Lewis and Clark Activities for Young Kids
Teaching the Lewis and Clark expedition is such a great way to get kids interested in history. The courage, the sense of exploration, the discoveries that they reported back- its just inherently engaging for kids. My daughter LOVES learning about Lewis and Clark, and she asked me to put together some Lewis and Clark activities for her. So here are some low-prep, hands-on activities to help teach Lewis and Clark to young kids (preschoolers to early primary). And these will hopefully also spark their interest in learning more about history!
Trace Their Route on a Map
After introducing the idea of what the Lewis and Clark expedition was about, have your kids trace it on a map. Give them a labeled map of the United States to help guide them.
Show them where to start in Louisville, KY (where Lewis and Clark officially met up) and then trace their routes over rivers and across mountains up to Fort Clatsop on the Pacific Ocean.
Along the way, point out the physical geography that they would have had to traverse and talk about challenges they would have faced along the way.
If you would like a guide to use, I created this activity here. You can easily modify it to make it easier for younger learners or more challenging for older kids.
For the easiest version, just print out the fully traced in and colored in map, and have your kid trace over the line.
For more of a challenge, print the guide along with the blank map on the same piece of paper and have them use the completed map as a guide.
That activity is available here.
Pretend to Be on the Trail
Preschoolers and primary students love pretend play, and it’s such a great way to learn!
First- have them pack things they think they might need. Encourage them to really think about how what they would really need. What food would they pack? What kind of clothing do they need? Are there navigational tools they would want?
Then go outside and go exploring!
Encourage them to explore their own backyard (or even a local trail) with a compass and binoculars in hand.
Write a Journal Entry or Draw a Picture
So much of Lewis and Clark’s journey was about gathering information about the animals and plants that existed in the Louisiana Purchase. Encourage your child to get in that mindset and encourage them to write down or draw what they see. What kinds of animals did they notice? What kinds of plants looked interesting?
You could also show them an excerpt from Lewis’ journal to see what kinds of records he kept. There are great excerpts that can be found here.
Create a Map
Lewis and Clark also created extensive maps. Drawing your own map of a familiar area is a great way to get kids to really slow down and notice what’s around them. If they cross a creek or a bridge on their trail, have them sketch it. If they see a distinctive landmark on the way, encourage them to add it to their map. T
This could honestly be as simple as creating a basic map of their own backyard and then tracing the route they took around it. All of this will help really build those foundational geography skills.
If you want to show them the kinds of maps that Lewis and Clark created, you can show them examples online. Some great examples are available here.
Sort the Animals They Encountered
Teaching about Lewis and Clark is also a great way to introduce or reinforce the idea of different biomes across the United States. Additionally, so much of the expedition’s focus was centered on studying the different animals they encountered.
So for this activity, download and print this set of cards that contain the different animals that Lewis and Clark encountered along with the different biomes they traversed through.
Then present your child with a large map of the United States (I found mine at Dollar Tree) and introduce the biomes first. Help them place the biomes in their proper place on the map.
Then hand them the animal cards and help them sort the animals into their proper biomes.
For younger students, only give them a few animals at a time. For older students who are ready for more of challenge, give them all of the cards at once.
To also help modify it, within the same file I provided a color-coded version as well as a version that is all the same color. For younger students, I recommend printing off the color-coded version.
This is also a great way to remind kids of the route that Lewis and Clark took of traveling east to west.
The activity is available to download here.
Learn About Sacagawea
Sacagawea is fascinating for kids. Her youth, her courage- she’s just captivating. The best book I’ve found so far for young learners is the National Geographic for Kids Sacagawea.
Learn About Life in Fort Mandan
Learning about what life was like when the expedition wintered in Fort Mandan is a great way to learn about Native American culture. Focus on what lodging was like, what they ate, what their community looked like, etc.
There is information on this all in the National Geographic Sacagawea book. While reading that book, emphasize the information on life in Fort Mandan.
Visit a Lewis and Clark Site
Quite possibly the best way to learn about history is through traveling to historic sites. The National Park Service has an extensive network of sites along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
If you are near one, visit with your child. Encourage them to locate on a map where that location is and have them find out why it is significant to the Lewis and Clark journey.
A list of the NPS sites is available here.
NPS Junior Ranger Activities
The National Park Service offers junior ranger activities at the Lewis and Clark sites, and the activities are GREAT for young learners (this was actually the first Junior Ranger badge that my daughter earned as a preschooler).
While it’s fun to turn in the booklet at a trail site to get your badge, if you can’t visit a trail site, you can also complete the activity booklet at home. (You can also pick it up at one location and then turn it in at another location along the historic trail which is a lot of fun.)
That is all available for download here.
There’s so many great activities from the National Park Service- definitely make sure you check them out.
Additional Books and Activiites
If learning about Lewis and Clark piqued your child’s interest in Native American history, be sure to check out my posts below about books I use to introduce Native American history to kids along with activities that I use.
2 Comments