Write the names of the states individually on small pieces of paper or cards and place the state names into a bowl or hat. Have students take turns drawing names from the hat or bowl and then drawing the state on the marker board. The first student to correctly identify the state wins and gets to draw the next name and draw the state on the board. Repeat this process until all fifty states have been identified. Students can also draw items or symbols that may help the class identify the state if they are unable to identify it by the outline of the state. For example, for California, a student might draw a TV and a star (Hollywood or movie stars) as a hint.
Purchase a puzzle of the 50 states or make your own. To make your own puzzle, print out a map of the 50 states where each state is outlined, and cut out each of the 50 states. Write each state's name on the individual puzzle pieces. Students can help create the map puzzles. Glue the puzzle to cardstock, or laminate the individual pieces, to help make the puzzle more durable.
Create trivia cards about individual states. Trivia questions can be based on things like the date the state formed, famous people from a state, famous places in a state, the state capital or state symbols. For example, the statement "the state famous for its potatoes" could be used for Idaho. To use this game for the classroom, divide the classroom into two teams and tally how many states each team gets correct. The team with the most states correctly identified is the winner.
Divide players into two teams. Have players sit in a circle in the pattern of team one, team two, team one, team two. Set a timer for one to three minutes, using less time if players are advanced and more time if players are beginners. Players will take turns saying a state name and passing the timer to the person next to them, who then has to say the state's capital. Once the player identifies the capital, the timer is passed to the next player who must name a new state. This process repeats itself until the timer goes off. Whoever is holding the timer gets a point for their team. The team with the least points wins. Every time the timer goes off, teams switch from identifying a state name to naming the capital on their turn.