Social Studies for Kids

What is Social Studies?

According to the National Council for the Social Studies, the term "social studies" refers to "the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence." Social studies typically refers to a wide variety of topics, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology. Generally, the main purpose of teaching social studies for kids is to encourage them to have a feeling of civic competence.

Social Studies in the Classroom

State curriculums usually require social studies throughout a child's academic career from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Many people associate social studies with history, but current events are emphasized as well. High school seniors often finish out their academic years with an economics and government class, while middle school students may focus on their individual state's history. Regardless of what portion of a social studies curriculum is taught, how it is taught can make a huge difference in the outcome of a child's education.

With the influx of technology in the classroom, today's teachers are no longer satisfied with a simple textbook/lecture style of teaching. In order to reach tech-savvy students, teachers have to look for ways to incorporate many different teaching and learning methods, including cooperative learning groups and online activities. For teachers lucky enough to have access to LCD projectors and ELMO visual presenters, teaching social studies with technology is easy. For those teachers whose resources are limited, even limited computer access can provide a break from the regular textbook.

The following sites have been lauded as excellent resources for social studies and other subject area curriculums.

• 4Teachers-This site helps teachers locate and create ready-to-use Web lessons, quizzes, rubrics and classroom calendars and is an excellent social studies for kids resource.
• PBS-If your school hasn't accessed this site, you are really missing out! You can create PowerPoint presentations and add videos into your slides using UnitedStreaming. These videos are free to download, and you'll find hundreds of clips that can be incorporated into virtually any history or social studies lesson.
• Blue Web'N-This website, courtesy of AT&T, is a terrific resource full of new and innovative ideas. One of the best links from this site is Filiamentality where you can create your own social studies website for free that your students can access. If you aren't comfortable branching out on your own, then do a search for other websites on the history topic of your choice. You can search the site for other teachers' info and links.
• All Newspapers-For a look at current events from around the world, check out this site where you access newspapers from almost any country!
• EyeWitness to History-You and your students can experience history through the eyes of those who lived it.

Social Studies for Kids

Parents and educators can search for innovative ways to introduce social studies for kids.

• Visit local museums
• Subscribe to a variety of magazines and newspapers
• Watch news programs and documentaries together, and then discuss what you've watched.
• Plan family vacations around areas of interest in history. Create a scavenger hunt of questions that your kids can use to discover more info about the particular site you are visiting. Even preschoolers can get in on the action.
• Read books together on topics of historical significance, then discuss what you've read.

Finally, continuously pique your kids' curiosity by looking for teaching opportunities every day and everywhere you go.