Social studies include history, geography, economics, civics, and sociology. Since it’s largely a study of people, other elements are often part of the learning process, including religion, music, art, philosophy, literature, and anthropology. This makes for really fun and interactive learning. You don’t need to be an expert in any of these topics, though. There are lots of online social study resources to inspire and guide you. You can learn and explore with the kids! Be sure to point out we’re living in a time period that will one day be studied in social studies classes. 

For Early Learners

1. Fortune Cookie Mom has free printables for teaching preschoolers about Chinese culture. 

2. Young Children magazine from the National Association of Young Children has a great article on teaching social studies to little ones. 

3. Scholastic has a guide for parents on teaching social studies to preschoolers. 

4. Jumpstart has social studies games and worksheets. 

5. Education.com has printable worksheets about community helpers, feelings, maps and more.

6. Warren County Educational Service Center has put together a long list of preschool social study activities for parents. 

7. Supply Me has 68 preschool social studies lesson plans. 

8. Leapfrog has printables, activities and videos on geography, culture, history and more for early education. 

9. The Educator’s Spin On It has a fun harvest lesson plan to teach preschoolers about geography and cultures. 

10. Love to Know features free preschool printables and activities on cultures, geography, relationships and more.

For Elementary School

11. Ben’s Guide to the US Government has fun digital learning adventures. 

12. 50 States has map outlines, quizzes and tons of info.

13. World Atlas offers interactive maps, clocks, flags and videos. 

14. US.gov has fun lessons like a tour of a money factory or a look into different types of government jobs.

15. Liberty Kids is a fun animated history series.

16. Amazon Inspire offers teachers and parents a place to gather and share resources, lesson plans, activities, etc. 

17. Soft Schools offers free printable social studies word searches, quizzes and worksheets.

18. Captivating Compass has a free lesson plan for studying Ireland. Other countries are also available.

19. US Mint features online money education games. 

20. iCivics has online games that teach concepts like the importance of voting.

For Middle School 

21. Thirteen has history videos and interactive games.

22. Teaching Tolerance has lesson plans, articles, videos and activities geared at making us all better citizens.

23. Scholastic has articles on finances, world economy the stock market and more.

24. YouTube Edu has videos on social studies (and every other topic) compiled YouTube itself. 

25. Worksheetworks has free geography printables. 

26. EdHelper offers printable worksheets and journals on history topics and world problems. 

27. Khan Academy offers history videos, lessons and activities. 

28. Curriki offers interactive history, government and economics lessons. 

29. Social Studies for Kids offers free curriculum in history, economics, geography, government, finance and more. 

30. The Library of Congress has videos on topics such as Civil Rights and historical figures including Rosa Parks and Amelia Earhardt. 

31. NeoK12 has games, lessons, puzzles, presentations and activities on a wide range of social study topics. 

32. Social Studies for Kids has articles on budgeting, economics, cultures and current affairs. 

For High School 

33. Hippocampus has videos in history, social studies, government, economics, humanities and religion. 

34. History Matters is filled with great resources and info.

35. Digital History offers tons of data on events in US History. 

36. Sociology Source offers lessons, discussion prompts and activities. 

37. Best History Sites lets you browse by topic and then access lesson plans.

38. National Women’s History Museum has an online digital classroom database of lesson plans.

39. Crash Course by John and Hank Green offers videos diving deep into specific topics in sociology, psychology, history, government, etc. 

40. Teaching History has lesson plans and materials for a huge range of events and time frames. 

41. Historical Thinking Matters offers resources and guidance to help students develop critical thinking about history. 

42. Stanford History Education Group allows students to participate in free lessons and assessments from their history department. 

Kids aren’t the only ones who learn from social studies. Diving into these topics will probably teach you some new facts, too. Social studies often inspire us to try new things. You can make art, learn an instrument, dance or try out new recipes. These online social studies resources might even inspire kids to change the world for the better. 

Also Check Out:

42 Fun Websites to Learn and Teach Social Studies From Home