Border Buddies
Who lives next door? Learn which U.S. states touch each other.
Border Buddies is a map game about neighbors. A state is highlighted on a map of the United States, and the child works out which other states touch it. Most questions use the lower 48 states, and Alaska and Hawaii show up in the counting level, where the game explains why neither one has a neighboring state.
Questions move from picking a neighbor to counting borders, tapping a bordering state right on the map, and finding the one state that touches two others. The last level asks for the fewest borders to cross on a trip between two states, which is a friendly first look at shortest paths. The game uses U.S. states only.
What children practice
- Name states that share a border with a highlighted state
- Spot the state that does not touch a given state
- Count how many neighbors a state has
- Tap a bordering state directly on the U.S. map
- Find the one state that touches two different states
- Work out the fewest borders to cross between two states
Levels
- Level 1: Who borders?
- Level 2: Who does not border?
- Level 3: Count the neighbors
- Level 4: Tap a neighbor
- Level 5: Two states, one neighbor
- Level 6: Fewest borders to cross
How it works
- Every round shows a map of the United States with one or two states colored in.
- Answers are chosen from a short list, counted, or tapped on the map.
- A wrong answer says to try again, and a right answer brings a short explanation of the neighbors.
- Six levels open in order as the child answers correctly, and the speaker button can read each question aloud.
Best for: A good fit for grades 3 to 8 when a child is learning the U.S. map and needs practice with neighbors and directions.
Tip for parents: Open a paper map or an atlas and ask your child to trace your next road trip, naming each state border you cross. It turns the last level into something real.
Questions parents ask
Does Border Buddies include Alaska and Hawaii?
Yes, they appear in the counting level. The game explains that Alaska touches Canada and the ocean, and that Hawaii is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, so neither has a neighboring state.
What about states that only meet at a corner?
States that touch only at a point, such as the Four Corners states, are never used as a right answer, a wrong choice or a step in a path. That keeps every question clear, with exactly one correct answer.
Is this game only about the United States?
Yes. Every question uses U.S. states and the U.S. map, so it suits children learning American geography. For maps of the wider world, Country Finder and Continents and Oceans are the better places to play.
Ready to try it?
Border Buddies is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.