. They will need to answer questions, solve puzzles and gather evidence to solve the crime. The series also teaches math, history and grammar.
The National Geographic website has a kids' page that offers geography games. For instance, children can become a GeoSpy by testing their knowledge of continents, states, provinces and cities. They can also play Copycat, Quiz Your Noodle and Brainteaser.
On GeoNet at Eduplace.com, kids answer questions and learn interesting facts about the world. Choose a map of either the United States or the world, pick a country or state, then a category such as Places and Regions or Physical Systems. Children answer questions about this topic, and when they get the right answer, a pop-up gives more information about the subject. This is a simple but engaging and fun game.