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5 Fun Second Week of School Social Studies Activity Ideas

By Kirsten Hammond

After a likely exhausting first week, where you were constantly teaching and reinforcing classroom rules, getting to know your students, and practicing routines, the second week provides an opportunity to dive deeper into your curriculum.

These 5 second week of school activities will continue to build community while aligning more closely with social studies skills, such as mapping, globe skills, and geography.

If you’re looking for first week of school activity ideas for social studies, you can read this article.

Create a Classroom Map

Have students collaboratively design a map of the classroom, marking where different items are located such as desks, bookshelves, and the reading corner. This activity reinforces mapping concepts in a familiar environment and can also be used to review classroom rules.

1. Provide students with paper, markers, and other drawing supplies.
2. Discuss what a map is and how it can be used to represent the classroom.
3. As a whole group or in small teams, have students draw a map of the classroom, including at least five to ten important items or areas.
4. Have students label each item and explain any associated rules (e.g., where to turn in assignments).
5. Students present their maps to the class, then display them in the classroom.

My Place in the World

For this second week of school activity, students create a personal map showing where they live in relation to their city, state, country, and world. This helps them understand their place in the world while practicing map skills.

1. Give students a template with concentric circles labeled for city, state, country, and world.
2. Discuss the concept of location and place.
3. Students fill in the template, starting from their home and moving outward to the world.
4. Allow students to decorate their maps with symbols or drawings representing their home, city, state, and country.
5. Students share their maps with the class, discussing what they have learned about their place in the world.

Community Puzzle

Each student decorates a puzzle piece with symbols or images representing their interests, backgrounds, and personalities. The pieces are then assembled to create a classroom community puzzle. This makes a great second week of school community-building activity!

1. Give each student a cardstock puzzle piece template.
2. Students decorate their puzzle pieces with markers, crayons, or other art supplies.
3. Ensure students write their names on their pieces.
4. Students bring their pieces together to assemble the puzzle.
5. Display the assembled puzzle on a bulletin board to symbolize classroom unity.
6. Allow students to share what their puzzle piece represents.

Map Challenge

Students are given a blank map (world, country, or state) and asked to locate and label cities, states, continents, and major bodies of water. This activity can be turned into a fun competition.

1. Distribute blank maps appropriate to your curriculum (e.g., world map, US map).
2. Explain the task and what students need to label (e.g., states, cities, bodies of water).
3. Give students a set amount of time to label as many places as they can.
4. Review the maps and discuss the correct locations.
5. For added engagement, turn the activity into a competition with small prizes for the most correctly labeled maps.

Landmark Pictionary

Students take turns drawing famous landmarks while their teammates guess the location. This second week of school game reinforces geography knowledge in a fun and creative way.

1. Create a list of famous landmarks from around the world.
2. Split the class into small teams.
3. One student from each team draws a landmark on the board while their teammates guess.
4. Set a time limit for each drawing round (e.g., 1 minute).
5. Students take turns drawing and guessing.
6. After each round, discuss the landmarks and their locations, showing photos and using maps to provide context.

The Second Week of School Activities are a Great Gateway to Your Curriculum!

These second week of school activities will help reinforce mapping and geography skills while continuing to build a strong classroom community.

You’ll love this additional activity where you and your students can get to know important learning styles!

If you want something more geared to social studies, get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep social studies-themed worksheets! 

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