This game tests the student’s knowledge of the states and their capitals. Take two students and position them side by side at the back of the class. Near the front of the room, place a marker on the floor, such as a piece of tape. Begin by calling out the name of a state. The first of the two students to call out the correct name of the state’s capital can take one giant step forward. Continue the game until one student reaches the marker at the front of the class and wins the round. The winners of each round compete against each other until one student wins the game.
This game tests the student’s knowledge of the state’s locations, the abbreviations of the states and the names of the state capitals. Separate the class into two groups. Print out two blank maps of the United States and give one copy to each group. Instruct the groups to label the maps with the correct state abbreviation and the name of the state capital. The first group to fill in the map correctly wins a small prize.
This game tests the student’s knowledge of the state capitals. Prior to playing, create or purchase a deck of cards that contains the names of states and the names of state capitals on individual cards. To play, shuffle the cards and place face down on a flat surface in even rows. Instruct the students to flip over two cards at a time, looking for a state and its matching capital. Students take matched pairs and leave unmatched pairs. Play until the students match all cards. The student with the most matches wins the games.
Aside from classroom games on the states and their capitals, there are also many free, online games teachers can use that are beneficial for helping students memorize the states and their capitals. Different sites have state and capital games in several levels of difficulty, from beginner to master geographer. Students can use these online games by themselves, or as a competition to see what student can log the best score and time.