Countries and continents: Europe, North and South America: what children learn
In Key Stage 2, children locate the world’s countries, with a focus on Europe (including Russia) and North and South America. This game names a country and asks which continent it is in, or names a continent and asks which of four countries belongs to it. Most questions are about Europe and the Americas, with a few countries from Asia, Africa and Oceania for contrast.
Russia is special: it is the largest country in the world and stretches across two continents, Europe and Asia, so both answers are counted as right. The curriculum names Russia on purpose, so it is worth looking at it on a globe. Children can also see how North America has only three large countries (Canada, the United States and Mexico), while South America has twelve.
This topic covers a Key Stage 2 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Locational knowledge): pupils should be taught to “locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities”. The programme of study sets this for the whole of Key Stage 2, so schools choose when to teach it; we have placed this game in Year 4 (ages 8–9).
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.
How to play
Answer 10 questions before the clock runs out. Tap an answer, or press 1 to 4. Each game has 10 multiple-choice questions and a 150-second timer. A wrong answer shows the correct one before moving on. You earn up to three stars depending on your score.
Step by step
- Start with neighbours. Learn the UK’s nearest neighbours first: Ireland, France, Spain, Germany and so on, all in Europe.
- Cross the Atlantic. Canada, the United States and Mexico make up most of North America. Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Colombia are in South America.
- Find Russia. Trace Russia from eastern Europe all the way across Asia to the Pacific.
- Use a globe. A globe shows the true shapes and sizes better than a flat map.
- Link to features. Connect countries to famous physical features: the Alps in Europe, the Rockies in North America, the Andes and the Amazon in South America.
Worked examples
Example 1: Which continent is Peru in?
Working: Peru is on the west coast of South America, along the Andes mountains.
Answer: South America.
Example 2: Which of these countries is in Europe: Canada, Poland, Kenya or Japan?
Working: Canada is in North America, Kenya in Africa and Japan in Asia.
Answer: Poland.
Example 3: Which continent is Mexico in?
Working: Mexico is south of the United States and shares a border with it.
Answer: North America.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking Mexico is in South America. Mexico is part of North America. South America begins further south, with Colombia.
- Calling Russia only Asian or only European. Russia crosses both continents. The Ural Mountains are often used as the dividing line.
- Mixing up countries and continents. A continent contains many countries. Ask: "Can I fit other countries inside it?"
Activities to try at home
- Check where food in the cupboard comes from (bananas, coffee, rice) and find the country and continent.
- Follow a sports competition and find each team’s country on a map.
- Choose a "country of the week" and find one physical and one human feature.
- Print the worksheet and colour the countries on a map of Europe or the Americas.
Ideas for the classroom
- Use blank maps of Europe and the Americas for pupils to label countries from the game.
- Run a "passport" challenge: pupils collect stamps for locating countries on a globe.
- Compare Russia and the UK by area using an atlas.
- Play the game as a starter, then ask pupils to describe where one country is using compass points.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Why are there no Caribbean or Central American countries?
Different sources group them differently (part of North America, or a separate region), so they could have more than one fair answer. The game keeps to countries where every atlas agrees.
Is Turkey in Europe or Asia?
Like Russia, Turkey spans both continents. It is not in the game, to keep every question clear.
How many countries are there in the world?
The United Nations has 193 member countries, with a few more places counted differently by different sources.