Incorporate an "All About Me" unit into your elementary social studies curriculum. This topic is often presented in the early elementary grades and not only teaches children about themselves and their own family history, it also teaches them about the history and culture of their classmates. In this unit, have children create collages that express their likes, encourage students to create family portraits and family trees and have them share some of the traditions and customs that their families practice.
In elementary school, children should begin learning about the United States, including the states that make up the country, their locations and even some attributes associated with each of the states or regions of the countries. This topic is generally a focus throughout the elementary grades. Children can explore facts about their home states, including the state flower, bird, nickname, capital and so forth. They can illustrate maps of the United States, labeling each of the states and their capitals. To learn more details about each of the states, assign children a state, have them conduct research reports and share their findings.
In the middle and latter elementary grades, students should begin learning about European explorers, including Columbus, Hudson, Vespucci and Ponce de Leon. These explorers put North America on the map and led to the European settlement of the continent and eventually to the formation of the United States. Use lectures, videos, books and other library resources to teach students about these important historical figures. Instruct your students to conduct research reports and have them present their findings to the class.
Another topic that is a focus of elementary social studies is colonial times. This topic is usually studied during the later elementary grades and teaches students how the country came to be. During this unit of study, highlight important figures that shaped the era, then discuss what life was like during the 1600s. Present children with games that colonial children played to help bring the era to life. Explore the time period with a trip to Colonial Williamsburg or another recreated colonial village. If a field trip is not possible, take a virtual one at history.org.