On this page
This blank US map shows the outline of all 50 states, with no names and no labels. Alaska and Hawaii sit in two small boxes at the bottom left. Under the map are five lines for your child to fill in: their state, its capital, a state they have visited, one they want to see, and how many they can name.
It prints on one sheet, in plain black lines, so it uses very little ink. Kids from about first grade can start with it, and it stays useful right through middle school.
Ways to use a blank US map at home
Start small. Ask your child to find your own state and color it in. Then add the states where grandparents, cousins or old friends live. A map feels a lot more real when it holds people you know.
Next, try a road trip tracker. Tape the sheet inside the car door or keep it in a folder. Each time you cross a state line, color that state. License plates work too. Spot a plate from Ohio, and Ohio gets a color. Long drives go faster this way.
You can also keep one map for a whole year. Mark every state that shows up in a book, a news story or a ball game. By December your child will know far more than a quiz could teach.
A blank US map for the classroom
Teachers can use this sheet as a before and after test. Hand it out in September and see how many states each student can name. Give it out again in June. The change is easy to see, and kids are proud of it.
It also works for small lessons. Color the states along the Mississippi River. Shade the first 13 colonies. Mark each state your class has a pen pal in. For regions, give each group of states one color, such as the Midwest in green and the Southwest in orange.
The lines below the map give early finishers something to do, and they make a quick exit ticket at the end of a lesson.
Tricks for learning the states
Nobody learns 50 names at once, so break it up. Learn five or six neighbors at a time, working across the country. New England is a good first group, because those states sit close together.
Shapes help too. Florida hangs down like a thumb. Michigan looks like a mitten. Oklahoma has a handle, like a pan. Ask your child what other shapes they can see, since their own ideas will stick better than ours.
Say the names out loud while you write them. Small states in the Northeast have little room, so draw a short line out into the ocean and write the name there.
Facts about the 50 states
Alaska is the largest state by area, and Rhode Island is the smallest. Hawaii is the only state made up entirely of islands. Four states meet at a single point, called Four Corners: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. You can see that spot on this map, where two lines cross.
Hawaii was the last state to join, in 1959, a few months after Alaska. The map also has a small circle near Maryland and Virginia. That marks Washington, D.C., which is not a state at all. Read more about the US states on Wikipedia.
Print and color tips
Print at actual size on Letter paper. On A4, tick Fit to page. Colored pencils suit the tiny states in the East better than markers, since Delaware and Rhode Island are only a few spaces wide.
Try to color the map so no two touching states match. Most kids think they will need lots of colors, and they are surprised at how few it takes. The colored version on this page uses just a handful.
More printables to try
If your child likes this sheet, try the word search printable or the multiplication chart. For a little geography fun, the Earth Day coloring pages show the whole planet. You can browse everything on our free printables for kids page.
Questions
Are Alaska and Hawaii on this map?
Yes. They sit in two boxes at the bottom left, so they are not shown at true size or in their true place.
Are the state names printed?
No. Every state is empty, so kids can write the names themselves.
Can I use it in class?
Yes. Print as many copies as your class needs. It is free for home and classroom use.
