In Social Studies, students are often asked to decorate and label maps of the USA. There are many blank maps floating around online, but most of them are either too detailed, too small, or too simple. For this reason, I’ve created five different blank maps of the United States. Now parents and teachers and print the map that’s best for their particular purposes. These free map outlines are a great resource for the Social Studies classroom, and can be used for countless educational activities and projects. Please click on a map to view the printable in the Printables Library.
The first map is a hand drawn blank map of the United States. I’ve filled it with vibrant colors and outlined it with crisp bold lines to provide clarity. Kids can label the rivers and mountain ranges, draw in state lines or additional geographical features. This map comes in jpeg format.
The next map is a black and white version of the first one. Students can color this map. It will also be easier for them to draw in their own pictures on the black and white map. This map comes in jpeg format.
Blank Map of the United States – Detailed
Next we have a highly accurate outline of the USA. This map of the United States can provide a useful basis for history projects and home assignments for elementary school students. This map comes in PDF format.
Simplified United States Outline
A simplified United States outline may be useful for instructing younger students. You may also prefer this map over the previous one if you need a general map shape, rather than precise geographic accuracy. This map comes in PDF format.
Blank Map of the United States – 3D
A 3d colored version of the blank USA map would be a nice addition to a school research report. This map would also look good on a classroom wall. If you want all your students to label a single map, this would be the one to use. This map comes in PDF format.
USA Map Classroom Project Ideas
Include these free maps into homework assignments and classroom activities. Here’s a few ideas to get you started!
1. Print out the maps. Instruct your students to draw the state they live in, and label their current location on the map.
2. Provide your children with the simplified map outline. Have them draw in the 48 contiguous states.
3. Print the 3d USA map onto a large poster board. Using stickers, get each student to pinpoint key cities in the United States.
4. Have your kids label the locations of the main Native American Tribes.
5. Have your kids draw key locations on the map, illustrating what they imagine the United States to look like in 100 years. For instance, kids could draw a futuristic New York City, or an imaginative space ship taking off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
These maps are derivatives of a public domain USA map: http://www.nationalatlas.gov